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Yesterday morning, I received a phone call from Flyers Hall of Fame defenseman Joe Watson. That’s not unusual, especially since I helped him write his autobiography. Joe often calls just to talk hockey.
“Buddy, Bernie passed away last night,” Joe said somberly. “We were friends for 62 years. I met him in 1963, He was 18, I was 20. Sixty two years.”
It’s a challenge to write about Bernie’s passing. A Wikipedia type biography doesn’t do him justice. Yes, his on-ice accomplishments and awards are central to his story. Nevertheless, Bernie Parent was more than just his NHL stats and awards. He was truly larger than life. I am just honored to have gotten to know him and his lovely wife, Gini, over the last 10 years or so. Bernie had countless friends. It’s a cliche, but there were no strangers to him. He treated everyone like a longtime friend.
When someone special passes, I believe the most cathartic and fitting tributes come via personal stories. I collected some of my own for a PhiladelphiaFlyers.com tribute article. I want to add that Gini made a lot of these moments possible. Additionally, while they’re not in the public spotlight, Bernie’s first wife, Carol, daughter Kim, and son Bernie Jr. are also tremendous people in their own right.
Today’s edition of Flyers Daily is dedicated to Bernie Parent’s memory. Host Jason Myrtetus and I spent roughly 20 minutes discussing the Hall of Famer’s legacy and his personal meaning to each of us. The rest of the pod covers training camp to date. We also trade off our observations from Sunday’s 3-2 (4-3) shootout win over the New York Islanders. For Anthony Mingioni’s takes, see his wrapup article from the preseason opener.
He was a legend in every sense of the word.
MB, good to see you over here. I was Letterkenny on HB but haven’t been to that site in months… and won’t go back. I don’t get much chance to post as much these days but hope to as the season gets going. And, yes, Bernie was a legend, for sure. Met him a few times on the club level at the WFC. Snyder once, as well.
you would hope posting picks up
Thx for the post. The forums are more geared to fan discussions. The blog replies are best either for one-off reactions or to direct something to me specifically.
Our Montreal board is very active. The Chicago and Flyers boards are getting there. We had a spam influx on the boards over the weekend. Our site technical admins, FZP Digital, are in the process of dealing with it. Mike Augello cleaned out the junk posts.
https://hockeyhotstove.com/forums/forum/philadelphia-flyers/