Rod Brind'Amour and Jimmy Watson will become the latest inductees into the Philadelphia Flyers Hall of Fame, the team announced Tuesday.
Watson will join his brother Joe (who was enshrined in 1996) in the team's Hall, and the two will subsequently become the first brothers enshrined in the the Flyers Hall of Fame. A 39th-overall draft pick in 1972, Watson patrolled the Flyers' blueline for 10 seasons and 613 games, scoring 38 goals and 186 points along the way.
Watson was also named to four consecutive All-Star Games from 1975 through 1978, and was also named to a fifth game in 1980. He won the Barry Ashbee Trophy as the Flyers' top defenseman in 1975-76 and 1977-78, and was a key member on the Broad Street Bullies Stanley Cup teams in 1974 and 1975.
Brind'Amour, along with Dan Quinn, was acquired just prior to the 1991-92 season from St. Louis for Ron Sutter and Murray Baron. In nine seasons and 633 games with the Orange and Black, Brind'Amour established himself as one of the NHL's preeminent two-way centers. He scored 235 goals and 601 points, and posted a career-high 97 points in the 1993-94 season.
Brind'Amour also posted a franchise-record 484 consecutive games played as a Flyer, never missing any games from 1993-94 until an ankle injury sidelined him in the 1999-2000 season. Following his return from that injury, Brind'Amour (along with young netminder Jean-Marc Pelletier) was dealt to Carolina for Keith Primeau — a deal that remains one of the most controversial in team history to this day.
Watson and Brind'Amour will be the first inductees in the Flyers Hall of Fame since Eric Desjardins, Eric Lindros and John LeClair last season, and the 24th and 25th respective members.
UPDATE: Brind'Amour's Hall of Fame induction will be celebrated prior to a game against the Hurricanes on Nov. 23, while Watson will be honored on Feb. 29 prior to a matchup against Calgary.
In addition to the Hall of Fame induction ceremonies, the Flyers will commemorate Kimmo Timonen's retirement in a pregame ceremony on Oct. 14 against Chicago.
The full Flyers promotional schedule can be found here, and includes traditions such as dollar pretzel and hot dog nights, Kids Day on March 19, Fan Appreciation Night on March 30, and much more. The team will also hold several "awareness nights" such as Hockey Fights Cancer (Oct. 24), Military Appreciation Night (Nov. 10), Snider Hockey Night (March 3) and Autism Awareness Night (April 2), in addition to their first-ever Make-a-Wish Night on Jan. 13.
Rob Riches is a contributor to Flyerdelphia and Philly Sports Talk. Follow him on Twitter @Riches61
