I was an unabashed, crazy, really quite fanatical Flyers fan. My sister KT recently sent this photo to me via email. The editorial comment to the right is written by KT. It appears from my words that I was somewhat of an obnoxious Flyers freak too! .. Oh well..
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| It says Flyer are number one. We beat the NHL We beat the Russians Stanley cup 74 & 75 Was there a 76? I was born in 1959 I am 16 now! I will live to be a hundred I love hockey I'm short |
The photo was taken in early 1976. We had just had the wallpaper removed from the hallway of our home in and before painting or papering over it our parents allowed us to write on the wall for posterity? It's interesting to see what was important or relevant to us back then. 36 years later and I'm still short and I'm still convinced I'll live to be 100. I don't sign my name that way anymore and I'm not a Flyers fan anymore but this picture brings back some memories.
It was my dad who got me interested. In 1972 I started watching games with him. I don't think he knew what a monster he was creating. Before Kate Smith could finish singing I was hooked. I really did sign my name that way and rarely missed a game .....on TV. I remember being shocked to learnthat my parents had season tickets in the early years and gave them up! I could give you almost any stat on the players and the game. I was a real dork about it.
My dad got tickets to game 7 (vs. the Rangers) of the 1974 series. He had a student at the time who was a Philly cop and couldn't use them. Game 6 was pure torture for me. With the Flyers up 3 games to 2 they could get to the finals with a win but a win meant I wouldn't get to go to game 7. Talk about conflicted. As it was there was a game 7 and I was in heaven. Almost for real too.. you couldn't much higher than our seats in the Spectrum (remember the Spectrum?) without hanging on the rafters. Dave Schultz had a hat trick and of course they won!
Fast forward to May 19, 1974. The Flyers needed one more win to win the Stanley Cup. Also, on May 19, 1974 my mother's cousin Donald was being ordained a priest. Seriously? I remember being dressed for church - which back then meant itchy dress, stockings and dress shoes...UGH! - watching the game. It was time to go and the game wasn't over yet! I listened to Gene Hart call the game winner squished between mom and dad on the front seat bench of the family station wagon. I'm really not sure what would have happened had the game not ended before we got to church. More than one relative told me though that Grandmom was really glad that I did not show up with a transitor radio (remember those?) in my ear.
I'm not really a fan anymore. After high school life got more complicated and I didn't have as much time to watch games and I got away from it. Now, my husband is a huge Canucks fan and has a real fan-hate for the Flyers. I am Switzerland when it comes to ice hockey, now. And this season it may not matter to anyone anyway... but I digress.
The only remnant now of my crazy hockey infatuation is this ......
Wannamakers (remember Wannamakers?) sold them after the first Stanley Cup. I wore it everywhere. Even proudly in my high school graduation photo (1977). No, I will not post that picture here.
This post is full of things that don't exist anymore. I'm still here though and I'm going to live to be 100. :)
Glad the photo brought back some happy memories. I had forgotten all about your Stanley Cup necklace - can't believe you still have that!
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