Therien’s Take 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 215-440-6263 for a free inspection. Today’s Take: The one and only Bernie Parent.
There was only one Bernie Parent. I never met anyone else quite like him in my life. People just flocked to this guy. Remember those commericials with “The most intereresting man in the world”?
Bernie was the real life version. Hell, the actor in the commercials even looked quite a bit like Bernie. The difference: Bernie was the real deal.
I grew up up in Ottawa. At the time, the Montreal Canadiens were the team of choice. However, everyone stood in awe of Bernie Parent. He was truly larger than life. He made a lot of folks into Flyers fans, or least fans of his.
Bobby Clarke, Bernie, and Ed Snider: if there’s a Flyers version of Mount Rushmore, those were the guys who defined the franchise. Those are the three everyone agrees upon. The fourth? Some say Billy Barber. But maybe it’s Mark Howe. Perhaps it’s Dave Schultz. Some might nominate someone else. The first three: unquestionable.
Bernie and I were from different generations. But really was ageless: a big kid and a grandfather figure all at once.
I have always admired his humanity. He connected with people of all ages and walks of life. He had flaws and pain like anyone else. But he always wore a genuine smile. Meanwhile, he made everyone he met smile, too. That’s a rare gift.
As with me, Bernie was a recovering alcoholic. He talked about his recovery story when asked. But he never preached at people. Instead, he tried to help others.
If you really wanted to get to Bernie’s essence, there were sure ways. Talk about fishing or boating or hunting. He LOVED those things. Ask him about goaltending and how the position changed over the years. Then pull up a chair. You’d get an education.
Bernie had an almost endless number of friends: all walks of life, hockey and non-sports. I think the key was that he was genuine. He made time for everyone and he had a great time doing it.
Awesome words Chris. He was, along with Clarkie, the two players who made me a life long Flyers fan. I was a forward so I always tried to emulate Clarkies faceoffs and dogged skating, but in ball hockey, when I played in the net, I was Bernie. I loved to try and make toe saves like he did. He was The GOAT in my opinion. When I met him the one time at a game in 2007, I was 8 years old again. My wife quickly learned what sort of a hockey (FLYERS) fan (GEEK) when she saw me gush over Bernie. He was such a gentleman and have never heard anything but amazing things about him. Even my friends who hated the Flyers, liked Bernie, and knew he was one of the best ever. I’m deeply saddened at his sudden passing. Thank you for sharing.
Awesome, thank you for sharing.