The sky was the limit for the Philadelphia Flyers of 1985-86. By early November, the team that had appeared in the Stanley Cup Final just months earlier was on its way to even more success, a 12-2-0 record to start the season.

The 11th win of the season came on Nov. 7, a 6-2 drubbing of the Chicago Blackhawks for their ninth straight win. In goal that night was 26-year-old netminder Pelle Lindbergh, fresh off a Vezina Trophy win the season before. He made 18 saves on 20 shots that night as Mark Howe and Tim Kerr each deposited two goals.

Two nights later, Lindbergh was on the bench, a rare night off for the top-tier goalie, as the Flyers extended the winning streak to 10 games with a 5-3 win over Boston. Following the game, the team enjoyed a night of celebration. Their next game wasn’t until Nov. 14.

So much would change between then.

Early on the morning of Nov. 10, Pelle Lindbergh left the party at The Coliseum in Voorhees, the team’s practice facility, and got behind the wheel of his modified Porsche. Two passengers were with him.

Lindbergh crashed into a wall in Somerdale, NJ. Both passengers were critically injured. Lindbergh’s proved to be fatal.

In the hours that followed, Lindbergh was taken to the hospital and determined to be legally brain dead. He was put on life support to provide time for his family to arrive from Sweden and for his organs to be donated. At 26, and seemingly entering the prime of his career, Lindbergh was gone.

Forty years later, Lindbergh’s impact on the organization is still felt. This year, in particular, it seems to hit even more.

For one, placing a round number on such an anniversary makes it more notable. During the 1985-86 season, Lindbergh’s goalie coach was Bernie Parent, the legendary Flyers netminder behind two Stanley Cups in the 1970s. Parent passed away this September at age 80.

Lindbergh’s teammate, Rick Tocchet, then just 21 years old, is now behind the bench as the Flyers head coach.

In addition, a new documentary, The Swede of Philadelphia, created by Charlie Minn, has hit local theaters and received glowing reviews, featuring interviews with Tocchet, Parent, and others involved in the tragic event.

Ironically, 40 years after Lindbergh’s tragic passing, another tie to the tragedy will take place. The Flyers faced the Edmonton Oilers on Nov. 14, the first game since Lindbergh’s passing. On Wednesday night, this year’s Flyers will also host the Oilers.

The Flyers won that night, 5-3, extending their winning streak to 11 games. The winning streak eventually reached 13 games. The Flyers finished that season with a 53-23-4 record, falling in the Division Semi-Finals to the New York Rangers. One season later, with new goalie Ron Hextall in net, the Flyers faced the Edmonton Oilers in the Stanley Cup Final again.  

The legacy of Lindbergh has lived on through the years. The Flyers annually present the Pelle Lindbergh Memorial Award to the most improved player on the team. The No. 31, unofficially retired, has not been worn since Lindbergh.

It feels like all of the connections as the 40th anniversary of Lindbergh’s death hits make it more poignant. The passing of Bernie earlier this year. Tocchet, a budding young star in 1985, now behind the bench for the team that drafted him. Even more attention is given to the passing of a Flyer great with the new documentary.

One thing is for certain. Forty years later, Lindbergh’s impact on the organization is still felt. Lindbergh’s life may have ended far too soon, but his memory continues to live on four decades later.