Sports Betting News: NFL Team History | NFL Football Betting | College Football Betting | Baseball Betting | Basketball Betting | College Basketball Betting | Hockey Betting | Golf Betting | Tennis Betting | Auto Racing Betting | Horse Racing Betting | Soccer Betting
05/28/2010 -
PHILADELPHIA (AP) -In an era when hockey games may as well have been held inside the squared circle, the Broad Street Bullies spilled enough blood to fill a decade's worth of Stanley Cups.
They embraced their moniker as the most despised team in the NHL, crushed their rivals to a pulp, and rubbed salt in their busted-open wounds by winning a pair of titles.
More than that, the Bullies pounded their way into the hearts of Philadelphia Flyers fans.
It's a love affair spanning more than 35 years that kicked off with those 1974 and 1975 Stanley Cup winners that so captured the spirit of gritty Philly, more than 2 million fans packed city streets for each of their championship parades.
Long past their pugilist primes, the former champs are ready to make room in the rafters for another championship banner. No one outside the organization wants the Flyers to defeat - oh, let's say, beat - the Chicago Blackhawks in the Stanley Cup finals more than the players who still sport the scars, carry the aches and wear the rings of their glory days.
``My freaking shoulders are getting tired. It's time to pass the torch around,'' Hall of Fame goalie Bernie Parent said. ``It's been a long time, but it's the right time.''
The Bullies' style intimidated opponents, enraged visiting fans and, more than anything, meant the Stanley Cup stayed in Philadelphia.
Lord Stanley's Cup hasn't called Philadelphia home since the brawlers left town. The Flyers have lost their past five appearances in the Stanley Cup finals - a trend they'll try to reverse starting with Game 1 on Saturday in Chicago.
The Broad Street Bullies are enjoying a renaissance throughout the city. They're in demand thanks to the Flyers' run to the finals - Bob ``the Hound'' Kelly, Dave ``the Hammer'' Schultz and Joe Watson rallied the fans Thursday at Geno's Steaks - and the Flyers were celebrated in the HBO documentary ``Broad Street Bullies'' that is airing now. It's the first NHL documentary aired by the premium cable network.
``We're riding a crest, just like the boys are,'' Parent said.
And they're setting the record straight.
Yes, they loved to fight. But the Flyers from that era were more than a bunch of thuggish brawlers who some accused of cheapening the game. They boasted Hall of Famers such as Parent and Bobby Clarke, and won 50 and 51 games in their championship seasons - numbers not achieved simply by throwing punches and camping out in the penalty box.
This year's Flyers won a shootout in the last game of the season to clinch the seventh seed.
``We might have pushed a little bit to the extreme,'' Kelly said, laughing. ``People look at our fighting, but we had talent. We had good talent.''
The nickname was coined by a writer and a headline in the Philadelphia Bulletin and it soon became their calling card. Broad Street is a major arterial street in Philadelphia and runs past the soon-to-be demolished Spectrum.
It took three hours for the 1974 parade motorcade to travel a few miles down Broad from the Spectrum to City Hall.
The Flyers won their first Stanley Cup in 1974, only six years after Ed Snider founded the expansion team. They beat the Bruins 1-0 in Game 6 on a goal by Rick MacLeish at the Spectrum. Parent won the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP.
In '75, the Flyers went back-to-back. They defeated the Buffalo Sabres 2-0 in Game 6 to clinch a second straight championship. Parent became the first player in NHL history to win the Conn Smythe in consecutive seasons.
On the flight home from Buffalo, the Flyers plopped the Stanley Cup in the middle of the aisle. For close to 90 minutes, the Flyers couldn't take their eyes off the ultimate prize.
``We were able to just sit back, look at the Stanley Cup and just savor it,'' said Parent, who phoned in from his boat, smoking a cigar. ``It was just a special time.''
While the brutal rough-and-tumble style faded, the nickname has had an on-and-off relationship with the franchise. Every fight, every suspension involving the orange-and-black conjures up the old Bullies image. Flattened by rule changes, the days of the sadistic enforcer have mostly gone the way of the dinosaur.
``You're not really allowed to do any of that nowadays. That doesn't go over too well,'' Flyers star Jeff Carter said. ``We got guys who are going to stand up there and not take anything from anybody as well. We're going to stand up for ourselves and if it comes to blows, it does.''
Sure enough, the Flyers led the league with 402 penalty minutes this season. If that sounds like a lot, consider this. Schultz, who often wrapped his hands in tape for protection, set an NHL record in the 1974-75 season with 472 penalty minutes. The Flyers put stitches on faces that looked as if they came right off a baseball.
``A lot of people look at it, particularly if they're not a Flyers fan, a little negative,'' Schultz said. ``Sometimes, I'm almost tired of hearing some of these people cry. Like we were thugs? Yeah, right. I was 6-1, 195. I guess it was the scowl on my face.''
Schultz said the Flyers had the support of their coach, Fred Shero. Shero holds every major team coaching record, including years coached (seven), wins (308), winning percentage (.642), and playoff wins (48).
``Some coaches would have said, 'Whoa, guys. Let's tone this down. We're getting a bad reputation,''' Schultz said. ``He never said that for one second.''
For all he did on the bench, Shero's best remembered for his motivational sentence on Philadelphia's blackboard before Game 6 of the 1974 Stanley Cup series:
``Win together today, and we walk together forever.''
It's a phrase that resonates more than any punch.
The Flyers have walked together, seemingly forever. Most of them still live in the Philadelphia area and are always planning some sort of dinner, function, or lacing up the skates for charity hockey games. They could have stopped in one downtown eatery on Thursday and had a taste of the Broad Street Bully sandwich - marinated chicken, barbecue sauce, cheddar cheese and sweet potato on black Russian bread.
No matter where they walk, Broad Street Bullies is a name they wear with pride.
``It embodies that's we're a tight-knit group; a group that sacrificed for each other,'' Kelly said.
Schultz knows the true definition of the Broad Street Bullies.
``We were a phenomenal team. Two Stanley Cups and we didn't take anything from anyone,'' he said.Copyright © 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. The information contained in the AP News report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press.
<< Mets whitewash Phillies again, complete rare shutout sweep
Flushing, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Mike Pelfrey gave up just three hits in seven
innings and the New York Mets blanked the Philadelphia Phillies again, 3-0, to
complete a rare three-game whitewash of the NL East leaders at Citi Field.
The Met
<< Kubel's two homers power Twins over Yankees
Minneapolis, MN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jason Kubel slugged a pair of home runs and
drove in five while Nick Blackburn worked effectively over seven innings, as
the Twins avoided a three-game sweep at the hands of the Yankees with an 8-2
win at
<< Artest beats buzzer with put back, Lakers steal Game 5
Los Angeles, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ron Artest caught Kobe Bryant's air ball
and put in the winning shot at the buzzer, lifting the Los Angeles Lakers to a
dramatic 103-101 win over Phoenix in the pivotal Game 5 of the Western
Confere
<< Report: Two UConn assistants resign
Storrs, CT (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The University of Connecticut has called a news
conference for 10 a.m. (et) Friday at Gampel Pavilion, when the school is
expected to disclose its review of possible recruiting violations in the men's
basketb
Serena, Henin power into third round at French Open >>
Paris, France (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Serena Williams and Justine Henin were easy
winners Friday in the second round of the 2010 French Open.
Williams, the top seed and 2002 champ, needed a mere 55 minutes to dispose of
Germany's Julia Goerge
Federer, Nadal, Djokovic advance at French Open >>
Paris, France (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak
Djokovic were all straight-set winners Friday at the 2010 French Open.
Federer, the top seed and defending champion, made short work of Germany's
Julian Reist
Serena, Henin remain on collision course; Venus advances >>
Paris, France (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Serena Williams and Justine Henin were easy
winners Friday in the second round of the 2010 French Open, while Venus
Williams also moved on with a third-round victory.
Serena Williams, the top seed
Bruised and battered Celtics try to put Magic away again >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Orlando Magic are halfway to history but their largest
hurdle looms tonight as they try and stave off elimination yet again in Game 6
of the Eastern Conference finals with the Boston Celtics.
The Magic, who are attempt
The San Francisco 49ers (5-11 SU, 5-10-1 ATS in 2007; 1-1 SU & ATS in pre-season) found some offensive life last week, and they will try to build some momentum on Thursday night as they travel to the Windy City to take on the Chicago Bears (7-9 SU & ATS in 2007; 0-2 SU, 0-1-1 ATS in pre-season) in an NFL matchup that is set to get underway at 8 PM ET at Soldier Field (natural turf) in Chicago.
Thursday, August 21
NFL betting odds: CHICAGO -3 (-120), Total 37
NOTABLE STAT: San Francisco was last in points, last in total offense in 2007
KEY NFL BETTING TREND: SF has lost its last seven SU on pre-season road
In the BetUS NFL pre-season football betting odds, the Bears are listed as a three-point favorite (laying -120), with the total posted at 37 points.
Here are some NFL football betting trends as they relate to this matchup (reflecting numbers going into the 2008 season):
* SF has lost 11 of its last 14 games SU
* SF has covered three of its last 11 games
* SF has lost six of its last seven road games SU
* SF has covered one of its last seven road games
* CHI has covered five of its last eight games
* CHI has played five of its last seven games OVER the total
* CHI has covered four of its last 13 home games
* SF has lost its last seven pre-season road games SU
* CHI has covered two of its last seven home pre-season games
Well, I guess we should congratulate the Bears on making their quarterback choice for the season's opening game, as they have designated Kyle Orton the starter against Indianapolis. The Bears obviously have lost patience with Rex Grossman, and what they do with him at this point is anybody's guess. But suffice it to say that there isn't a quarterback competition anymore, at least in training camp.
Meanwhile, the quarterback competition may also be settled in San Francisco, where the Niners bounced back from a lackluster 18-6 loss to the Raiders, in which they turned the ball over four times, to execute a 34-6 rout of the Packers last Saturday. However, coach Mike Nolan has stopped short of saying that, insisting that the job is still open. But J.T. O'Sullivan, the longshot of the trio of Niner signal-callers who opened camp, will start his third straight pre-season game here. Against Green Bay, O'Sullivan was only 8-for-17, and was intercepted, but he also threw for 9.1 yards an attempt, which included a 59-yard TD pass to Josh Morgan. The others struggled.
Some offensive cohesion is badly needed, in light of the Niners' dismal 2007 campaign, in which they were dead last in the NFL in scoring, with just 13.7 points a game. And O'Sullivan is the guy who is most familiar with offensive coordinator Mike Martz's exacting system, because he learned it last year in Detroit. O'Sullivan will go at least the entire first half and may even last longer. He'll be relieved by Alex Smith, with Shawn Hill doing the mop-up work. Three receivers who were out last week - Bryant Johnson, Ashley Lelie and Arnaz Battle - will miss this game too.
That may hurt a little here, especially since the Bears will be using a lot of their defensive starters. And it's the defense that has been keeping the Bears in games thus far. In fact, the defense and special teams were responsible for the first 19 points Chicago scored against Seattle last time out, as the offense really struggled with Grossman at the controls. But maybe the first-team offense has a chance to settle a little bit as it works more with Orton at the helm.
Certainly we have concerns about the Bears' offensive line, but we like the scenario for them here, especially if O'Sullivan doesn't make some bis plays. The Niners may have nowhere else to turn right now, and they have lost seven straight road games in the pre-season. Let's take Chicago, the three-point favorite in the NFL football betting odds.
CHICAGO -3 (-120) **
(Graded on a scale of 1-4 stars)
The 2008 NFL betting lines season is almost upon us! If you like to bet on the NFL, you are in the best possible place for online betting. The sportsbook has NFL odds up on a ton of futures, and you will also find NFL lines up for early games as well. Join sportbook today and we'll help guide you right through to Super Bowl XLIII and beyond!
Note: Monday night game will be picked Monday. Lines used are from football betting odds .
Sports Betting News: NFL Team History | NFL Football Betting | College Football Betting | Baseball Betting | Basketball Betting | College Basketball Betting | Hockey Betting | Golf Betting | Tennis Betting | Auto Racing Betting | Horse Racing Betting | Soccer Betting