Parent, "Bernie" (Bernard M.)
Hockey
b. April 3, 1945, Montreal, Quebec
Growing up in Montreal, Parent idolized Canadien goalie Jacques Plante. In 1971-72, he and Plante shared goaltending duties with the Toronto Maple Leafs.
A feisty, very competitive player, Parent often battled opponents and once had a fist fight with his team's trainer, who had criticized his play during the Stanley Cup playoffs.
Parent arrived in the NHL with the Boston Bruins in 1965. After playing 51 games with them over two seasons, he went to the Philadelphia Flyers in the 1967 expansion draft, then was traded to the Maple Leafs during the 1970-71 season.
When the World Hockey Association was organized in 1972, Parent signed with the new league's Philadelphia Blazers for a reported $700,000. The Blazers moved to Vancouver after one season and Parent refused to go with them. Instead, he stayed in Philadelphia and rejoined the Flyers. He shared the Vezina Trophy with Tony Esposito of Chicago as the NHL's outstanding goalie in 1974 and won the award outright in 1975.
He also won the Conn Smythe Trophy as the outstanding player in the Stanley Cup playoffs both years. In 1974, he held the Boston Bruins to just 3 goals in the last three games of the finals, including a 1-0 shutout in the sixth and final game. The following year, he gave up just 12 goals in six games in the final series against the Buffalo Sabres as the Flyers won their second consecutive championship.
Parent missed most of the 1975-76 season with a back injury. He came back and played just as well as ever for most of the next three seasons. In a game against the New York Rangers on February 17, 1979, a stick hit him in the eye, ending his career.
During the early 1980s, Parent served as the Flyers' goaltending coach. He was the first former Philadelphia player elected to the Hall of Fame.