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Ice Hockey: The Start Of The Expansion Era

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If Ice Hockey is the most attractive and entertaining genre in the family of hockey sports, then NHL is indeed the most elite and prestigious league of this game. The National Hockey League was organized for the first time in 1917. At that time, only four teams were part of this league and all of these teams were from Canada. The expansion of the league took place in 1924 as it entered in the USA. NHL has a rich and long history. It is regarded as the most prestigious and premier ice hockey league. But the most notable period of both NHL and the ice hockey sports was the Broad Street Bullies era dominated by the Philadelphia Flyers. Their unique, never before seen aggressive strategy took the game by storm. The display of intense physicality …show more content…

This state of the USA was more familiar with and interested in football. But the change was inevitable. Hockey and NHL had become very popular in many other states of the USA. The flow was continuous and it eventually entered Philadelphia. The Philadelphia Flyers became a part of the NHL at the very beginning of the Expansion Era (1967-1992). Before this period, there were only six teams in the main frame of the NHL. Boston Bruins, Toronto Maple Leafs, Detroit Red Wings, New York Rangers, Chicago Black Hawks, and Montreal Canadiens were the six participating teams in this era. These six teams perfectly carried and maintained the heritage, prestige, and glamour of the NHL. Ice hockey was always known as a physical game. But the structure of this game included mutual respect, great professional understanding on and off the field, and a non-bloody gameplay for all. But the whole scenario changed with the advent of the Expansion …show more content…

After they were included, they managed to play the post season league for the first two seasons. But at both times, they were defeated by the St. Louis Blues. The Flyers were gradually improving but that was not enough to achieve the desired success. They were not just beaten on the scoreboard but they were heavily physically beaten too. A number of players of the squad suffered from injuries. This called for Ed Snider and his boys to have a different approach and strategy. They invented a unique and amazing physical gameplay. Until the 1972-73 season, the Philadelphia Flyers was recognized as a mediocre team. Suddenly, they emerged as one of the most influencing, important, major, and brutal force in the segment of ice hockey and

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