History of the Philadelphia Flyers

Philadelphia has one of the United States' longest and richest traditions in professional, semi-professional, amateur, college, and high school sports. The city is one of twelve cities that host teams in each of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Canada, and one of just four cities in North America in which one team from every league plays within its city limits. The major sports teams are the Philadelphia Phillies of Major League Baseball (MLB), the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League (NFL), the Philadelphia 76ers of the National Basketball Association (NBA) and the Philadelphia Flyers of the National Hockey League (NHL). Each team has played in Philadelphia since at least the 1960s, and each team has won at least two championships. Since 2010, the Philadelphia metropolitan area has also been the home of the Philadelphia Union of Major League Soccer (MLS), making the Philadelphia market one of only nine cities in North America to host a team in the five major sports leagues. Prior to the 1980s, Philadelphia was home to several other notable professional franchises, including the Philadelphia Athletics, the Frankford Yellow Jackets, the Philadelphia Warriors, the Philadelphia Quakers, Philadelphia Atoms, and the Philadelphia Field Club. Sports play a significant role in the culture of the city and the surrounding area. Philadelphia sports fans are known for their passion for their teams. Philadelphia fans, particularly Phillies and Eagles fans, have a reputation for being the "Meanest Fans in America". Philadelphia's fans, combined with the history and tradition of the city's teams have often led the city to be described as the nation's best sports city. Metropolitan Philadelphia hosts several college sports teams as well. The Philadelphia Big 5 is an informal association of college basketball programs in Philadelphia, historically consisting of La Salle University, the University of Pennsylvania, Saint Joseph's University, Temple University, and Villanova University and also including Drexel University as of the 2023–24 school year. These six schools, along with Delaware State University and the University of Delaware, all represent Greater Philadelphia in NCAA Division I, while several other area schools field teams in other divisions of the NCAA. Temple and Delaware field the lone Division I FBS football teams in the region, though many Philadelphia fans root for other programs, such as the Penn State Nittany Lions. In addition to the major professional and college sports, numerous semi-pro, amateur, community, and high school teams play in Philadelphia. The city hosts numerous sporting events, such as the Penn Relays and the Collegiate Rugby Championship, and Philadelphia has been the most frequent host of the annual Army–Navy football game. Philadelphia has also been the home of several renowned athletes and sports figures, and has played a significant role in the development of cricket and extreme