DAVE POULIN figures he has nearly 1,000 teammates. You do the simple math, factoring in-season trades and players who bridged eras, and there are probably at least 1,000 men who have worn the orange and black in the 50 seasons the Philadelphia Flyers have existed.
They're all his teammates, said Poulin. It's a concept that surely traces to the paternalism of the team's owner, Ed Snider, but it's also a concept that was forged during his time in the mid-80s when Poulin captained those overreaching teams that came oh-so-close to adding a third and fourth Stanley Cup to the team's history, a team that dealt with the tragic death of its franchise goalie and nearly overcame two of hockey's greatest dynasties.