Friday Flyers Flashback: The Holmgren Gate
As the Philadelphia Flyers head into the 2026-27 season - their 60th - the team is marking non-game Fridays with a look back at memorable moments from franchise history. One of the strangest came on October 6, 1977, in an exhibition game at the Spectrum against the Boston Bruins.
That night is remembered around hockey as “the George Plimpton Game,” but Flyers fans know it for something else entirely: the start of the “Holmgren/Cashman Gate.”
Plimpton, the famous “participatory journalist,” had arranged a Bruins training camp goaltending tryout through Sports Illustrated. He was 50 years old then, and later turned the whole experience into the book “Open Net.”
As the final piece of that tryout, Plimpton was given five minutes in goal against the Flyers. With the approval of the NHL, the Flyers and the Bruins, those five minutes happened before the official exhibition game began - essentially a “pre-preseason” cameo.
Plimpton, who called himself a mediocre skater, allowed one goal to Flyers winger Paul Holmgren. The Spectrum crowd loved it, eager to see the Broad St. Bullies make Plimpton pay for stepping onto the ice against them.
He also had to face a penalty shot from Reggie Leach. Before the attempt, Bruins goalie Gerry Cheevers asked Leach not to embarrass Plimpton with a deke-and-finish or hurt him with one of his “Riverton Rifle” slapshots.
Leach didn’t do either. He skated in straight and sent a very soft flip toward the guest goaltender.
The real chaos came once the preseason game started. A huge line brawl erupted at the end of the first period, and it took 15 minutes to restore order. Then, as the players headed off the ice, the fight spilled into the hallway between the home and visitor locker rooms, where an enraged Holmgren went after Bruins forward Wayne Cashman.
After that hallway confrontation, the Spectrum added a heavy iron gate to separate the two locker rooms. It became known as the “Holmgren Gate,” or the “Holmgren/Cashman Gate.”
The gate stayed up for the rest of the Spectrum’s life. Even after the building was demolished, it was preserved, and today it remains in the Xfinity Mobile Arena complex as a piece of team history.
In Other News...
Flyers' Winless Start Just Got More Concerning After Overtime Loss
The Flyers early-season frustration deepened in a 3-2 overtime loss to the Hurricanes, a result that left them still searching for their first win after three straight defeats. Philadelphia got goals from Owen Tippett and Matvei Michkov and had enough push to at least extend the night, but Carolina had the last word in a game that kept the Flyers from building any momentum.
There was more concern beyond the standings, too, with Rasmus Ristolainen a possible injury question after taking a shot to his left hand and briefly returning before being sent for reevaluation Sunday. Goaltender Joseph Woll stopped 37 shots, which gave Philadelphia a chance to hang around, but the Flyers will now have to sort through both the record and the roster as the schedule keeps moving. [Read more 🡒]
Gostisbehere Broke Flyers Hearts Again In A Game Carolina Nearly Lost
Shayne Gostisbehere has a way of making life difficult for the Flyers, and he did it again in a game Carolina nearly let slip away. His overtime winner delivered the Hurricanes a win in Philadelphia and marked the third time he has beaten the Flyers in overtime, a familiar ending for a player whose name still carries extra weight in this matchup.
For the Flyers, the night added another layer to an early-season offensive struggle, with chances hard to come by and the margin for error shrinking as the game wore on. The bigger concern may have come on the back end, where Rasmus Ristolainen exited after blocking a late second-period shot and never returned, leaving Philadelphia to absorb another tough result while Joseph Wolls 37 saves helped Carolina escape with its third win of the season. [Read more 🡒]
Flyers Have Another Early Problem Fans Really Didn't Need
The Flyers trip through the young season already has a familiar feel to it, and not in a good way. They fell 3-2 to the Hurricanes in overtime after spotting Carolina a goal in the first 10 seconds, then spent the rest of the night trying to claw back into a game that never quite settled into their favor.
There was more bad news beyond the final score, too, as Rasmus Ristolainen left with a right hand injury, leaving Philadelphia to wonder about its defensive depth heading into the next game. Add in a power play that still has not found the net this season, and the Flyers are suddenly dealing with more than just one frustrating loss. [Read more 🡒]