Good read. David fan here.
A tale of friendship.
A good tale of a good friendship.
a bad time to be playing the Flyers. Dave Schultz era..
I grew up outside Philly, and was in high-school when the Flyers won their first 2 Cups, and then fell short of the “Hat Trick in ‘76” - my graduation year. I played some club hockey in college, and got invited to fill a spot on a team out of Univ. of Penn during the summer. It was organized by 2 of Eddie’s sons: Craig & Jay. Craig was our first-line center, and Jay was our goalie. We had a great time playing against ‘Nova, St. Joe, Drexel, Temple, and others.
The Snider boys were generous to a fault, hosting team parties at their place in Philly.
My favorite story about “Mr. Snider” revolved around a player trade - one that didn’t seem to make sense at the time - they sent fan-favorite Ken Linseman to Edmonton. The story was that Kenny (”The Rat”) had wanted to date Mr. Snider’s daughter, Lindy. Snider would have none of it, and called the player into his office, expressing his concerns. Linseman said something to the effect of “With respect Mr. Snider, I’ll date whoever I want to.”
They had an amicable parting, and an aide to Mr. Snider asked what he thought. Ed said: “Then he can date who ever he wants in Edmonton.”. He was gone the next day in a 3-way deal with Hartford, that brought Mark Howe to the Flyers.
Still makes me chuckle 30+ years later.
According to many past and present players, Mr. Snider was a man with a heart of gold who loved his team, his players and the fans. Treated his players and the organization like family.
Rip Mr. Snider.