 The 1970s were associated with aggressive , and often violent , play . Known as the " Broad Street Bullies " , the Philadelphia Flyers are the most famous example of this style . The Flyers established league records for penalty minutes — Dave " the Hammer " Schultz 's total of 472 in 1974 – 75 remains a league record — and ended up in courtrooms multiple times when players went into the stands to challenge fans who got involved . One such incident occurred in Vancouver in December 1972 , when a fan reached over the glass to pull the hair of Don <unk> , who had a chokehold on Vancouver 's Barry Wilkins . Bobby Taylor and several Flyers teammates followed the fan into the stands . The next time Philadelphia went to Vancouver , several players were brought before the courts on charges that ranged from use of obscene language to common assault . Six players were fined , and Taylor received a 30 @-@ day suspended sentence . Despite these incidents , the Flyers won : they captured the 1974 Stanley Cup , becoming the first expansion team to win the league championship , and repeated as champions in 1975 . 
