Flyers founder dead at 83

Ed Snider was weakened by cancer, the disease that kept him from his beloved Philadelphia Flyers.

General manager Ron Hextall went to Snider's home in California in December, watching what would be their last Flyers game together on TV.

The St. Louis Blues led 3-0 in the second period, souring the mood.

"He looked at me and said, 'We didn't plan this,'" Hextall said, smiling.

But Snider high-fived Hextall when the Flyers scored one goal, then two, then three.

When Philadelphia potted the winner, Snider showed as much fight as one of his old Broad Street Bullies.

"He was in pain, a lot of pain," Hextall said. "But when we scored that fourth goal, he got right out of his seat. I couldn't believe it."

Snider, the Philadelphia Flyers founder whose hard-hitting "Bullies" used fear and intimidation to become the first expansion team to win the Stanley Cup in 1974, died on Monday after a two-year battle with bladder cancer. He was 83.

"Despite his considerable business achievements and public profile, he was first and foremost a family man," the Snider family said in a statement.

"Unrivaled, however, was his love for the Philadelphia Flyers hockey club, the team he created 50 years ago and to which he remained fiercely devoted."

With Snider ailing, the Flyers clinched a playoff spot on Saturday and dedicated the playoff push to him. Philadelphia plays Washington in the first round.

Snider was arguably the most influential executive in Philadelphia sports. He was chairman of the 76ers, was once a part-owner of the Eagles and had a hand in founding both Comcast's local sports channel and the city's largest sports-talk radio station. He was elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1988.

"Ed Snider was the soul and the spirit of the Flyers, who have reflected his competitiveness, his passion for hockey and his love for the fans," NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said.

Snider built his fortune with a record company and arrived in Philadelphia in 1964 as a part owner of the NFL's Philadelphia Eagles, serving as team treasurer.