When Propp was in need, Parent was a friend indeed

When Brian Propp slowly opened his eyes that morning, he thought he had been dreaming.
Then he realized the nightmare was just beginning.
He couldn’t speak. The member of the Flyers Hall of Fame had fallen out of bed, cracking a tooth as he hit the floor, and couldn’t walk.
On this September day in 2015, Propp had suffered a life-threatening stroke.
There was no panic but there was deep concern. Could he ever function again as a normal adult? Be able to take care of his family?
The hours passed, the days passed and finally Propp was able to say just two words:
“Bernie Parent.”
Yup. The name of one of Brian’s best friends, a Hockey Hall of Fame goaltender in the Flyers’ glory years, was imbedded deep in his soul.
Today, Propp, through hard work and faith, has gotten back as close to a regular chap as one could expect to get. He drives a car and a golf ball with equal proficiency. He plays adult hockey in suburban New Jersey when he isn’t tooling around on his boat down in Florida.
People still marvel when they hear the story about Parent, who passed away on Sunday at the age of 80.
Some wonder if the two having the same initials, “BP,” might have had something to do with it.
Or that Parent, who had to retire early in 1979 due to an eye injury, was willing to help mentor a young kid named Propp, who joined the Flyers in late 1979.
The long recovery from the stroke was a trying time for Propp and one in which Parent kept in constant touch with his former young protégé.
“I remember a couple months after the stroke, the first two words I said were Bernie Parent,” Propp said in telephone interview. “When we would go to things (functions), we would say, ‘hey, the two BPs are in town!’ That was special.”
Parent and Propp would do numerous charity functions together.
“Two weekends ago I was with him at the Ed Snider Foundation,” Propp said. “He gave back a lot. We had a lot of laughs. He was so good with people. Joked around a lot. He would say to men (who approached), ‘Is this your daughter?’ And it was their wife. Everyone would crack up. Bernie just tried to make everybody happy.”
Living close to one another in later years allowed the two ex-Flyer greats to keep in touch.
“We did the ambassadorship with the Flyers for three years in a row before COVID,” Propp said. “He had a place in Avalon (N.J.) and Florida (Propp has a summer residence in Sea Isle City and winters in the Sunshine State).
“It was a good relationship that we had. I loved him and he loved me. He was trying to get me into the Hockey Hall of Fame.”
Bob Clarke was the captain during the championship years but Parent was the most valuable player. He didn’t have to say much to get people’s attention.
After his career ended prematurely, Parent enjoyed working with young players such as Propp and the late goaltender, Pelle Lindbergh.
“Pelle loved everything Bernie did,” Propp said. “He watched videos of Bernie when he played goalie. He tried to copy him. Even with his mask.”
Lindbergh was kind of a soft-spoken kid and that made him vulnerable to team hazing. Once they shaved his head as sort of an initiation. He needed some friends, like Parent, to guide him through those tough times.
The auto accident in 1985 which killed Lindbergh devastated Parent.
“Bernie tried to help him in his career and that was special,” Propp noted. “After the accident, he was one of the first guys at the hospital. He had a chance to hold his hand even though he was almost gone.”
Propp said he will miss Parent’s friendship.
“We (the Propp family) have been in Florida the last four years and he was, too,” Propp said. “I’m going to miss that. He was special for me. I loved spending time with him. He was always upbeat.”
As for Parent’s playing style, Propp likened it to that of Lindbergh’s.
“Both were small, both were fast,” Propp said. “He (Parent) was always talking about today’s goalies. He said they don’t stand up anymore. They just rely on their size and flexibility. Guys score on them top shelf because they’re down all the time.
“Bernie would stand up straight. And he made it known that he wasn’t a fan of the goalies we have now.”
Parent was one of a kind. Maybe that’s the real reason why his name was the first spoken by Propp after his medical incident.