Former Philadelphia Flyers coach and general manager Keith Allen passed away today at the age of 90, as reported by NHL.com's Adam Kimelman. While Allen's name and legacy may not be familiar to younger Flyers fans, he was an integral part of the franchise's success. In fact, it's safe to say the Flyers wouldn't be the Flyers without Keith Allen.
Allen was the very first coach in Flyers' history back in 1967 when the franchise entered the NHL. In that initial season, Philadelphia finished first among the six new teams despite the fact that the team had to play home games in Quebec City after the roof of the Spectrum collapsed on March 1, 1968.
The Flyers reached the playoffs both years that Allen was their coach but failed to advance beyond the first round.
In 1969, Allen stepped down as coach and took over as general manager of the team. He would hold that post until 1983. By the time Allen stepped down as GM, he had helped transform the Flyers from an expansion club into one of the most respected and feared teams in hockey.
Allen was the architect of the "Broad Street Bullies," the Flyers team that fought all ...
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Article written by Brad Kurtzberg
What Keith Allen Meant to the Philadelphia Flyers Franchise
February 4th, 2014 by Brad Kurtzberg Leave a reply »
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