The 1973/74 NHL season was the 57th season in the National Hockey League . 16 teams played 78 games each. The Stanley Cup won the Philadelphia Flyers after a 4-2 win in the final series against the Boston Bruins . The " Original Six " had dominated the NHL for six years and in the darned seventh year they were overtaken. Led by center Bobby Clarke and secured by goalie Bernie Parent , they had won the title. At the beginning of the season, the fans booed Parent, who had come back from the WHA . In the WHA Gordie Howe put his skates back on and played together with his sons Marty and Gordie in Houston . Another veteran had returned to the NHL a year earlier. Tim Horton was the second oldest player in the NHL but still one of the best. As a welcome present he had received a Ford Pantera from the Sabers. Driving home from a game in Toronto, Horton died of a traffic accident.