Remember that time Rod Brind'Amour scored two shorties on the same power play?

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If you don't, it's OK. YouTube does. 

With Rod Brind'Amour's number set to be raised to the Carolina rafters before Friday night's Flyers-Hurricanes game, we figured it'd be a good time to reminisce about what kind of player he was in Orange & Black. Much like Mike Richards is today, Brindy was an outstanding two-way forward and a dangerous penalty killer, as shown in the video above and later acknowledged with a Selke Trophy. That footage is from a playoff game against the Penguins in April 1997, and the Flyers were down 2-1 when the power play started. They'd go on to win the game, 6-3, and the series, 4-1.

More historically notable than Brind'Amour's shorties, however, was that earlier that month, Mario Lemieux had announced that he would be retiring from the NHL.

After the Penguins' series loss, Lemieux skated around the Philadelphia ice to a standing ovation—the second such recognition he got from Flyers fans in his career. The first was when he returned to hockey after battling Hodgkin's disease. 

Mario Lemieux's great career came to an end last night amid thunderous ovations from Philadelphia fans as the Flyers eliminated his Pittsburgh Penguins from the playoffs.  Lemieux, a six-time scoring champion and three-time National Hockey League most valuable player, had a goal and assist in his final N.H.L. game before retirement.

The Flyers, behind two short-handed goals from Rod Brind'Amour, beat the Penguins, 6-3, to advance to the Eastern Conference semifinals, four games to one.  Lemieux, 31, won two Stanley Cups and this year collected his sixth N.H.L. scoring title. After coming back from Hodgkin's disease and back injuries, the Penguins captain said on April 5 that he would retire once the season ended.

Lemieux would return to the NHL in December 2000. 

After a brilliant run through the Eastern Conference rounds, that postseason ended somewhat miserably for the Flyers, who were swept out of the Finals by the Red Wings. But Brind'Amour was tied for the most goals in the playoffs (13, with Claude Lemieux), a strong chapter in his Flyers career. More on the goals and the game at Flyers.com, and more Brind'Amour memories to come. 

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