Fourteen years ago, necessity was the mother of invention during the Philadelphia Flyers' Eastern Conference championship winning season of 2009-10.
Due to early season starter Ray Emery's season-ending and career-threatening hip condition, the Flyers acquired goalie Michael Leighton to share the net with Brian Boucher. The duo ended up sharing the net the rest of the year, and the Flyers reached the Stanley Cup Final.
History has repeated itself for the 2024 Flyers Alumni Game against the Boston Bruins Alumni.
Due to an injury sustained last week by former Jennings Trophy netminder Robert Esche while practicing for the Alumni Game, the Flyers Alumni needed another goaltender to pair with "Boosh" on January 26.
The call went out for "Leights" to step back into the crease to make his Flyers Alumni Team debut, and he agreed. It will now be a Boucher/Leighton duo splitting the goaltending chores on Friday night. Although he's unable to play, Esche will be behind the bench during the Alumni Game and will still take part in the pregame VIP Reception to meet and greet Flyers fans.
There's a certain déjà vu to how this played out.
Boucher outdueled the legendary Henrik Lundqvist in a shootout on the final day of the 2009-10 regular season to backstop the Flyers into the playoffs. Boosh also outplayed Hall of Famer Martin Brodeur as Philly took out the New Jersey Devils (103 regular season points) in five games in the Eastern Conference Quarterfinal.
In the second round of the playoffs, amid the Flyers' historic comeback from a 3-0 series deficit against the Bruins, Boucher was forced to exit Game 5 with a knee injury. The reins were turned over to Leighton, who was just coming back into the lineup from an injury of his own suffered in March.
Leighton was the Flyers' starter for the rest of the playoffs, although Boucher returned to perform backup and relief duties in the Stanley Cup Final against Chicago. After coming in for Boucher in a combined shutout win in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Semis, Leighton notched three solo shutouts of the Montreal Canadiens in the first, second and fourth games the Eastern Conference Final.
Leighton, who had a brief (four-game) previous stint for the Flyers during the 2006-07 season due to injuries to both Esche and Antero Niittymäki, played in a total of 110 NHL regular season games and 16 games in the Stanley Cup playoffs. His prolific professional career spanned the 2001-02 to 2018-19 seasons.
Most of Leighton's pro hockey career was spent at the American Hockey League level. An AHL legend -- and a shoo-in for eventual AHL Hall of Fame induction -- Leighton played 507 regular season games and 28 Calder Cup playoff matches. A Baz Bastien winner (the AHL equivalent of the Vezina Trophy) at the pinnacle of his American Hockey League career, Leighton also holds the AHL career record with 50 shutouts to his credit. He ranked fifth all-time in league history for wins (250) and seventh in games played by a goalie (507).
Leighton finished his pro career in 2018-19 with the AHL's Utica Comets. The team's owner: Robert Esche. Leighton has long made his residence in Sarnia, Ontario. He and wife Jennifer have three children. "Leights" will turn 43 this May.
Now a Flyers and national hockey broadcaster, Boucher was born in Woonsocket, RI, on Jan. 2, 1977. Drafted by the Flyers in the first round of the 1995 NHL Draft (22nd overall), Boucher went on to have three separate NHL stints with the team as well as a stint on an AHL contract with the Philadelphia Phantoms.
Prior to reaching the NHL, Boucher was a member of the Calder Cup winning 1997-98 Philadelphia Phantoms. He formed a capable tandem with Neil Little. "Boosh's" best NHL season was his rookie year of 1999-2000 when he earned a spot on the NHL All-Rookie Team and took over as the Flyers’ starting goaltender from veteran John Vanbiesbrouck. That year, Boucher was stellar in the playoffs and backstopped the Flyers to within one won of reaching the Stanley Cup Final.
In 35 regular season appearances as a rookie, Boucher posted a 20-10-3 record, 1.91 goals against average, .918 save percentage and four shutouts. In the postseason, he played in 18 games, boasting an 11-7 record, 2.03 GAA, .918 save percentage and one shutout. Boucher was the winning goaltender in the Flyers’ epic five-overtime win over the Pittsburgh Penguins in Game Four of the 2010 Eastern Conference Semifinal.
On June 12, 2002, Boucher was the centerpiece of a trade that brought Michal Handzus and Esche to the Flyers from the Phoenix Coyotes. While a member of the Coyotes, he set a new NHL record for the longest shutout streak by a goaltender. Boucher went unscored upon for an incredible 332 minutes (the equivalent of roughly five-and-a-half regulation games).
After playing for Phoenix, Calgary and Columbus, Boucher returned to Philadelphia in the summer of 2007 on an American Hockey League contract with the Phantoms. He returned to the NHL by the end of the season, signing a contract with the San Jose Sharks on Feb. 26, 2008.
Boucher’s second “official” stint as a Flyer began on July 1, 2009, when he signed with the Flyers as an unrestricted free agent. On the final day of the regular season, Boucher prevailed over Henrik Lundqvist and the New York Rangers in a shootout with a playoff spot at stake for both teams.
In the first round of the playoffs, Boucher outperformed Martin Brodeur in a five-game series win for the Flyers. Boucher played the first four-plus games of the Flyers second-round series with the Boston Bruins until suffering a knee injury in Game Five. Michael Leighton took over as starter for the remainder of the playoffs, as the Flyers went on to recover from a three games to zero deficit to win the series and, ultimately, to come within two wins of the Stanley Cup.
Statistically, Boucher’s second-best Flyers season came in 2010-11 as he split time in goal with rookie Sergei Bobrovsky. The veteran played in 34 games, posting an 18-10-4 record, 2.42 GAA and .916 save percentage. In the playoffs, Boucher became the only goaltender in NHL history to record two wins in a playoff series when coming in relief of the starter (Bobrovsky in Game Two and Leighton in Game 6). Boucher went on to start and win Game Seven, as the Flyers defeated Buffalo and former Vezina Trophy winner Ryan Miller.
With the Flyers acquiring Ilya Bryzgalov in June 2011, Boucher departed as an unrestricted free agent. He signed with the Carolina Hurricanes. The next season, the Flyers reacquired Boucher from the Hurricanes along with defense prospect Mark Alt in exchange for minor league forward Luke Pither. Boucher finished his North American playing career with four appearances for the Flyers in 2012-13 and 16 games in the AHL for the Phantoms.
After playing briefly in Switzerland during the 2013-14 season, Boucher retired. He subsequently began a successful broadcasting career. For his Flyers career, Boucher played in 179 regular season games, posting a 2.50 goals against average, .904 save percentage, eight shutouts and a record of 73-68-7 with 12 ties prior to the NHL’s adoption of the shootout.
For his Flyers playoff career, Boucher appeared in 44 games, posting a 2.36 goals against average, .911 save percentage, two shutouts and a 21-17 record.
Now the longtime president and head of hockey operations for the American Hockey League's Comets, Robert Esche was one of the fiercest and most intensely competitive goalies in Flyers history.
Esche was born in Whitesboro, NY on Jan. 2, 1978. Drafted out of the OHL by the Phoenix Coyotes in the sixth round (139 th overall) of the 1996 NHL Draft, Esche played for Team USA at the 1997 and 1998 World Junior Championships.
"Chico" made his NHL debut with Phoenix as the backup to Sean Burke, who also had two separate brief playing stints with the Flyers. Traded to the Flyers along with Michal Handzus in the June 2002 trade that sent Brian Boucher to the Coyotes, Esche would spend four seasons with the Flyers.
In his first season as a Flyer, Esche appeared in 30 games as the backup to Roman Cechmanek and the duo split the NHL’s Jennings Trophy for the lowest goals against average. Esche’s best run in Philadelphia, however, came as the starter during the club’s 2004 run to within one win of reaching the Stanley Cup Finals.
Nicknamed “Chico” after former Islanders, Devils and Flyers goaltender Glenn “Chico” Resch, Esche was a much more aggressive goaltender than the laid back Resch. He handled the puck well and was an above-average puck stopping goalie when one-on-one against the shooter.
Esche dealt with numerous injuries to his hips and groin during his Flyers career. After leaving the NHL, he played for several years as a standout goaltender in Russia’s KHL. He also represented Team USA at the 1996 Olympic and 1998 IIHF World Championships. In retirement, he went on to be the president and GM of the Comets.
For his Flyers’ career, Esche appeared in 128 regular season games (60-39-10 record, 2.65 goals against average, .900 save percentage, seven shutouts) and 24 playoff games (13-11 record, 2.74 GAA, .906 save percentage, one shutout).
There's also another Flyers goalie-related connection to the 2024 Alumni Game.
Former NHL goaltender Rejean "Reggie" Lemelin will be playing in the Alumni Game on January 26 as a member of the Bruins Alumni side. However, the 69-year-old will not be playing in goal. Rather, he'll dress as a forward.
During his playing days, Lemelin started out his career as a Flyers prospect and broke into pro hockey with the Philadelphia Firebirds of the old North American Hockey League (NAHL). After his career, which included 507 games in the NHL with the Calgary Flames and Bruins, Lemelin turned to coaching.
From the 1994-95 to 2008--09 seasons, Lemelin served as the Flyers goaltending coach. He coached both Boucher and Esche during his time with the Flyers.
"I was always very receptive to Reg," Esche recalled to the late Jay Greenberg in Flyers at 50.
"I loved Reg and I had so much respect for him. Actually, I can't think of too many people in that organization I didn't like. I really liked working with Reg from day one. If things weren't going good, I was pretty fiery, and Reg worked with me through good and bad."
