Parent remembered as ‘champion of life’ at Flyers ceremony

PHILADELPHIA -- Bernie Parent was remembered for his Hall of Fame career on the ice and lasting legacy off of it during a celebration of life at Xfinity Mobile Arena on Friday.

The legendary goalie and two-time Stanley Cup champion with the Philadelphia Flyers died Sept. 21 at age 80.

"The world will remember Bernie Parent as a Hall of Fame hockey player, a Stanley Cup champion," said Scott Tharp, president of Ed Snider Youth Hockey and Education, an organization Parent was heavily involved with. "But those who remember him well will remember Bernie as a Hall of Fame human being, a champion of life."

About 2,000 people attended the event, including family, friends and former teammates.

"When you win two Stanley Cups, it takes the best that everybody on that team can give," said Bobby Clarke, the captain of the Flyers’ championship teams in 1974 and 1975. "It just so happened that Bernie's best was better than the rest of our best, and we got two Stanley Cups because of Bernie."

Parent was selected by the Flyers in the 1967 NHL Expansion Draft and played 10 of his 13 NHL seasons in Philadelphia.

He's second in Flyers history goalies in games played (486; behind Ron Hextall, 489) and wins (231; behind Hextall, 240), and first with 50 shutouts. He also won the Vezina Trophy as the best goalie in the NHL in 1974 and 1975.

Parent was part of the inaugural Flyers Hall of Fame class in 1988, and in 1979 his No. 1 became the first to be retired by the team.

"Bernie was a titan of our franchise," Flyers chairman Dan Hilferty said. "For many he was the quintessential Philadelphia Flyer. You can't tell the story of the Flyers without talking at length about Bernie Parent.

"Bernie's number hangs in our rafters and his DNA is etched into the very DNA of our franchise. ... His legacy will forever be stitched into the fabric of this franchise, and his spirit will always be with us."

NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly talked about knowing Parent in different capacities throughout his life and professional career.

"As a fan, Bernie contributed to breaking the heart of a 10-year-old boy in 1974," Daly said. "I was raised as a die-hard New York Rangers fan, growing up in North Jersey, passionately committed to the team despite years and years of postseason failure. 1974 was supposed to be a different year for the Rangers, finally an opportunity to win a Stanley Cup. But Bernie and the Flyers had different ideas. Bernie stood tall for the Flyers on the way to a hard-fought, heartbreaking seven-game Semifinal series win, sending Rangers fans, including myself, home empty yet again.

"Many years later, my experiences with Bernie became more personal. I had the sincere pleasure of getting to know Bernie through a host of professional interactions in connection with the celebration of the League's Centennial season. Bernie and his wife, Gini, never hesitated to volunteer their time and energy in support of League events and initiatives promoting our yearlong celebration of hockey excellence. Those interactions were relatively frequent and allowed me to appreciate all the qualities that made Bernie such a special person. Smart, polite, humble, passionate, charitable and simply exceptional at what he did, both on and off the ice."

Parent remained a fixture in the Philadelphia region after he sustained a career-ending eye injury during the 1978-79 season, including roles as a goaltending consultant and a franchise ambassador.

"Whenever you get in a conversation with him he'd make you feel like you were the only thing that mattered at that moment," Flyers general manager Daniel Briere said. "Every time you're with him it's the way he makes you feel. The city of Philadelphia and the Flyers organization are very lucky to have had a person like Bernie come through here."

Parent also was heavily involved in charities around the region, especially Snider Hockey.

"Ed Snider Youth Hockey and Education was fortunate to have Bernie as its ambassador for 20 years," Tharp said. "It was a role he took most seriously. Bernie never missed a Snider event. He never missed an opportunity to share words of encouragement with our students. He took pride in instilling the understanding that being part of a team is one of life's blessings, and this helped give our kids a sense of belonging.

"By showing our young people that he believed in them, Bernie led them to believe in themselves and in their ability to succeed in life. He consistently urged them to discover and pursue their passion."

Philadelphia City Council President Kenyatta Johnson presented Gini Parent with a resolution honoring Parent's memory.

"Bernie Parent represents the best the city of Philadelphia has to offer," Johnson said. "Our spirit, our grit and most importantly our fight."

Those who honored Parent on Friday remembered him for the person he was and how he treated others as much as they did for the championships he won.

"Bernie often was described fondly in hockey circles as one of the League's greatest stand-up goalies ever," Daly said. "More importantly, however, Bernie was always a stand-up man. He is greatly missed, but will never be forgotten."