Flyers CEO Dan Hilfirty remembers the first time he met Ed Snider, the man who started NHL hockey in Philadelphia and nurtured the sport for more than half a century.
Snider was a business entrepreneur who knew a good thing when he saw it. He figured if the fast-moving sport could mesmerize him, hundreds of thousands of fans would follow.
So he had a building, the Spectrum, constructed in less than a year, hired people who had the foresight to draft a kid named Bobby Clarke and later hooked up with a coach, Fred Shero, the master psychologist who engineered two Stanley Cups.
Saturday marks the 10th anniversary of Snider’s passing but his legacy lives on, not only through his accomplishments with the Flyers but the hockey community in general.
“He’s the foundational titan of this organization,” Hilfirty said. “We still pay homage to all that he meant, not only to the team, not only to the organization but to the community.”
An example of that is the Ed Snider Youth Hockey & Education organization, a movement which looks “to create opportunity for under-resourced youth of the Greater Philadelphia Region to prosper in life.”
“The Snider Youth Hockey & Education lives on from what he believed in,” Hilfirty said. “How he lived his life. The community felt connected to the Flyers and everything he did, from a hockey perspective, was about making the community feel better and welcome.”
Flyers television analyst Brian Boucher, a former first-round draft pick of the team who played in goal in the 2010 Stanley Cup Finals, indicated Snider was revered by his players.
When Boucher arrived in Philadelphia back in 1999 as a wide-eyed kid from Rhode Island, it certainly helped to have a boss who made him feel at home.
“When you’re drafted (in 1995), you have no idea where you’re going to go the rest of your life,” Boucher said. “I was so fortunate to be drafted by this team with such a rich history.
“It felt like an Original Six team even though it’s not and a big reason because of that is Mr. Snider. I mean the Flyers were his baby. And he was hands-on all day.”
After games ended, Snider would walk into the locker room, make the rounds and shake players’ hands. It doesn’t get much more caring than that.
“When you’re a player in that environment, you feel the energy, you feel the passion, the love, it’s family,” Boucher said. “He created all that. I feel so fortunate and grateful to be a part of this organization. We miss him.”
The hockey world marveled how Snider created such a first-class operation. The Flyers were a model for teams that came along in the ‘70s, ‘80s and ‘90s.
“It’s first class from the top,” Boucher said. “When you’re a player in that environment and you know everything is taken care of for you, you want to perform at the highest level because you know how professional it is up top.
“He set the standard, set the bar high. As players we tried to follow suit. We came close to winning a Stanley Cup but it wasn’t because of a lack of resources or a lack of love from ownership. He was the best.”
Radio play-by-play man Tim Saunders knows Snider’s heart was in every venture he took on.
“It was just the environment he created,” Saunders said. “It became pretty clear once you got here that you were family. And no one took that for granted.”
Everyone remembers the day back in 1976 when Snider commanded the mighty Soviet Red Army team to get back on the ice after a brief squabble with the game’s officiating.
“He set the whole environment,” Saunders said.
That included his youth foundation.
“He was a philanthropist,” Saunders said. “It was more than just hockey, that’s probably the best way of saying it. He cared about more than just wins and losses. He cared about the environment and the people around it, the kids. . .and he showed it every single day.”
Television play-by-play man Jim Jackson wrote a book “Walking Together Forever: The Broad Street Bullies, Then and Now” back in 2004. Much of the publication dealt with Snider’s impact on the team.
The Flyers were Ed Snider, right down to the creation of the iconic logo.
“He was the organization and still is,” Jackson said. “I can’t think of a day when I don’t think about him entering the building on the way to a game because he just brought so much passion.
“After losses you didn’t want to bump into him and after wins you did. Just think about what he did to start it, to build it, so many things in the Philadelphia area from a sports landscape standpoint have his fingerprints all over it.”
Snider’s legacy does live on through his youth program.
“I think he would be really happy how that organization has continued to grow and what they do for so many kids,” Jackson said. “Countless stories of kids, who knows where they would have been without it.
“They go to college. It’s absolutely a great legacy to have.”
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