Why the Flyers? How Canadians Decided to ‘bleed Orange'

Aaron Roberts proudly wore his No. 88 Eric Lindros jersey when the Flyers traveled to Edmonton in December. Roberts also owns a John LeClair jersey, a Wayne Simmonds sweater, and at the time, a Claude Giroux that was on order.    

Roberts, like many who attended that game, is an orange and black die-hard who was born and raised in Canada.

"Growing up when Philly won their Cups I started watching hockey," Roberts said. "I don't know. I went with a winner then and I just never, ever veered away from it. Of course, there's temptation, but it's always been Philadelphia for me."

It's not unusual to see a Philly faithful make their way out of the Canadian woodwork. Their popularity even rivals that of American-based original six teams.  

"I find that when I go to games, Flyers fans are more friendly, like everyone wants to high five and stuff, which is cool," said Troy Krechuniak, who lives in Calgary, but grew up in Edmonton. "I had to go through all of that (the Oilers winning the Stanley Cup). That's the problem going through the (Wayne) Gretzky years, 1985 Game 5, 1987 Game 7." 

So why this allegiance to a team located hundreds of miles away in another country? 

At one time, the Flyers were as Canadian as the Montreal Canadiens themselves, considering they're still the last team to win a Stanley Cup with an all-Canadian roster. 

Philadelphia Flyers

Complete coverage of the Philadelphia Flyers and their rivals in the NHL from NBC Sports Philadelphia.

Wayne Simmonds announces retirement, Flyers to honor him April 13

Flyers give up 6 more goals, drop to 0-2-0 in challenging 7-game stretch

"First off, you choose the identity of a team when you're probably 6-to-9 years old, and at my age, I cheered for the Broad Street Bullies - Bobby Clarke, Dave Schultz and so forth," said Rick LeFort of Saskatchewan. "I moved to Manitoba years later. Manitoba connections are Bobby Clarke and Reggie Leach."

More than 40 years after bringing the city of Philadelphia its first Stanley Cup championship, the Broad Street Bullies left behind a legacy that has impacted a region where hockey is indeed a religion.

"Being in Calgary when there was no team, you got to choose which team you wanted to affiliate yourself with," said Shawn Cochlan of Langdon, Alberta. "I did love that brand of hockey, and yet, a lot of my friends didn't. I liked Philadelphia better because they were tougher."

And the allegiance to the Flyers has been passed down from a generation of fans to their children and siblings.  

"My aunt and uncle were big Flyers fans, and I loved being an outsider," said Ryan Doram of Edmonton. "Every year when the Flyers come to Edmonton we make sure we come to the games. I loved Lindros. I loved the Recchi years, and you always find your new favorites I guess. You always find players you look and gravitate to."

Giroux has that gravitational pull. As the Flyers hit Ottawa and Montreal one final time Saturday and Monday, you'll see No. 28 jerseys scattered throughout the arenas for the Hearst, Ontario, native.

"We haven't won a cup in a while. We've been there four or five times, but we're getting better. I like what Ron Hextall is doing, and we're going in the right direction," 54-year-old Tom Banks said. 

"You cut me in the winter months, I bleed orange."

Copyright CSNPhily
Contact Us