The seeds for “the Battle of Pennsylvania” were sown perhaps as far back as the mid-1960s. Upon learning of the National Hockey League’s ambitious plan to expand from six to 12 teams, Senator Jack McGregor and Peter Block lobbied hard to secure a franchise for the Steel City. Meanwhile, Philadelphia virtually was handed a team because it was deemed a desirable location by the NHL Board of Governors.
While the Flyers were more successful than the Pens during the early years, winning the division title in 1967-68 and making the playoffs three out of five seasons, neither team was a power. Accordingly, the series was fairly even, with the Penguins holding a slight edge (14-13-11) over their cross-state brethren.
There were a few noteworthy games—such as a rare scoreless tie at the Civic Arena on October 17, 1970. And there were a handful of instances when sparks flew. In 1968-69 Pittsburgh’s Ken Schinkel and Philly’s Forbes Kennedy engaged in a private war, dropping the mitts on two separate occasions. During the 1969-70 season opener Pens policeman Bryan “Bugsy” Watson tangled with Flyers tough guy Earl Heiskala. But the foundation for the future Pens-Flyers rivalry was poured—indirectly—on April 2, 1972.
Entering the final night of the 1971-72 season the Pens trailed the Flyers by two points in the race for the fourth and final playoff spot in the West Division. Coach Red Kelly’s squad needed a win over St. Louis coupled with a Philly loss to make the playoffs.
While the Pens went out and bombed the Blues, 6-2, the Flyers appeared to be skating to a 2-2 tie with Buffalo. However, with four seconds left Ex-Flyer Gerry Meehan scored on a 60-foot slap shot. Suddenly, the Flyers were out of the playoffs and the Penguins were in.
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