issued cards for 14 players and Bernie Parent leaving 16 Flyer "Missing Links" from their inaugural year. Here they are in alphabetical order.
Lou Angotti was claimed from Chicago in the expansion draft and would become the Flyers first captain. 1967-68 was his 5th NHL season with a stop in New York prior to Chicago. Both OPC and Topps issued a 1968-69 card for Angotti but he appears in a Pittsburgh Penguins uniform although he played the entire season in Philadelphia !!!
Don Blackburn was claimed from the Maple Leafs in the expansion draft, his only prior NHL experience before hitting the ice in Philadelphia consisted of a 6 game stint with the Bruins in 1962-63. Like Ball he also would never have an official hockey card issued.
Doug Favell was claimed from Boston in the draft having spent the previous 3 years with their farm teams. In his NHL rookie year with the Flyers he appeared in 37 games with 15 wins, 15 losses and 6 ties. However that wasn't enough to get him a 1968-69 card issued as OPC & Topps choose Bernie Parent as their Flyer goalie. He would get a Flyer rookie card issued in the 1969-70 OPC & Topps sets.
John Hanna was acquired by the Flyers when they bought the Quebec Aces AHL franchise as a farm team. He played 3 seasons with the Rangers from 1958 to 1960 but had spent the next 6 years with the Aces except for a 6 game stop in Montreal in 1963-64. Most of 1967-68 was also spent in Quebec but he did appear in 15 games as a Flyer. His rookie card was issued as part of the 1958-59 Topps set.
Wayne Hicks was also acquired by the Flyers when they bought the Quebec Aces having had previous NHL stops in Chicago, Boston and Montreal. He appeared in 32 games as a Flyer before being traded to Pittsburgh for Art Stratton Feb. 27, 1968. His rookie card as a Penguin would be part of the 1970-71 OPC & Topps sets.
Ralph MacSweyn was also a Quebec Aces hand when the Flyers acquired the team. He spent most of '67-68 in Quebec but did make it to Phillie for his first 4 NHL games. His rookie card, as a Flyer, was issued in the 1969-70 OPC series.
Roger Pelletier was in his first full AHL season when the Flyers acquired the Quebec Aces. Although he spent the majority of the 1967-68 season again with the Aces, Pelletier did play in his first and only NHL game with the Flyers. He would never have an official hockey card issued.
Bill Sutherland spent 10 years in pro hockey with only a 2 game NHL playoff stop in Montreal before 1967-68. In 1962 he was traded to Quebec of the AHL where he played for four seasons. When Philadelphia bought the team, Sutherland went along and found himself in the NHL. Sutherland was the first to score a goal for the Flyers' franchise and the first to score a goal in the Philadelphia Spectrum. He had a rookie card issued in the 1968-69 OPC series but in a Maple leaf uniform although he never played a game in Toronto before the 1968-69 season.
You can purchase these cards, or any of my Missing Link creations, for $10 each postpaid, or $7.95 for 3 or more. Email me at: [email protected], volume discounts available on larger orders.