Bernie Parent

Inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1984

[edit] Biography

Bernard Marcel Parent (born April 3, 1945 in Montreal, Quebec) is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey goaltender.

Bernie Parent grew up in Montreal in the early 1950s and played pickup games on the street with a tennis ball. Somewhat of a loner as a kid, he liked playing goal. Remarkably, Parent didn't learn to skate until he was 11. In his first game as a kid, he sheepishly admitted he let in 20 goals, not a great start for someone aiming for the pros.

As a Québécois, Parent's use of English was a never ending source of locker room and bus trip humor, especially when he was excited. During his ten years playing career, Parent did not conduct interviews in English.

Parent began his career with the Boston Bruins in 1965 until 1967. He was selected in the 1967 NHL Expansion Draft by the Philadelphia Flyers and played the next two seasons there when he was traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs. He played there with boyhood hero Jacques Plante, from mid-season 1970 to 1972.

During the 1972-73 season he played for the Philadelphia Blazers of the WHA. He returned to the Flyers in 1973 and played the rest of his career there. He won the Conn Smythe Trophy in 1974 and 1975 as the most valuable player during the Stanley Cup playoffs. An eye injury suffered in 1979 ended his playing career. A popular bumper sticker distributed in the Philadelphia area during his career read, "Only the Lord saves more than Bernie Parent".

Plante had a strong influence on Parent's career. Parent, like Plante, was always a stand-up type goalie. Plante also coached Parent on goaltending fundamentals. On one occasion, Plante watched him practice in Philadelphia for two days, then he told Parent exactly what he was doing wrong - sitting back on his heels, backing into his crease and losing concentration. Later, when the slumping Parent talked about retiring, Plante talked him out of it. After Parent's retirement, the Flyers retired his jersey number (1) in his honor.

Parent was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1984. In 1998, he was ranked number 63 on The Hockey News' list of the 100 Greatest Hockey Players.

Parent admitted he had considerable fear of playing goal in the NHL, and that fear helped him play better. On game nights, he never appeared without his mask on, even going to and from the dressing room. He also had a strict pre-game ritual. He sat alone under a miniature Stanley Cup and thought about the opposing players he would face, then slept for eight hours, had a steak for lunch and then slept again.

[edit] Awards

• WHA Second All-Star Team (1973)
• NHL First All-Star Team (1974, 1975)
• Vezina Trophy (1974; shared with Tony Esposito, 1975)
• Conn Smythe Trophy (1974, 1975)
• Yanick Dupre Memorial (1979)

[edit] Records

• Previously held the mark for most wins in a season (47), surpassed by New Jersey Devils goaltender Martin Brodeur during the 2006-2007 season with 48 wins, though Parent never had the benefit of overtime or shootouts in his era.
• Fourth hockey player and third goalie to appear on the cover of TIME Magazine. (Lorne Chabot was first).

[edit] External links

• Flyers Heroes of the Past: Bernie Parent at Philadelphiaflyers.com Part I of II.
• Flyers Heroes of the Past: Bernie Parent at Philadelphiaflyers.com Part II of II.
• Career Stats
• More Career Stats
• Time.com: Courage and Fear in a Vortex of Violence - Feb. 24, 1975

[edit] Statistics

[edit] Regular season

[edit] Postseason

[edit] References

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