Not going to lie: watching the Giants get late runs against the Phillies this weekend brought back some bad memories from the 2010 NLCS. Let's wash that bitter taste away with the next ten Philadelphia sports moments.
50. Michael Leighton posts three shutouts in the Eastern Conference Finals-May 16, 18 & 22, 2010
Before the 2009-10 NHL season, how many of you had heard of Michael Leighton? Those of you raising your hands are lying. Leighton was picked up off of waivers twice by the Flyers, once in 2007 when he went 2-2 in four starts, and again in 2009. The 2009 stint is where most people began to hear his name, as the mid-season addition found himself in the starting lineup almost every night with Ray Emery and Brian Boucher both out with injuries. When Boucher came back later in the season to resume as the starter, Leighton was moved to the bench again, likely to be forgotten as a footnote in Philadelphia's season.
Then came the 2010 Stanley Cup Playoffs and with it, another injury to Boucher. With Bouch out for the playoffs, Leighton stepped in again and helped back the Flyers to an historic comeback against the Boston Bruins. The 4-3 series win put the Flyers in the Eastern Conference Finals against the Montreal Canadiens, a team who was just as unlikely to be there as the Flyers. With the seventh seeded Flyers having home ice advantage in the series, Leighton got his chance to make an impact at the Wells Fargo Center in Game 1. He didn't disappoint, stopping every Montreal shot he faced for a 6-0 Flyers win. It was a good showing, nothing too impressive with the Flyers pouring it on against the Montreal defense, but still, not bad for a backup goalie. In Game 2 it was more of the same. Leighton didn't let a single Montreal shot find the back of the net as Philadelphia won by a 3-0 score. With the win, Leighton became the first Flyers goalie since Bernie Parent in 1975 to record back to back playoff shutouts. Game 3 was in Montreal, and the Canadiens brought their offense, taking a convincing 5-1 victory to make Game 4 a must win for both teams.
The game started out evenly matched, but the Flyers changed that in the second period. Montreal got just one shot on net, while Claude Giroux and Ville Leino (remember him?) each scored to give Philadelphia a 2-0 lead. From there, Leighton did the rest, stopping the Canadiens for a third shutout in the series. Giroux added an empty net goal, but Leighton made it a moot point. With the 3-0 win, Leighton became the first goalie in Flyers history to record three shutouts in a single playoff series, and he became the first goalie to shutout the Montreal Canadiens in three games in a single playoff series. Considering how far back Montreal's history goes, that is very impressive, to say the least. With a 3-1 lead in hand, the Flyers would take Game 5 back in Philadelphia and head to the Stanley Cup Finals. More people remember what happened at the end of Game 6 of that series as their moment with Michael Leighton, but I also like to remember the way that a backup goalie helped his team get to that point.
49. The 2001 Philadelphia 76ers season
Yes, it is a little bit of a cop out to chose the entire regular season from that incredible year, but it's hard to pick certain moments out of it. Honestly, the Philadelphia 76ers had probably the best season that I can remember from watching them, and I chose to remember the whole thing, not just one single item from the list.
Coming into the 2000-01 season, the Sixers were expected to be a competitive team in the NBA's Eastern Conference, but that was about it. They had won 49 games the year before with Allen Iverson leading the way and had been knocked out of the playoffs by the eventual Eastern Conference champion Indiana Pacers in six games in the second round. The same result was thought to be coming the next season, but the Sixers surprised everyone by starting the year on a ten game winning streak. After the winning streak to start the season, the team followed Iverson's lead, never losing more than three games in a row until late in the season. At one point in late December and January, the Sixers went 12-1 and hit their high water mark at 41-14. Larry Brown was named the coach of the Eastern Conference for the All Star Game and Iverson was named MVP of the game, but the season wasn't over yet.
When Theo Ratliff went down with an injury, most people thought that was when the Sixers would come back down to earth, but instead they became buyers near the trade deadline, getting Dikembe Mutombo in a trade with the Atlanta Hawks. The trade for Mutombo gave the Sixers an even better inside presence, and Mutombo would end up winning Defensive Player of the Year for his efforts during the regular season. By the time the regular season ended, the Sixers were sitting in first place in the Eastern Conference with a 56-26 record, and only a late five game losing streak cost them a chance at 60 wins. Iverson won the MVP Award for his regular season, and Aaron McKie completed the awards sweep for the Sixers by taking home the Sixth Man of the Year Award.
The 56-26 record gave the Sixers their first Atlantic Division title since the 1989-90 season and gave them home court advantage throughout the Eastern Conference playoffs. The playoffs were another story for the Sixers, as they played one game under the maximum that could be played on the way to the NBA Finals. The Los Angeles Lakers were waiting, having gone 11-0 in the Western Conference playoffs, but the Sixers shocked the basketball world by taking Game 1 in Los Angeles. Of course, we all know how the story ended after that one game, but man oh man, what a run it was. No Sixer team has ever captured my attention like this one did, and I doubt if any one ever will again. The cast of characters fit perfectly with each other, and it was a once in a lifetime year.
48. The Eagles beat the Saints and finally win a playoff game-January 3, 1993
The Philadelphia Eagles under Buddy Ryan were known for a few things. They could play defense, they had Randall Cunningham on offense and they couldn't win a playoff game. Three trips to the playoffs under Ryan had led to three straight losses, and an uninspired loss to the Redskins cost Ryan his job. Rich Kotite replaced Ryan and finished his first year missing the playoffs with a 10-6 record. The 1991-92 season marked the tenth straight season without a playoff win for the Eagles, and heading into the 1992-93 season, the pressure was on for the Eagles to finally win a playoff game.
Thanks to a few moments that I already covered on this list, the Eagles finished the regular season at 11-5 and had made the playoffs once again. Unfortunately, they earned the right to head to the Louisiana Superdome to play the New Orleans Saints, winners of 12 games during the regular season and the top wild card team in the playoffs. While the Eagles had a good defense, New Orleans boasted the least scored upon defense in all of the NFL during the regular season. Through the first half of the game, it showed. The Saints held the Eagles to just a single touchdown, and led 17-7 at the half. The two teams traded field goals in the third quarter, but then things turned around for Philadelphia.
Fred Barnett scored on a 35 yard pass from Randall Cunningham, and Heath Sherman scored soon after on a 6 yard run to give the Eagles their first lead of the game. Reggie White made the statement of his Eagles career soon after, sacking Bobby Herbert in the end zone for a safety that swung momentum over to the side of the Eagles for good. A field goal and an Eric Allen interception return for a touchdown finished the 26 point fourth quarter for the Eagles and sealed a 36-20 Eagles victory. Cunningham threw for three touchdowns, Sherman rushed for 105 yards and his touchdown and Barnett had four catches for 102 yards through the air for two touchdowns. The season ended the next week in Dallas, but the Eagles won a playoff game for the first time in a decade and for the first time in my lifetime. That's more than enough for me to give this oft-forgotten moment a place on this list.
47. Ryan Howard gets to the plate and makes it count-October 12, 2009
The 2009 Phillies weren't the same team as the World Series winning 2008 Phillies, but that didn't matter to fans, who were expecting another championship in Philadelphia. The Phillies did their best to make that happen, winning the NL East for the third straight season and trading for Cliff Lee at the trade deadline. However, the season seemed to hang in the balance in Game 4 of the NLDS against the Colorado Rockies, who had eliminated the Phils from the playoffs two seasons before.
The Phillies had a 2-1 series lead going into Game 4 against the Rockies, but Cliff Lee was scheduled to go in the fourth game, leaving Cole Hamels, who did not have a good 2009, scheduled to pitch in Game 5 back in Philadelphia. Lee pitched well, allowing just an earned run while going into the eighth inning, but Ryan Madson allowed three runs to cross the plate, turning a 2-1 Phillies lead into a 4-2 hole with just the ninth inning left to go.
Huston Street came on to pitch the ninth for the Rockies. Street had been solid in 2009, saving 35 games for Colorado, and he looked ready to send the NLDS back to Philadelphia. He got Greg Dobbs swinging to start the inning, and after a Jimmy Rollins strikeout, Shane Victorino grounded to second base, with only his speed preventing a game ending double play. Chase Utley walked to bring Ryan Howard to the plate and set this moment in motion. Before the ninth inning, Howard told his teammates just one simple thing, "Get me to the plate, boys." Philadelphia fans are quick to jump on Howard for his lack of clutch hits, but Howard wanted the spotlight when it shined the brightest here. Howard worked a 2-1 count and Street let the next pitch go.
It never reached the catcher's mitt, as Howard sent it into right field, where it dropped for a game tying double. Jayson Werth finished the comeback with an RBI single, giving the Phillies a 5-4 lead. Brad Lidge did his job in the ninth inning, and that was it. The Phillies avenged their NLDS loss from two seasons ago and moved on to their second straight NLCS with a 5-4 win. No one knows how a Game 5 would have turned out, and thanks to Ryan Howard, none of us need to know. All you have to remember about this series is what Howard said before the ninth inning. "Just get me to the plate, boys."
46. Koy Detmer has the game of his life-November 25, 2002
Coming into the Monday Night Football matchup against the San Francisco 49ers, not many people had much hope for the rest of the 2002 Eagles season. While they had won the week before against the Arizona Cardinals, Donovan McNabb had been lost for the season with a broken ankle. At 7-3, the Eagles still had some work to do before they clinched a playoff spot, and I was like most people, just hoping that they could go 4-3 or 3-4 to get to double digit wins and more than likely a spot in the playoffs. Koy Detmer, a career backup who had started just six games in five NFL seasons to that point, was called on to carry the Eagles for McNabb, who was hopeful that he could return for the playoffs.
After a scoreless first quarter, the Eagles woke up on offense in the second. Detmer threw his first touchdown pass to Todd Pinkston, and Brian Mitchell returned a punt 76 yards for a score to put the Eagles up 14-0. After Jeff Garcia found Terrell Owens for a three yard touchdown pass, Detmer struck again, hitting Antonio Freeman from 11 yards out. The Eagles led 21-7 at the half, and Detmer had shocked almost everyone watching.
The second half was more of the same. Following a San Francisco field goal, Detmer scored on a one yard touchdown run and was guiding the Eagles to another scoring drive when disaster struck. Detmer had completed a 24 yard pass to Jeff Thomason when he was knocked to the ground. He landed awkwardly on his elbow, dislocating it and ending his season. When he was loaded onto the cart, the Eagles and 49ers came over to wish him well, which is something that I'll never forget. A.J. Feeley finished the drive with a one yard touchdown pass to Chad Lewis, but Detmer was the star of the 38-17 win, completing 18 of 26 passes for 227 yards and two touchdowns. Feeley would start the rest of the regular season games for the Eagles, who finished the season 12-4, but none had the same energy of that Koy Detmer start. For three quarters, Koy Detmer had us all believing he could lead the Eagles to the playoffs, and it was a fun ride.
45. The Sixers hold on and beat the Raptors in Game 7-May 20, 2001
Remember when I said that the Sixers didn't have as smooth of a run in the playoffs in 2001 as they did in the regular season? This is where it really started to happen. Against the Toronto Raptors and a guy named Vince Carter in the Eastern Conference Semi-Finals, the Sixers were in trouble. The two teams had traded wins throughout the series and it all came down to a Game 7 in Philadelphia with a trip to the Eastern Conference Finals on the line.
Philadelphia came out firing, taking a ten point lead after the first quarter, but the Raptors kept chipping away. The lead was down to eight at the half, then three after three periods. Toronto had actually taken the lead midway through the third quarter, but Allen Iverson once again had put the Sixers back on top, which is where they remained through most of the fourth quarter. Late in the final quarter, the Sixers were up by a single point and had the ball. Iverson missed a jumped, but Aaron McKie got the rebound and gave the Sixers another chance to ice the game. The only problem was the Eric Snow missed his shot and the Raptors got the rebound with five seconds to play.
Everyone watching the game knew who the ball was going to. The Raptors knew, the Sixers knew, the crowd knew, everyone knew. Vince Carter was getting the ball on the last play of the game with a chance to win the series for Toronto. The Sixers tried to stop it, but sure enough, Carter ended up with the ball in his hands and just two seconds to play. Carter put up a fadeaway from about 20 feet that looked good, but just caught enough of the back rim to bounce off. Carter and Iverson had dueled for the entire series, but when the season was on the line, it was Iverson and the Sixers that were left standing. The Sixers advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals, while the Raptors haven't been that close to the NBA Championship since.
44. Cliff Lee signs with the Phillies-December 15, 2010
The odds of the Phillies signing Cliff Lee following the 2010 season seemed slim to none, and slim was about to get on a bus heading out of town. Roy Halladay had been traded to the Phils prior to the 2010 season, and to afford his contract, the Phillies had to trade Cliff Lee to Seattle. Lee was obviously hurt by the move, but had said he loved his time in Philadelphia. Fast forward to the end of the 2010 season. Lee spent half the year in Seattle and the other half with the Texas Rangers, who he helped reach the World Series for the first time in their history. Most people thought the choices for Lee were down to the Rangers or the New York Yankees, because come on, they're the Yankees.
For most of his time as a free agent, Lee was looking at offers from the Yankees and Rangers and was about to reach his decision when rumors of a mystery team came flying into play. No one was sure who the team was, but the talk was that the third team had made a great offer and Lee was leaning towards them. As December 14th turned into the 15th, the smoke had started to let up, and the Phillies were revealed as the mystery team. Not only that, but Cliff Lee had told his agent to get them involved. Both the Rangers and Yankees had given Lee sizable offers, but Lee took less years and less money to sign with the Phillies. His five year, $120 million contract shocked a lot of people in baseball and helped the Phils win 102 games during the 2011 regular season.
Lee signing with the Phillies might be the greatest free agent signing that I'll ever see. Not only did it come out of nowhere, but the Phillies pulled it off against the New York Yankees, who hardly ever lose a free agent that they want. Reports came out about mistreatment of Lee's wife by Yankee fans, and that his wife told him not to sign with New York, but I like to believe that he came back to Philadelphia because he wanted to more than anyone seems to ever have. When Jim Thome signed with the Phillies, they became a destination team, but when Cliff Lee signed, they became something more, and that's what I remember about this moment.
43. Ron Hextall scores a playoff goal-April 11, 1989
I don't remember a lot about the first time Ron Hextall was playing with the Flyers, but I do remember two things. I know that he had a lot of penalties called against him and that he always like to try and score a goal. During the 1989 Stanley Cup Playoffs, Hextall got to become the first goalie ever to do the second item on that short list.
The Flyers had a rough 1988-89 season, which is something that I already covered in a prior moment on this list. What I didn't mention much of was their first round series against the Washington Capitols. Washington had finished first in the Patrick Division during the regular season and was the top seed in that part of the playoffs. The Flyers had just gotten into the playoffs, but had alternated wins and losses with Washington to set up a very important Game 5. If the Flyers could win, they would have the advantage going into the sixth game in Philadelphia. If they lost, Washington would have home ice and need to just win one of two games, with Game 7 at home.
Both teams came out firing, and the game was tied at 4 heading into the third period. Washington scored first in the period, but the Flyers stormed back, scoring three times to go up 7-5 with just two minutes to play. Washington got a late power play and pulled their goalie to have a 6-4 advantage to attempt to tie the game, but Ron Hextall had other ideas. Hextall managed to get control of the puck after Washington dumped it into the Philadelphia zone, and launched a shot that landed just over center-ice and rolled, untouched, into the Washington net. For the first time in NHL history, a goalie had scored in the playoffs, and it was an unassisted, shorthanded goal at that. The Flyers won the game by an 8-5 score and would win Game 6 as well to take the series. Hextall would end up being traded to Quebec two years later as part of the Eric Lindros trade, but would return to Philadelphia and help the team reach the Stanley Cup Finals in 1997. He would never score another goal in a game, but his two goals are still tied for the all time lead for goalies for a career.
42. The Eagles take Dallas to the woodshed and earn a playoff spot-December 28, 2008
To say that the 2008 Eagles season was interesting would be like saying the Titanic was just a little ship. The Eagles started the year 2-3, then went on a three game winning streak to get to 5-3. Then came the fun part. A 36-31 loss to the Giants brought the Eagles back down and was followed by a lifeless looking 13-13 tie against the Cincinnati Bengals. After the game, Donovan McNabb said he didn't know NFL games could end in a tie, a comment that still makes me shake my head. McNabb would be benched at the half of the following week's game, a 36-7 thrashing at the hands of the Baltimore Ravens. The next three weeks all resulted in wins for the Eagles, but after a 10-3 loss to the Washington Redskins put the Eagles at 8-6-1 on the season, it looked like a trip to the playoffs was out of the question. The Giants had already clinched the NFC East, and Dallas was so close to the last wild card spot, all it would take was a win by Chicago or Tampa to knock the Eagles out of the playoffs. Throw in that Tampa and Chicago were playing the Raiders and Texans, respectively, and it somehow looked worse for the Eagles.
Philadelphia and Dallas were scheduled for a 4:00 start that last week of the season, so there was time to see the early scores come in. Houston had upset Chicago, so fans were excited that there might be a small chance, but they still needed Oakland to beat Tampa, and the Raiders were down by ten points in the fourth quarter. Somehow, the Raiders exploded for 17 unanswered points in the fourth quarter after Tampa had taken a 24-14 lead. When Oakland finished up a 31-24 victory, there wasn't just light at the end of the tunnel for the Eagles; their game against the Cowboys had turned into a "win and you're in" game, and the Eagles weren't going to let it slip out of their fingers.
The first quarter was relatively calm, with the two teams exchanging field goals for a 3-3 tie. In the second quarter, the wheels fell off for the Cowboys. The Eagles scored 24 points, including a field goal in the final seconds following a kick off fumble by Adam "Pac-Man" Jones, to take a 27-3 lead into the half. Eagles fans were already celebrating, but it only got better in the third quarter, when Philadelphia added another 17 points to the pile. Chris Clemons and Joselio Hanson each returned fumbles for touchdowns and David Akers added another field goal. By the time Nick Folk had kicked a meaningless field goal in the fourth quarter, the Eagles had already locked up a playoff spot and had done so by humiliating the Dallas Cowboys. The momentum from the win turned into two straight playoff victories and almost ended with a trip to the Super Bowl, but it was not to be. Even still, it sure was fun to knock the Cowboys out of the playoffs by winning 44-6. This is probably one of those games that I enjoyed watching from start to finish and never will forget, but it's not the most satisfying win I've ever watched against Dallas. That one comes a bit later on.
41. The Body Bag Game-November 12, 1990
Ah, the Buddy Ryan years. After watching his son Rex coach the New York Jets, I can now understand why most other teams hated Buddy when he coached. He was loud, opinionated and didn't care what others thought about him. Plus, he knew how to coach a defense, which made Philadelphia fans love him. However, the only thing that Eagles fans love more than a good defense is a team that can win in the playoffs, and heading into the 1990 season, Ryan hadn't delivered on that aspect. Back to back playoff losses had made fans anxious, and a 4-4 start to the 1990 season wasn't helping matters. A Monday Night Football matchup against the Washington Redskins was looming, and the season may have been on the line.
The Redskins had already beaten the Eagles once during the regular season and were looking to finish the season sweep, but the Eagles had other plans on national television. Philadelphia turned a 7-7 halftime score into a 28-7 lead following the third quarter. Heath Sherman scored twice and Clyde Simmons returned an 18 yard fumble for a touchdown, but that was only half of what the defense did to Washington during this game. Throughout the 60 minute game, the Eagles injured eight Washington players, including starting quarterback Jeff Rutledge and backup Stan Humphries. Brian Mitchell, a running back by trade who had played some quarterback in college, finished the game under center, but the Eagles dominated for a 28-14 win.
The Body Bag Game, as it became known, was the launching point for the rest of the regular season for the Eagles. Philadelphia finished the year with a 5-2 record and a wild card spot in the playoffs. However, they lost once again in the first round by a score of 20-6 to the same Washington Redskins team that they had knocked to the canvas in this game. The loss marked the end of Buddy Ryan's time with the Eagles, but fans that missed him could still look back on this game and smile, just like I still do. Injuries are not something to celebrate, but this is one of those games that you have to step back and take a look at.
So ends another chapter of the Top 100 Philadelphia Sports Moments of the Past 28 Years. I'll be back soon with the next ten moments which include more Eagles against divisional opponents, two beleaguered Philadelphia athletes with the moments of their careers, the Flyers staying alive in one series and finishing off a hated rival in another and two pitchers taking care of business in the World Series. I hope you'll be reading.
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