The Philadelphia Flyers have been playing NHL hockey since 1967-68. In 46 seasons, the 2004-05 lockout season not counted, they have made the postseason 37 times. General manager Ron Hextall has a feeling this season might be one of those rare years when the Flyers do not make the playoffs.
Hextall called his team a long shot to make it. He stated they have a big hill to climb and the team needs to take it day by day. He also said he is pleased with the overall performance, gaining nine of the last 10 possible points. Even with those nine points, they still remained 11 points out of the final spot as of Saturday night.
Missing the playoffs is not something the team and their fans are used to. The Flyers have reached the Stanley Cup Finals eight times and the semifinals/conference finals an additional seven times. That's correct. The Flyers have reached the semifinals or further more times than they have missed the playoffs in just under 50 years.
With the exception of the five year span between the 1989-90 and 1993-94, the team has never missed the playoffs in consecutive years. They made the playoffs 17 straight seasons between 1972-73 and 1988-89 seasons. They also had an 11 year stretch between 1994-95 and 2005-06 seasons.
In all, the Flyers have played 421 playoff games. They have 217 wins and 204 losses. The fans expect to see postseason hockey in Philadelphia. Over 80 percent of the time the Flyers have delivered.
The Flyers are long shots. They have been for most of the season. With just a third of the season left to play, the Flyers have their work cut out for them. It is not impossible but it won't be easy. The team believes they can play with the best teams in the league. Now, they have to prove they can or it will be an early and long offseason.
Bill Minchin is a contributing writer for Flyerdelphia. Follow Bill on Twitter @wtfd103074
