There are more than 3,000 player names now engraved on the Stanley Cup. You would think that at least a few of those players would be named Stan or Stanley.

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But as far as Willie is aware, there is only one - Allan Stanley.

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Allan Stanley, a Hockey Hall of Famer, was a defenseman on 4 Toronto Maple Leafs Stanley Cup teams in the 1960s. In 1968-69, at the tail end of his storied NHL career, he played for the then-young Flyers. Although he did nothing of note that final season, he still holds two little-known distinctions in Flyers history.

 

First, Stanley was the first former Flyer inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame. He was inducted in 1981. Bernie Parent (who many fans mistakenly believe was the first former Flyer to enter the HOF), was inducted in 1984, 3 years later.

 

Second, Stanley was born in 1926, making him the first person ever born who would one day play for the Flyers.

 

We know what you are thinking. "What about Stan Mikita? Huh? The Chicago Blackhawks won the Cup in 1960-61. Isn't Stan Mikita's name on the Stanley Cup?"

 

Well, it was but it no longer is.

 

Some years back, with the Stanley Cup running out of space for new engraved names, the NHL decided that the top band of team names would be removed every 13 (or so) years. The bands below would move up, creating space for a new band at the bottom. The band containing Mikita's name was removed in 2018 and is now on permanent display in the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto.

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The next band will be removed in 2031. When it is, the Stanley Cup will bid farewell to Allan Stanley - and to the 1973-74 and 1974-75 Flyers.

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Going, going, gone!