The Flyers blog on Hockey Hot Stove is brought to you by Cover All Exteriors, LLC. Come see what the No. 1 roofing and siding contractor in the Delaware Valley can do for the outside of your house. Call (215) 608-4712 for a free inspection.
In honor of the Labo(u)r Day holiday in the U.S. and Canada, here is an all-time Philadelphia Flyers “Lunchpail Team” to recognize some of the hardest-working players in team history. These are not necessarily the best players in franchise history. Rather, these are players who led by example with their work ethic and competitiveness.
Flyers Lunchpail Squad: 1st Team
Bobby Clarke (C)
Fred Shero used to refer to Clarke as a “dream dressed in work clothes.” The Hall of Fame center epitomized elite playmaking, tireless work ethic and a fierce will to win From the very first to the very last shift of his NHL career, Clarke never took anything for granted.
The Flin Flon native approached every game as if he was just trying to earn his lineup spot. Meanwhile, the team’s hardest-working player was also its best player. Consequently, the longtime captain inspired his teammates to follow suit. Clarke set the team-above-all-else tone for the Flyers’ mini-dynasty of the mid-1970s.
Sami Kapanen (W)
The scrappy little FInn had the heart of a lion. The two-time NHL All-Star took less of a scoring role upon his arrival in Philadelphia. However, he was no less important to the team in Philadelphia than he was in Hartford or Carolina. Time after time, he won puck battles against much larger opponents. Kapanen killed penalties with aplomb. He still scored timely goals, He even played defense in the 2024 Stanley Cup playoffs when the team was riddled with blueline injuries. Meanwhile, Kapanen held his own despite playing out of position.
The quintessential Kapanen: During the frenetic Game Six overtime in the 2024 Eastern Conference semifinal, Toronto’s Darcy Tucker rocked Kapanen with a crushing hit. Kapanen, dazed, repeatedly fell down as he struggled off the ice. Subsequently, captain Keith Primeau reeled his teammate to the bench. Jeremy Roenick jumped on the ice. Moments later, Roenick scored the series-winning goal.
Rick Tocchet (W)
The Flyers new head coach had two successful playing stints with the team. As a member of the “Keenan’s Kids” teams of the mid-1980s, Tocchet went from a young role player to a premier power forward. Later, he became the team captain until his trade to Pittsburgh in the Mark Recchi deal. Upon his return to the Flyers eight years later, Tocchet served as a veteran leader on the squad coached by Roger Neilson and Crag Ramsay.
Few players from Tocchet’s era were tougher. He refused to be out-battled, whether it was for a 50-50 puck, position near the net or fisticuffs. Tocchet wasn’t fast. He wasn’t a pure sniper, ala Brian Propp or Tim Kerr. Tocchet, however, was as tough as they came. He made himself into a three-time 40-plus goal scorer in the NHL and racked up a career high 109 points in 1992-93 as the right wing on a Pittsburgh line with Mario Lemieux and Kevin Stevens.
Kimmo Timonen (D)
Acquired on June 18, 2007 from Nashville, Timonen immediately stepped in and starred for the Flyers. He one of the top all-around defensemen in franchise history. Timonen’s powerful lower body, puck skills, ability to make smart plays away from the puck, heart, desire and two-way hockey sense more than made up for anything he lacked in size.
The Finnish stalwart’s presence on the blue line anchored five consecutive seasons of success that included seven playoff series victories, the 2010 trip to the Stanley Cup Final and a run to the Eastern Conference Final in 2008. Overall, Timonen won the Barry Ashbee Trophy five times as the Flyers’ best defenseman.
Joe Watson (D)
Unlike his younger brother Jim, Joe Watson was relatively short. He lacked Jimmy’s natural speed. What the brothers had in common: supreme work ethic and heart. The Watson brothers were intregral parts of the Flyers’ two Stanley Cup championship seasons. Jimmy became a five-time NHL All-Star and a member of Team Canada’s 1976 Canada Cup squad. Meanwhile, Joe worked his way into becoming a two-time NHL All-Star. Joe served as an alternate captain during the Cup years.
Within the locker room and on the ice, Joe Watson’s booming voice (he wasn’t called “Thundermouth” for nothing) exhorted teammates to dig deeper. He had an extraordinary work ethic and will to win. He also possessed an extraordinary pain threshold. Even today, at age 82, Watson has an energy level, mental and physical strength that could put men half his age to shame.
Ron Hextall (G)
Bernie Parent was the best goalie in Flyers history. Pelle Lindbergh may have been the quickest and most naturally gifted netminder in franchise history. Both had to put in plenty of hard work to become Vezina Trophy winners. However, Hextall get the nod on Team Lunchpail. One is hard pressed to find a more competitive goalie who hated to lose more than Hexy. He fought for every puck and defended his crease like a rabid attack dog.
Moreover, Hextall’s legendary puckhandling skills didn’t just magically appear one day. He worked and worked at it. It was a treat to attend a Flyers practice at the Coliseum just to see Hextall practice his puckhandling. Hextall could pick a spot on the half boards from the crease or behind the cage and bank the puck out of the zone off the same spot time and time again. He could also fire the puck the length of the ice on goal at the other side with regularity in practice.
No one was surprised when Hextall scored a pair of goals — one regular season and one playoff — in his career. He became the first NHL goaltender to score a goal by shooting the puck down the ice into the opponent’s net.
Flyers lunchpail squad: 2nd Team
Rod Brind’Amour (C)
It was tough to leave Brind’Amour off the first team, but no one was going to unseat Clarke for the center spot. Likewise, it’s tough to leave off someone like Dave Poulin or Ron Sutter from the second team, but I couldn’t justify omitting Brind’Amour from at least a second team spot. A fitness fanatic off the ice, Brind’Amour was also easily one of the hardest working players on the ice that I’ve ever seen.
Shjon Podein (LW)
The “Minnesota Line” winger — in combination with Joel Otto and Trent Klatt — was one-third of the two-way Flyers third line of the mid-1970s. Bob Clarke made an astute signing when he brought Podes in as free agent before the lockout-shortened 1994-95 season. Although he periodically scored artistic goals, Podein was better known for his checking ability and his two-way awareness. He also had a knack for stepping up in crunch time. Later, the Flyers traded Podein to Colorado in the deal that brought Keith Jones to Philadelphia.
Gary Dornhoefer (RW)
Original Flyer Dornhoefer was an underrated power forward in an era before the term even existed. A team leader, Dornhoefer played through chronic bad knees to become a clutch performer in his decade with the team. Meanwhile, Dornhoefer kept his linemate — the ultra-talented but flighty Rick MacLeish — from getting too complacent.
Brad Marsh (D)
Work ethic and desire defined “Marshy’s” 1,000 game career in the NHL. He was fearless about blocking shots, even in ara where the protective equipment paled in comparison to today’s gear. This says it all: Marsh wore the captain’s C or an alternate’s A with every team he played for during his NHL career.
Ed Van Impe (D)
The second captain in Flyers’ history played tough and mean. He led by example with his work ethic and fearlessness. Van Impe also served as a mentor for a host of young defensemen including Mark Howe . Howe switched from left wing to defense at age 25. The Hockey Hall of Fame inductee credits Van Impe as the first person to work with him on the mental and physical aspects of playing onn the blueline.
Brian Elliott (G)
“Moose” was far from the most talented goalie in Flyers history. He doesn’t statistically rank anywhere near the top. However, anyone who played with him — or watched him on a daily basis — with attest to his work ethic and determination. That’s how this ninth-round draft pick (291st overall selection) lasted in the NHL until age 38. Despite injury issues, he appeared in 542 regular season games and 48 playoff matches.
Flyers Quick Hits: August 31, 2025
- The Flyers Prospect Directory series on the Philadelphia Flyers official website wraps up this week with a look at prospects slated to play in Europe in 2025-26.
- Hometown Assist Spotlight: Over the next week, look for a series of articles profiling Delaware Valley businesses that received Hometown Assist grants from the Flyers’ organization over the past year. The lifeblood of the Hometown Assist program is to support small local businesses. Successful neighborhood businesses improve the local economy. They also gives the region a distinctive personality. Up first in the series: Riccardo’s Pizza and Restaurant in Beverly, New Jersey.
- The Last Summer Shift women’s hockey tournament wraps up today. See the Chirping Pucks page on Facebook for details.
- This evening, Jason Myrtetus and I will record the Labor Day “Mondays with Meltzer” edition of Flyers Daily.
