Quick - name a sports record that will never be broken.

DiMaggio's 56-game hitting streak? Wilt's 100-point night? Or how about Connie Mack's 53 straight years as manager of the Philadelphia Athletics?

All impressive. Yet there is a chance that some day, somehow, someone could break those records.

But there is a record that will truly never be broken - 24 ties in an NHL season. The Flyers set that record back in 1969-70 and it will never be broken because the NHL no longer has ties. (All games that are tied after 60 minutes are now decided in a 5-minute overtime or, failing that, a shootout.)

The Flyers finished 17-35-24 in 1969-70, Bob Clarke's rookie season. Nearly a third of their games ended in a tie. They finished the season tied with the Oakland Seals for the last playoff spot and, ironically, lost out on tiebreakers because the Seals had more wins and fewer ties.

Fast forward to today. Through December 22, the Flyers had played 35 games, of which 14 (40 percent) were tied at the end of regulation. That means that under the NHL's old pre-overtime, pre-shootout rules, they would been on pace to end the season with 33 ties.

Win or lose, those OT and shootout games contribute points in the standings. The Flyers have games in hand on the teams ahead of them, and as of this moment are already the #3 team in the conference.

Still, there is something dissatisfying about not putting your opponent away in regulation. Hockey used to have a saying for it: "A tie is like kissing your sister."

This year's Flyers are looking good and, we hope, getting better as the season progresses. Perhaps they will soon start winning more games in regulation. Until then, however, sis is in for a lot of tepid romance.