Even in Philly, Patience is a Virtue

Any Flyers fan will recognize these names:

Bobby Clark
Gary Dornhoefer
Bernie Parent

Indeed, they are three of the more recognizable names in Flyers' history, since they were great players.

That, and they helped bring the first Stanley Cup to Philadelphia in the 1973-74 season.

But what many people may not know (and I didn't know this until just now), is that these three players were on the second-to-worst team in the league just a few seasons before winning the Cup. In 1969-70, these players suffered through an ugly year as the team won just 17 out of 76 games, and tied with the now defunct, short-lived Oakland Seals in the NHL's Western Conference.

In 1973 they improved to the first place team, winning 50 out of 76 games.

Dare I say.... wow!

That is one whale of a turnaround right there. And without a doubt there are more than just a few turnaround stories like this in all of sports, but I think it's easy to forget just how quickly it can happen, especially when us Philly sports fans are so used to seeing a team struggle forever and then take a while to become a champion. But with a few good players, a strong coach, and the right attytood, anything is possible. Oh, and just a little thing called patience.

As Axl Rose so poetically once said:

"All we need is just a little patience."

"Yeah, yeah."

"Just a little patience."