Because of its sports teams' futility in the early 1970s, Philadelphia was known as the City of Losers.
Smooth MacLeish was a Flyers anomaly
Rick MacLeish and the Flyers helped change that image and started a renaissance on the Philly sports scene with their unexpected march to the 1974 Stanley Cup.
MacLeish, 66, died Monday after battling numerous medical problems that hospitalized him for about nine weeks.
In Flyers history, the magnitude of MacLeish's impact is not appreciated until you talk to his teammates.
Bobby Clarke called MacLeish the "most talented player the Flyers had during the 1970s.