Philadelphia, PA
- The new TV series "BULLIES" will be based on the brawling Philadelphia Flyers from the 1970s. It will show behind-the-scenes and the personal side of those who were connected with the wildly thrilling hockey team. Broad Street Bullies, known for their aggressive style of play and their ferocious feats, were loved in Philadelphia, but hated by the rest of North American hockey.
New TV Series on Hockey’s Broad Street Bullies In the Works
In 1974, the Flyers, a team that had only been around for seven years, won the Stanley Cup and became a rock star in the Philadelphia area. Jeff Hare describes the series as "Rocky meets Slapshot's raucous mayhem, set in the freewheeling Boogie Nightsof 1970." The Flyers are the most hated NHL team ever to win the Stanley Cup. They did it twice in a row to the dismay of many of the NHL's "old guard".
Hare created the series with Sam Carchidi who has covered the Flyers at the Philadelphia Inquirer for years and Philly Hockey Now. Executive producer is Tony Ciabattoni. He's a Delaware native now living in California.
According to Carchidi & Hare, this series is not about hockey but more about the lives off the ice of the players, owners, wives (who played a quiet role in their success), girlfriends, families, and staff. As an example, NHL bad boy Dave Schultz was shy off the ice but a madman when he was on it. He actually hated fighting, but did so because of his position.
The Flyers were hated in North America where they attracted standing-room only crowds of hate-spewing supporters. In reality, however, the Flyers were a group of guys who shared beers with their fan base and helped lift a city in need that was struggling against unemployment, crime and the idea that it was always under the shadow of its "big brother" New York City.
Carchidi stated that the common thread of the series was the love affair between the team, arguably the tightest-knit group in professional sports history, and the city. The Flyers' success was just when the city most needed it. They lifted eachother."
The TV show is not a document, but it will feature actors playing the most popular team players, such as Bernie Parent and Bobby Clarke. It will also include club personnel, such as Ed Snider as owner, Fred Shero as quirky coach, Gene Hart as broadcaster, and others.
In those days, the Flyers' aggressive fighting style masked their talent.
The two-season limited series will begin in the fall of 2024, 50 years after the Flyers' first Stanley Cup.
Share This Article on Social Media
