The Good, the Bad, & the Ugly

by Adam Kimelman, Keith Primeau (Foreword)

Genuine fans take the best team moments with the less than great, and know that the games that are best forgotten make the good moments truly shine. This monumental book of the Philadelphia Flyers documents all the best moments and personalities in the history of the team, but also unmasks the regrettably awful and the unflinchingly ugly. In entertaining—and unsparing—fashion, this book sparkles with Flyers highlights and lowlights, from wonderful and wacky memories to the famous and infamous. Such moments include the era of the “Broad Street Bullies” as well as the playoff drought in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Whether providing fond memories, goose bumps, or laughs, this portrait of the team is sure to appeal to the fan who has been through it all.

Genres: Sports, Hockey, Nonfiction, History

224 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 2008

Reviews

[Macayla :) · Rating 3 out of 5]

i enjoyed this because i really like the flyers, but i think it’s definitely a book written for fans, not anyone trying to get to know the organization or the team. it’s a lot of names that can be easy to mix up, a lot of play-by-play of games that can get a little tedious, and the structure gets a little weird at the end once you’re through the titular good, bad, and ugly sections. however, it’s definitely informative, and i personally found it interesting because, like i said, i’m really into hockey. would recommend for flyers fans looking to learn more about the club’s history, maybe not for general hockey fans or casual enjoyers of the team.

[Douglas · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the first book I've read dealing with the Philadelphia Flyers. I've been a fan of the team since the mid-90's and their two Stanley Cup appearances against Gretzky and the Edmonton Oilers (losing both series). Overall this is a great summary of most of the big events and personalities that dot the Flyers history over the last 45 years. It can get a little bogged down in game-by-game snippets of playoff victories, but balances this nicely with anecdotal moments that give the reader some perspective on team and individual players.

The author shows a true warmth and respect for the team and covers so many topics important in their history, showing no favoritism to any particular era or group of players. The Flyers have such a rich history it can be daunting to try and cover everything - from the Broad Street Bully championship years of the 70's, to the overachieving teams of the 80's led by the Keenen coached teams, to Lindros and the Legion of Doom teams of the 90's and the near miss teams of the early 00's led by Keith Primaeu. All of it is hear, making for a good read for any Flyers fan.

[David Meyer]

In Cleveland for 5 weeks, and waiting out an NHL lockout that appears to be going nowhere, I wondered where I could get my Flyers fix from. In a budget book store in Cleveland, I found this mixed in with a bunch of unrelated books (none of which were related to either sports or PA in any way) in a section for $2 books. I couldn't decide whether or not to get it and eventually just went for it. 30 minutes later, outside the store I saw a man walking by in a Flyers hat and I knew I'd made the right call.

The book was actually very interesting. It told various stories about the stories franchise, including the strange story of how the franchise actually came to be, and how a blackout almost prevented them from paying the 2 million dollar fee to join the league in time. There were also very tragic stories of players and coaches who had died, as well as quite a few who almost died, and were saved at the last minute. As the title suggest, the book going through the good times and the bad, and does a great job describing the history of the team, and the people who have represented it over the years.

On a side note, Ed Snider comes across as kind of a jerk.

[Jordan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Imagine my excitement when I found this book. It didn't live up to the excitement. The chapters on the Bullies read like newspaper articles and there were lots of typos. Most of the sources that the author pulled from were/are sources that I've already seen/watched myself, so there was little fresh information overall.

Aside from that, the sections on Keith Primeau and the chapter on Eric Lindros were good.

[Kate · Rating 2 out of 5]

Weird book. Definitely not one to read after a bad Flyers season. Starts with good moments in Flyers history, then bad moments, and then ugly moments so the book gets worse as you go on. After the ugly is a section called “Rebirth” highlighting Holmgren’s 2007 trade acquisitions. Let’s just say that apart from Simmonds and Voracek, that section didn’t age well. Oh and what we all needed to be reminded of is Ilya Bryzgalov is still getting paid by the Flyers. Yikes.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very good book! Love all the stories, just wish it was a little bit easier to follow. Jumps back and forth between the past and more current and then back to the past. it's hard to keep track of who played with who and what they did. Other than that the book was wonderful and a great read!!!!

[Sus · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh. The history of the Philadelphia Flyers presented in a series of vignettes so the book reads like a highlight reel of events that most hardcore fans will already know. I would have liked more personal anecdotes from the players.

[Connor Robinson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book, tells you everything about the history of the Flyers.

[Kait · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just so much fun to read and learn about the old days and the legacy the LCB line and the evolution of coaches and teammates

[Ryan]

not that great

[Brandon · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was good. Bit long winded at times, and the organization was so-so. Fun reading about the history.

[Stephen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some very interesting stories although probably could have benefitted from a stronger editor. As a Flyers fan, I did enjoy the read and learned a few things as well.

[Matthew Pizzo · Rating 4 out of 5]

good review of flyers history

[Jason Howey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Decent book if your a Flyers fan for sure.