7 Greatest Philadelphia Flyers Moments at Wells Fargo Center – Hockey Writers – Flyers History

The Philadelphia Flyers are set to change the name of their fourth stadium that was built in 1996. Known as the Wells Fargo Center from 2010 to today, the naming rights will be dropped after the 2024-25 season.

While the domain name may be a company logo and all, there are memories that come with said names. What are some of the best things the Flyers have done over the years at the Wells Fargo Center?

First Round Game 7 vs. Buffalo – April 26, 2011

After reaching the Stanley Cup Finals in their previous postseason run, expectations were high for the Flyers in 2010-11. In the regular season, they certainly lived up to the hype despite finishing with 88 points in 2009-10. On Feb. 24, 2011, the Flyers' 40-15-6 record gave them the best points percentage in the NHL—and then everything changed. Going 7-8-5 in its last 21 contests, Philadelphia basically had no momentum going into the postseason and finished with the second seed in the Eastern Conference.

The Buffalo Sabers saw a vulnerable Flyers team and took advantage. They took a 3-2 series lead back home, but that's when things started to click for Philadelphia. Ville Leino scored the game-winning goal in overtime to force a Game 7, and that's where the Flyers shined. In what appears to be the Sabres' final postseason appearance, the Orange and Black dominated and never looked back. They scored the first four goals of the night, and ended up winning 5-2.

Unlike last season, the Flyers' 3-0 series deficit against the Boston Bruins in the second round led to their demise. Still, their first round win against the Sabers and the regular season gave hope that they were going somewhere.

Giroux's Series-Altering Shift – April 22, 2012

In the first round of the 2012 Stanley Cup Playoffs, the Flyers were finally on the other side of a 3-0 series lead. This time, they let it slide. Going into Game 6 at home, the Orange and Black really needed a win to end the frenzy and advance to the second round. Against their biggest rival, the Pittsburgh Penguins, Claude Giroux seemed to have it all series and basically carried the Flyers to the next round with one turnover.

From the first draw, Giroux had a nice check on Sidney Crosby to set the tone. But what happened next was amazing, a Marc-Andre Fleury layup that gave Philadelphia a 1-0 lead 32 seconds into Game 6. From there, the Flyers took over and didn't give the Penguins a chance. With a 5-1 victory, they ended a series full of goals, fights, and pure hatred.

The Flyers, and Giroux in particular, continued to dominate in Game 1 of the second round against the New Jersey Devils, but nothing was the same after that. Losing four straight contests, Philadelphia was eliminated. Still, they had a memorable playoff showing even if it resulted in only five postseason victories.

Simmonds' Playoff Hat-Trick – April 29, 2014

In a do-or-die Game 6 in the first round against the New York Rangers, Wayne Simmonds won for the Orange and Black. A Lethal in scoring man, his efforts were crucial in stopping Game 7.

Simmonds scored three of the first four goals of the night, two of which came on the power play. The versatile, two-way winger hadn't made much noise in the series before that point, but he essentially put the Rangers' backs against the wall on his own. Goalkeeper Steve Mason was also good and has been throughout the series, but it was Simmonds who took center stage. The Flyers won 5-2 and one of their tallies was in an empty net, so the winning pitcher's contributions were important.

Philadelphia couldn't find the same offense in Game 7, losing 2-1 at Madison Square Garden. This was a disappointing result, especially since New York advanced to the Stanley Cup Finals.

Flyers Clinch the Playoffs for Mr. Snider – April 9, 2016

Ed Snider, the founder of the Flyers franchise in 1967, has always been very involved in the team and its affairs—from trades to meeting with players, he knew. Even creating his own non-profit organization to allow underprivileged youth to play the wonderful game of hockey, Snider was respected by everyone in the hockey industry. The 83-year-old, who lost his battle with bladder cancer on April 11, 2016, was the team's champion in its postseason quest. Needing two points to win with two matches remaining, the Orange and Black are hunting for a vintage moment. Against the Penguins, that's exactly what they got.

Although the Penguins were without Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Kris Letang in that game, the Flyers' clutch victory was still impressive. Simmonds had two goals, while Pierre-Edouard Bellemare scored from point blank range for a 3-1 victory. Mason was excellent between the pipes, stopping 18 of 19 shots for Pittsburgh in a contest where he needed to be flawless.

The Flyers went on to lose against the top-seeded Washington Capitals in a six-game series in the opening round, falling behind 3-0 but coming back to force a Game 6. Arguably, the Flyers' lack of depth coupled with poor play. since their top stars were the nail in the coffin for their season. Still, the whole ordeal was a special moment.

Giroux's Playoff-Clinching Hat-Trick — April 7, 2018

Since four years ago when they met in the first round, the Rangers have been coming off their dominance while the Flyers have been hovering around the same place—the brink of the playoffs. In the final game of the 2017-18 season for the Orange and Black, they needed a win at home to reach the postseason against the team that eliminated them in 2014. Giroux, in the midst of an MVP-caliber campaign, excelled.

Giroux was sitting on 99 points before the game, looking to record 100. He did more than that, reaching 102 for what was his only regular-season hat trick during his career. He hit Henrik Lundqvist three separate times in Philadelphia's 5-0 win, helping his team clinch a postseason berth.

Although he deserved to be a finalist for the Hart Trophy at the very least, Giroux not only finished fourth in voting for the award but suffered a heartbreaking first-round loss to the two-time defending champion Penguins. The Flyers lost at home in Game 6, giving up a 4-2 lead.

Flyers Extend Nine-Game Win – March 7, 2020

Since the 2020 playoffs were held at a neutral site due to COVID-19, the Flyers have no memories of their build-up to that last season despite winning their first round of the playoffs since 2012. Just days before the NHL—and the world—shuts down. down, the Orange and Black were sailing.

Before the Flyers went on a nine-game winning streak, they sat at 32-20-7, clinging to a playoff spot by one point with many teams behind them—the Eastern Conference was loaded that season. But as the wins began to pile up, Philadelphia was more focused on winning the Metropolitan Division than making the playoffs. At that time, every point mattered as they chased the top spot—they earned every point.

Giroux scored two goals in the Flyers' 3-1 win over the Sabers to extend their streak to nine games, record the seventh-most wins in franchise history and move to another world record 25-5-4 at the Wells Fargo Center. That victory tied the Flyers for first place in the Metropolitan Division with the Capitals — both teams sitting at 41-20-7. Philadelphia achieved its final victory over the NHL-leading Bruins on March 10, but the league's action came to an end the next day so it was a burn that didn't last long.

Giroux's final – March 17, 2022

With great prospects and a team that was one game away from reaching the Eastern Conference Finals just two seasons ago, you wouldn't think that the decline from being one of the worst teams in the NHL would happen so quickly. However, the Flyers had a disastrous 2021-22 season and entered a rebuild as a result. However, there was one bittersweet moment that defined that campaign: the departure of their captain.

Giroux, who has spent 999 games with the Flyers and has been a team captain since 2012-13, was in the final season of his 34-year-old contract. The Orange and Black, in need of rebuilding pieces and essentially without a player like Giroux, knew what to do—a trade was necessary. The trade deadline and the captain's 1,000th game with Philadelphia coincided almost perfectly, so it was an opportunity for a proper dismissal. Even though the Flyers struggled to win games that season (10-26-8 in their last 44 contests), they did.

Following a ceremony honoring Giroux and his contributions to the team, the Flyers came out to play for their captain. The 35-21-4 Nashville Predators looked to feast on a team in danger, but that didn't happen. In the return game, the Orange and Black trailed 4-3 for most of the third period but tied it at 4-4 with just over four minutes left. Then, Joel Farabee scored on a feed from Kevin Hayes with 1:19 left in the final frame to make it 5-4. The whole night, and especially after, was emotional, but the ending couldn't have been better.

After that win, the Flyers lost 16 of their last 22 games in regulation, sinking to the fourth-worst record in the league. It was a very dark time for the franchise, especially considering they traded away their 2022 first-round pick, Cutter Gauthier, just a year and a half after drafting him. But for a moment, the struggle seemed worth it.

Related: Flyers Failure Derails Claude Giroux's Career

The Flyers have one more season to make some memories at the Wells Fargo Center. They haven't hosted a postseason game in a structure since a Game 6 loss to the Penguins in 2018—can Philadelphia's 2024-25 campaign change that?