When he arrived in Philadelphia as part of the 1967 NHL Expansion Draft, Bernard Marcel Parent was nowhere close to the figure he would become over the next 59 years. He wasn’t even wearing the jersey number that would become synonymous with his name.

The first ever selection the Flyers made in the expansion draft, with the second overall pick, was Parent. He started the first game in Flyers history in goal, a true original Flyer. But he wasn’t in net for the first win in franchise history or the first home game at The Spectrum. That honor went to the Flyers second selection via expansion draft, Doug Favell. 

Parent played three-plus seasons in Philadelphia before being traded to Toronto in 1971. Two years later, when Parent returned via trade with Toronto again, he had a new number, ironically the one that belonged to Favell in 1967.

No. 1 in your programs. No. 1 in your hearts. Eventually, No. 1 in the rafters.

By that time, he was just Bernie, one-name recognition for the man behind the mask.

What followed over the next six seasons in Philadelphia was the culmination of a Hall-of-Fame career. Two Vezina Trophies. Two Stanley Cups. Two shutouts to clinch the Cup in back-to-back seasons. Two Conn Smythe Trophies. 

Only the Lord saves more than Bernie Parent? Yeah, it wasn’t hard to believe.

“The two years that we won the Stanley Cup, he was the only member of that team that we could not have been without if we were going to win,” Bob Clarke said in a statement. “He was the best goalie in hockey for those two years.”

For a position that is so hard to conquer, so hard to find to achieve the ultimate goal in the NHL, Parent was at the top of the mountain, one the Flyers have been trying to climb and conquer for half a century since. 

When his playing days were done, he was revered as an idol to young goaltenders. As the likes of Pelle Lindbergh and Ron Hextall made their way through the organization, Parent was right there, as both goaltending coach, mentor, and friend. 

And to the rest of the organization, and its loyal and adoring fan base, he was Bernie, man of the people. You could find him walking the concourse, attending community events, being ever present to represent the crest and organization that had defined his playing career.

For every photo he ever took, or hand he shook, you were sure to get a glimpse of his two greatest accomplishments. His patented thumbs up with his two Stanley Cup rings, proudly brandished for the world to see. 

It was all part of his legend. The lore of the player that stood taller than anyone else when the Cup was on the line, the friendly and approachable aura that followed him anywhere he went after. 

“Bernie was a terrific human being,” Clarke said. “He was a man who was always happy, always laughing and was always fun to be around.”

He lived up to it all. The fierce competitor behind the mask. The kind-hearted life of the party without it. The Flyers family didn’t just lose a great one. They lost one of the best, both on the ice and off, to ever do it.

Kevin Durso is Flyers insider for 97.3 ESPN. Follow him on social media @Kevin_Durso.

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