Philadelphia Flyers legend and two-time Stanley Cup champion Bernie Parent has died, the team announced Sunday. He was 80.
The Flyers provided no additional details about Parent’s death.
Former Flyers teammate Joe Watson said Parent died overnight in his sleep, AP reports.
“The Philadelphia Flyers and Ed Snider Youth Hockey & Education are heartbroken to learn of the passing of Bernie Parent, a true legend, one of the most famous and beloved players, and most popular figures in the history of the organization and city of Philadelphia,” the team said in a statement.
“Anyone who had the pleasure of being around Bernie always walked away with a smile. He will be dearly missed. We offer our condolences to his beloved wife, Gini, and the entire Parent family,” the statement continued.
Watson said he and other former Flyers players saw Parent at a function on Friday in Delaware, but noted he was visibly in pain due to a bad back, per AP.
“Bernie was in such pain, he could hardly walk,” Watson said. “We had a great time, but I felt bad because he was in such terrible pain. To see this happen, it’s very sad.”
Parent is considered one of the greatest goaltenders in NHL history. He helped lead the Flyers to consecutive Stanley Cup titles in 1974 and 1975, and also won the Conn Smythe and Vezina trophies in each of those seasons. The Conn Smythe Trophy is annually awarded to the most valuable player in the Stanley Cup playoffs, and the Vezina Trophy is annually awarded to the league’s top goalie.
Parent, who played 13 NHL seasons from 1965-79, played his first two seasons with the Boston Bruins before being drafted by the newly formed Flyers in the 1967 expansion draft. He had two stints with Philadelphia after being traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs in 1971, but was traded back to the Flyers in 1973. He also played one season for the World Hockey Association’s Philadelphia Blazers from 1972-73.
Parent’s career ended in 1979 when he was accidentally struck in the eye with a stick, causing temporary blindness, and retired from the NHL. He became the first Flyers player to be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1984.
“Bernie Parent’s foreboding white mask was the last sight you wanted to see if you were an opposing shooter with a big game on the line,” NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said in a statement. “The grinning, welcoming face that mask protected was the first you wanted to see when you walked into a room. At his unbeatable, unflappable best on the ice when the stakes were highest, Bernie was a warm, gregarious bear of a man off the ice who was venerated in Philadelphia and adored throughout the hockey world.
“The entire National Hockey League family mourns the passing of this beloved icon and sends its deepest condolences to his wife, Gini, his family, and his countless fans and friends,” Bettman added.
Former Flyers teammate Bob Clarke also issued a statement remembering Parent.
“I was incredibly sad to hear of Bernie’s passing,” Clarke said. “Bernie was always a terrific human being. He was a man who was always happy, always laughing and was always fun to be around.
“He did what all great hockey players do – he played for the hockey team. The two years that we won the Stanley Cup, he was the only member of that team that we could not have been without if we were going to win. He was the best goalie in hockey for those two years. His life was more than just hockey. He was a fisherman and a hunter but just a really, really good person. My deepest condolences to his wife, Gini, and his entire family during this difficult time,” he added.