Beloved by many in Philadelphia, Ed Snider was, and will be for a long time, the face of Flyers hockey. He grew the Philadelphia Flyers organization into one of the most passionate and respected clubs in professional sports today. For those of you who do not know the impact of Edward Malcolm Snider on Philadelphia, this is his story.
Mr. Snider graduated the University of Maryland and went straight into the workforce. After selling his initial business Mr. Snider purchased the Philadelphia Eagles at the age of 33. He was given the title of Vice president of the franchise. In 1966 the NHL granted Mr. Snider and the city of Philadelphia their very own hockey team, now known as the Philadelphia Flyers. In 1971 Mr. Snider became the Spectrum’s Chairman of the Board.
Snider would lead the Flyers to a feat no other NHL expansion team could ever top, being the first expansion team to win the Stanly Cup. However, even more impressive was the fact that the Flyers were repeat champions the next year.
Snider also helped the Flyers acquire their AHL affiliate the Phantoms. In May of 1999 the readers of the Philadelphia Daily News elected Snider as Philly’s greatest mover and shaker of the millennium (sniderhockey.com).
Perhaps one of Snider’s biggest impacts on the city of Philadelphia is the Ed Snider Youth Hockey Foundation. This foundation is a way to keep inner city children off the streets, while also giving them the opportunity to learn team building and other skills associated with the sport of hockey. Ed Snider founded this organization in 2005 and currently has over 3,000 students enrolled in the program from ages 5-19.
The impact Mr. Snider has left on the city of Philadelphia is everlasting. Philadelphia Flyers fans and the city have forever been positively affected by him. Philadelphia and the entire hockey world have lost a great man today. Mr. Snider you will be missed.
