The Pittsburgh Penguins joined the NHL in 1967, the same season their cross-state rivals, the Philadelphia Flyers, were founded.
For the past 57 seasons, there’s been no love lost between the two Pennsylvania teams, who have won a combined seven Stanley Cup titles.
These two clubs have gone to battle 311 times, the most games against any opponent for the Penguins, who unfortunately have compiled a 116-153-30-12 record against the Flyers.
Meanwhile, the two teams have met in the playoffs on seven occasions, with Philadelphia holding a slim 4-3 series advantage.
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1989 – Flyers (4-3) divisional finals
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1997 – Flyers (4-1) conference quarterfinals
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2000 – Flyers (4-2) conference semifinals
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2008 – Penguins (4-1) conference final
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2009 – Penguins (4-2) conference quarterfinals
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2012 – Flyers (4-2) conference quarterfinals
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2018 – Penguins (4-2) first round
Coincidentally, Pittsburgh and Philadelphia have split their two outdoor encounters. First, the Penguins won 4-2 at Heinz Field in front of 67,318 fans, while the Flyers defended their home turf in 2019 at Lincoln Financial Field with a thrilling 4-3 overtime win in front of 69,620 spectators.
However, those outdoor games are not the rivals’ claim to fame. During their 2000 Stanley Cup second-round playoff matchup, the Flyers edged the Penguins 2-1 in the fifth overtime of Game 4 when Keith Primeau scored on Ron Tugnutt at 92:01 of extra time.
This memorable game is the longest in modern NHL history and ranks third all-time behind the Toronto Maple Leafs‘ 1-0 lead over the Boston Bruins in 1933 (104:46) and the Detroit Red Wings‘ 1-0 victory over the Montreal Maroons in 1936 (116:30).
Moreover, the Flyers (1974 and 1975) and Penguins (1991 and 1992) won their first Stanley Cup titles and repeated as champions the following seasons. In 2009, Pittsburgh broke the tie with their Keystone State rivals, winning their third Stanley Cup, followed by two more in 2016 and 2017.
Overall, 27 members of the Hockey Hall of Fame have participated in the rivalry, yet only Mark Recchi and Paul Coffey dressed for both clubs. Jaromir Jagr will join the list when he retires from pro hockey and becomes eligible to be enshrined in Toronto with former teammates like Mario Lemieux, Ron Francis, and Chris Pronger.
Unsurprisingly, some hockey legends have dominated the Pennsylvania rivalry. No player in NHL history has more points against the Flyers than Penguins captain Sidney Crosby, who has 129 points (55 goals and 74 assists) in 87 games.
On the Flyers’ end, long-time captain and Hall of Famer Bobby Clarke scored 44 goals and 64 assists for 108 points in 76 meetings against Pittsburgh.
Finally, the Flyers tied a franchise record with 13 goals scored against the Penguins on Mar. 22, 1984, five months after they set the mark with 13 against the Detroit Red Wings.
Pittsburgh’s highest-scoring game is 12 goals, but on Nov. 16, 1993, they tallied 11 against Philadelphia, which is tied for second-most in team history.
The Penguins and Flyers, separated by roughly 300 minutes, have one of the most intense rivalries in the NHL. Even though both clubs cycle through competitive eras, their tilts are always must-watch TV.
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