Remebering Bernie Parent — forever a Flyer

© Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn ImagesOut of all the things that come to mind when you think of Bernie Parent’s career as a Flyer, the fact that it almost ended before it really got started, isn’t something that normally comes to mind. He was an original Flyer, taken in the 1967 expansion draft from the Boston Bruins, and played in the first game in Flyer history on October 11, 1967, a 5-1 loss to the Oakland Seals.

But partway through his fourth season as a Flyer in 1971, and after all-star seasons in 1968-69 and 1969-70, a 25-year old Parent was shipped off to Toronto alongside a 1971 second round pick, in exchange for goaltender Bruce Gamble, forward Mike Walton, and a 1971 first rounder. The…