On November 16, 2024, defenseman Erik Johnson became the 15th player to attain the coveted Silver Stick (1,000 career NHL regular season games played) while wearing a Philadelphia Flyers uniform. Here's a chronological look at the previous players to attain the milestone with Philadelphia.
Bobby Clarke: On October 23, 1982, in a game against the Pittsburgh Penguins, Flyers franchise icon Clarke fittingly became the first Philadelphia player to play his 1,000th game. The Hockey Hall of Fame center went on to play a franchise record 1,144 games (spanning his entire career).
Darryl Sittler: The Hockey Hall of Famer's heyday came as a member of the Toronto Maple Leafs, but had two-plus productive late-career years with the Flyers including a 43-goal, 83-point campaign in 1982-83. Overall, Sittler played 1,096 regular season games for Toronto, Philly and Detroit.
Craig MacTavish: The well-traveled checking center spent the entire 1995-96 season and the majority of the next season with the Flyers. In an overtime loss in New Jersey on December 19, 1995, MacTavish played career game number 1,000 on his way to 1,093 regular season matches.
Luke Richardson: The rugged defensive defenseman played 1,417 regular season games with Toronto (two stints), Edmonton, the Flyers, Columbus, Tampa Bay and Ottawa. Game number 1,000 came as a Flyer in a Feb. 1, 2001, victory over the New York Islanders.
Mark Recchi: A member of the Hockey Hall of Fame, Flyers Hall of Fame, and Philadelphia Sports Hall of Fame, Recchi spent more games as a Flyer during his 1,652-game NHL regular season career than he did for any of his other clubs (Pittsburgh, Carolina, Atlanta Thrashers, Tampa Bay or Boston). Career game No. 1,000 came on March 23, 2002 in a 4-4 road tie against the Penguins. In this match, Recchi assisted on power play goals by Dan McGillis and Simon Gagne.
Jeremy Roenick: A member of the Hockey Hall of Fame's 2024 induction class, Roenick played 1,362 NHL regular season games (513 goals, 703 assists, 1,216 points).In a 2-2 tie against the Bruins on Nov, 16, 2002, Flyers center Roenick achieved Silver Stick status. During his career, he played for Chicago, Phoenix, the Flyers, Los Angeles,and San Jose.
Eric Desjardins: A member of the Flyers Hall of Fame and one of the smoothest all around blueliners in franchise history, Desjardins reached his 1,000th career regular season game barely one month after Roenick. "Rico" did so in a 3-1 win at Atlanta on Dec. 18, 2002. After coming to the Flyers in the blockbuster Feb. 9, 1995 trade with Montreal that sent Recchi to the Habs and Desjardins, John LeClair and Gilbert Dionne to the Flyers, Desjardins spent the remainder of his 1,143 game career with Philly.
Eric Weinrich: The well-traveled two-way blueliner suited up in 1,150 career regular season games. Game number 1,000 came as a member of the Flyers in a 6-1 blowout victory in Pittsburgh.
Tony Amonte: Best known for his prime years with the Chicago Blackhawks after starting his career with the Rangers, Amonte spent a season-plus of his 1,174-game career with the Flyers after coming over from the Coyotes. On March 5, 2004, Amonte reached the 1,000-game milestone. He finished his career with two seasons in Calgary.
Alexei Zhitnik: The longtime Buffalo defenseman made a brief stop in Philly, where his primary claim to fame was being the player traded to Atlanta for young defenseman Braydon Coburn. However, Zhitnik played career game No. 1,000 on February 20, 2007) during his brief time with the Flyers.
Derian Hatcher: The intimidating, hard-hitting defenseman became a fan favorite in Philadelphia over the final three seasons of his 1,045 game regular season career. The veteran leader attained Silver Stick status on April 7, 2007.
Kimmo Timonen: One of the top all-around defensemen of his era, the fearless Finn logged 1,108 regular season games in the NHL. The longtime Flyers played game No. 1,000 on his 37th birthday: March 18, 2013.
Nick Schultz: A shot-blocking defensive defenseman with good wheels, Schultz compiled 1,069 career regular season games for the Minnesota Wild, Columbus, and Philadelphia. He earned his Silver Stick in a January 13, 2016, home game for the Flyers against Boston.
Claude Giroux: The long-time Flyers captain had some nice round numbers during his outstanding regular season career with Philly: exactly 1,000 games played (second only to Clarke) and exactly 900 points. Giroux's 1,000th and final Flyers game came in a 5-4 home win over Nashville on March 17, 2022. He has since played for the Florida Panthers and Ottawa Senators.
Honorable mention -- Bill Barber: The Hockey Hall of Fame left winger spent his entire 903-game NHL game career with the Flyers. He is third in franchise history in games played. Unfortunately, chronic knee injuries forced Barber's premature retirement 97 games shy of reaching 1,000 regular season games.
