Schultz discusses 'Broad Street Bullies,' legacy in Philadelphia in Q&A

In NHL.com's Q&A feature called "Sitting Down with …" we talk to key figures in the game, gaining insight into their lives on and off the ice. Today, we feature former Philadelphia Flyers forward Dave "The Hammer" Schultz.

Nearly a half-century since his final game in the orange and black of the Philadelphia Flyers, Dave Schultz remains one of the most beloved figures in the City of Brotherly Love's sports history.

Along with Bobby Clarke, Bernie Parent, Bill Barber and the late Rick MacLeish, "The Hammer" was a cornerstone of the Flyers' 1974 and 1975 Stanley Cup championship teams. Fans still flock to him for photos, autographs and stories that you couldn't write as fiction.

Schultz, who was the Flyers' fifth-round selection (No. 52) in the 1969 NHL Amateur Draft, will be remembered and celebrated anew with his fellow "Broad Street Bullies" this season, the 50th anniversary of the Flyers' championship in 1974, the first by 1967 NHL expansion team.

"I was told that within five years after I got out of the game nobody would know who I am," Schultz told the Philadelphia Daily News in 1999. "That's not the case. Philadelphia will always remember those Cup years."

Almost 50 years later, the city still does, even though Schultz would leave the Flyers following the 1975-76 season. From 1972-79, Schultz played in 535 regular-season games for the Flyers, Los Angeles Kings, Pittsburgh Penguins and Buffalo Sabres, finishing with 200 points (79 goals, 121 assists) and 2,292 penalty minutes, the equivalent of 38.2 games.

In 73 postseason games, Schultz's 20 points (eight goals, 12 assists) were dwarfed by his 412 penalty minutes.

In 1999, the Philadelphia Daily News ran a special that polled fans on myriad topics, including the best Philadelphia team, uniform and nickname. The 1973-74 and 1974-75 Flyers, their jerseys, "The Hammer" and "Broad Street Bullies" all claimed easy victories.

Those Flyers were a riot, almost literally. When they'd travel to Los Angeles to play the Kings, at least one local newspaper would publish a picture of gangsters as a quasi-team photo of the visitors.

In truth, the Bullies weren't high on finesse. The 1973-74 team took a League-leading 1,750 penalty minutes, 603 more than the St. Louis Blues, who were second. In 1974-75, Philadelphia was assessed 1,967 penalty minutes, 692 more than the Blues.

It's perhaps not a coincidence that you won't see then-NHL President Clarence Campbell smiling as he presents the Stanley Cup to Clarke, the Flyers captain, those seasons. And Schultz still gets a chuckle out of that.

Dave Schultz with the Stanley Cup, which he won in 1974 and 1975, and on Nov. 16, 2009, at Wachovia Center upon his induction into the Philadelphia Flyers Hall of Fame. Bruce Bennett, Getty Images; Len Redkoles/NHLI via Getty Images

Does it seem to you like nearly a half-century since the Flyers' 1974 Stanley Cup championship?

"I guess in a way, yes, but in a way, no. It was a while ago, but I certainly have a lot of thoughts and emotions about it. I feel fortunate to have been with a great hockey club and to have won the Stanley Cup. Twice. Our first Stanley Cup parade, we rode in convertibles, the second year on flatbed trucks. Philadelphia fans are very special. I was at a charity event the other day and a couple of guys who were about 10 years old in 1974 told me they snuck out of school to attend the parade. What they remembered most were the streakers. That parade was unique for all of us. Philadelphia Bulletin sportswriter Jack Chevalier had come up with the nickname 'Hammer' for me and 'Broad Street Bullies' for the Flyers. Mine came after he wrote of me having hammered someone. There are some people who 50 years later call me Hammer, not Dave. Absolutely, no question."

A great many of the fans you meet today on the street and at alumni functions never saw you play …

"Well, they've seen me play on video. The internet has changed everything. Fans can see me fight on their cellphones or hear me singing 'The Penalty Box' (a novelty song he recorded in 1975). I'd never have thought that people would still recognize me. I live in Somers Point, New Jersey -- Ocean City is across the way, Atlantic City is about 20 minutes away. I took a walk down to the beach yesterday, went into a place for a bite to eat. … I worked at the Tropicana Casino (in Atlantic City) for a very short time after I retired and moved back here, and people yesterday were, 'Hey, how are you?' This is a long time ago. It's quite amazing."

Dave Schultz with the 1970s Philadelphia Flyers and hammer-topped members of Schultz's Army, so named for actor John Banner's Sgt. Hans Schultz character from the 1965-71 sitcom Hogan's Heroes. Melchior DiGiacomo/Getty Images

You had 134 fighting majors, 28 more in the postseason. How was the relationship with your dance partners after your career?

"Pierre Bouchard of the Canadiens was one of my nemeses. He's a nice guy. I got to meet a lot of guys after our careers were over. I became pretty good friends with the late Keith Magnuson of Chicago. (Boston's) Terry O'Reilly and I fought nine times, and for the first 10 years or so after we retired, we weren't too friendly. But we finally met up at a golf outing. I wanted him to sign some autographs. There was a picture of Terry and me fighting, if you can imagine that, and he said, 'Let me see it.' He said, 'Ah, it looks like I'm losing,' and I said, 'No it doesn't, it's a draw.' We became friends and we've done signings. I haven't seen him for a few years, but we became kind of buddies. The Bruins gave Terry the Boston Garden penalty box when they tore the arena down (in 1998). I wanted the one from the Philadelphia Spectrum (demolished between 2010-11), but I didn't get it."

You had two hat tricks in your career, both in January 1974 in consecutive home games -- a 4-2 win against the New York Rangers on Jan. 3, and a 7-4 win against the Minnesota North Stars on Jan. 10. Any guess who the goalies were?

"First let me tell you that my 20th goal in that 20-goal season came against Minnesota's Gump Worsley (a 6-3 Flyers win on April 2, 1974)! It was the last goal Gump gave up in his NHL career. The goalies in my hat-trick games? Oh my, let me think. New York, was it Eddie Giacomin? (It was Peter McDuffe). And Minnesota, Cesare Maniago, no? (Fern Rivard)."

Your 472 penalty minutes in 1973-74 is an NHL record that is likely to stand forever. But you claim an achievement in your hometown of Waldheim, Saskatchewan, that is guaranteed never to be topped …

"I was the first baby born in the Waldheim Hospital (Oct. 14, 1949, two weeks after it had opened). We moved to a farm, where I lived for the next eight years, then back to Waldheim when I was in Grade 3 and began to play a bit of organized hockey. When we came back, the hospital was already shut down and we lived downstairs in the place. My late brother, Ray, and I would play hockey in the long hallway leading to the furnace. A few years later, they tore the place down. I don't know what that means. … Then we moved to Rosetown (about 100 miles southwest). I haven't been back to Waldheim in quite a few years, but I might take a drive there next month. I'm going to Delisle with my former linemates, Orest Kindrachuk and Don Saleski, as well as Brian Propp, another Saskatchewan boy, for the (Aug. 10) Delisle Sports Celebrity Dinner."

Since we're talking about Saskatchewan, let's finish with a "Sasky" legend. The famous Gordie Howe hat trick is a goal, an assist and a fight in a single game. Would you be surprised if I told you that you had only three of those in your career?

"(Laughs) I never thought of that. I had no idea. Gordie was a wonderful man. I attended a lot of different charity events and golf tournaments with him. I loved him."

Top photo: Philadelphia Flyers' Hall of Famer Dave Schultz acknowledges the crowd during a pregame Heritage Night ceremony on Oct. 27, 2016, at Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia. Len Redkoles/NHLI via Getty Images