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The Rise and Fall of Keith Primeau: A Flyers Career Cut Short

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Frankie
October 17, 2022 (6:50 PM)

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Primeau was drafted third overall in the 1990 NHL Entry Draft by the Detroit Red Wings. He made his only Stanley Cup Finals appearance while with the Red Wings in 1995, losing in a sweep to the New Jersey Devils.

Primeau held out after the club signed Igor Larionov and after playing for Canada in the 1996 World Cup of Hockey, Detroit traded him (along with Paul Coffey and a 1997 first-round draft pick, ultimately used to select Nikos Tselios) to the Hartford Whalers in exchange for Brendan Shanahan and Brian Glynn a few days following the start of the 1996�97 season.

17 years ago today, Keith Primeau scored a hat trick (3 G, 1 A) against Toronto to give the #Flyers 3-2 series lead.

In a closed door meeting the day before, Primeau told his teammates he would play great in Game 5 and to jump on for the ride. pic.twitter.com/xrfpHrC9rn� Flyers Nation (@FlyersNation) May 2, 2021

The Philadelphia Flyers were looking to shake things up in their lineup and made the trade with Carolina to acquire Keith Primeau for Rod Brind'Amour, Jean-Marc Pelletier and a 2000 second-round draft pick (Agris Saviels) on January 23, 2000. The key parts being the departure of beloved Brind'Amour, who would go on to win a Stanley Cup with the Hurricanes and now has become the head coach of the Canes.

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Impact was made immediately as he led the team in goals with 34 and points in 73, both career highs. A pivotal moment was when he scored the Game winning goal against the Pittsburgh Penguins in a 5-overtime game. Only two games were longer.

21 YEARS AGO TODAY: The @NHLFlyers and Penguins played the longest game EVER in the modern era of the National Hockey League.

After 92 minutes of overtime hockey, Keith Primeau scored the game winner and tied the series for the Flyers.#SportsUncovered | @NBCSPhilly pic.twitter.com/KNqL7A6xKA� NBC Sports Hockey (@NBCSportsHockey) May 4, 2021

Showing great leadership and with the resignation of captaincy in Eric Desjardins, Primeau became the team's captain. In 2004, Primeau took over in the playoffs against the Tampa Bay Lightning. Primeau recorded nine goals and seven assists for a total of 16 points; it was the best playoff year of his career. In Game 6 of the Eastern Conference finals, against the Tampa Bay Lightning, Primeau scored the game-tying goal with 1:49 left in regulation. The Flyers won the game, 5�4 in overtime, sending the series back to Tampa for Game 7. The Flyers went on to lose that game by a score of 2�1.

Keith Primeau ties it late and then Simon Gagne seals the deal with the OT winner during game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals

pic.twitter.com/lbcqsm24kx� Coots (@YaBoyCoots) June 4, 2022

Hockey legend Phil Esposito later told Primeau that this.

"During the '04 playoffs, when you and the Flyers took the Lightning to seven games, you were the most dominating player I ever saw. More than Orr, Howe, Gretzky, or anyone"

Keith Primeau rips a short handed goal past Khabibulin during the 2004 ECF pic.twitter.com/YoRaLxvHmO� Coots (@YaBoyCoots) August 15, 2022

The Downfall of Primeau

In 2005-2006 and only nine games into the season, the Flyers captain suffered a concussion that would change his career forever. Due to symptoms of Post-Concussion Syndrome, he would retire on September 14, 2006.

Spending only 5 seasons with the Flyers, we only saw bright spots of what he could do. Coming off an incredible playoff run and closing in on a potential Stanley Cup the year before, his career ended. Flyers fans never really got to see the full potential of Keith Primeau, an underrated player here and someone who showed incredible leadership that had their career end from head injuries. A sad story.

Previously on FlyersInsider
Travis Konecny scores 3 goals in 2 games (Video)
Honouring The Career of Rod Brind'Amour in a Flyers Jersey - Fight Footage Highlights and More
Which Head Coach Already has One Foot Out the Door? Elliotte Friedman has the Answer:
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17 OCTOBRE | 50 ANSWERS
The Rise and Fall of Keith Primeau: A Flyers Career Cut Short
Were you a fan of Keith Primeau?
Yes 34 68 %
No 16 32 %
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17 OCTOBRE \| 50 ANSWERS The Rise and Fall of Keith Primeau: A Flyers Career Cut Short Were you a fan of Keith Primeau?
Yes	34	68 %
No	16	32 %
List of polls