PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Bernie Parent, the legendary Hall of Fame goalie recognized as one of the greatest of all time and who secured the net for the Philadelphia Flyers’ only Stanley Cup victories during the 1970s Broad Street Bullies era, has passed away at the age of 80.

The Flyers made the announcement Sunday but provided no details. Parent died overnight in his sleep, former teammate Joe Watson said.

Former star defenseman Watson, who played on those Stanley Cup teams, mentioned in a phone conversation that he saw Parent along with other ex-Flyers players at an event on Friday evening in Delaware.

“Bernie was in such pain, he could barely walk,” Watson said, referring to Parent’s severe back issues. “We had a great time, but I felt terrible because he was in so much pain. It’s heartbreaking to see this happen.”

Parent’s intense gaze through his classic hockey mask earned him a spot on the cover of Time magazine in 1975 when the Flyers were renowned as a premier team in sports. He secured the Stanley Cup, Conn Smythe, and Vezina trophies in consecutive years when the Flyers won the Stanley Cup in ’74 and ’75, marking the first NHL expansion team to claim the title.

“The legend of Bernie Parent extended far beyond the ice and his achievements,” the Flyers expressed in a statement. “Bernie had a profound affection for Philadelphia and the Flyers’ supporters. He was fervently committed to his role as an ambassador for Ed Snider Youth Hockey & Education, inspiring a whole generation of hockey enthusiasts. He devoted his time, energy, and zeal not only to advancing the game but also to spreading joy to everyone he met.”

After making his NHL debut with Boston in 1965, Parent was left unprotected by the Bruins during the 1967 expansion draft, where he was picked by the Flyers. Following 3 1/2 seasons, he was traded to Toronto but eventually returned to Philadelphia before the 1973-74 season. That year, he achieved a league-high 47 victories and topped the NHL in wins again the following season with 44.

Parent was accidentally struck in the right eye with a stick in 1979 and was temporarily blinded. He never played again, retiring with 271 wins — 231 of them for the Flyers — over a 13-year career.

“At his unbeatable, unflappable best on the ice when the stakes were highest, Bernie was a warm, gregarious bear of a man off the ice who was venerated in Philadelphia and adored throughout the hockey world,” Commissioner Gary Bettman said. “The entire National Hockey League family mourns the passing of this beloved icon and sends its deepest condolences to his wife, Gini, his family, and his countless fans and friends.”

The Flyers beat the Bruins in six games to win the Stanley Cup in 1974 and beat Buffalo in 1975. Parent had shutouts in the clinchers each season.

On the flight home from Buffalo, the Flyers plopped the Stanley Cup in the middle of the aisle. For close to 90 minutes, they couldn’t take their eyes off hockey’s ultimate prize.

“We were able to just sit back, look at the Stanley Cup and just savor it,” Parent said in 2010. “It was just a special time.”

With Parent the unstoppable force in net, “Only the Lord saves more than Bernie Parent,” became a popular slogan in Philadelphia that stuck with him through the decades.

“We used to joke about it in the dressing room. We’d say, ‘Bernie, how many goals do you need?’ He’d say, ‘One, two, that’s it, and we’ll win the game,’” said Gary Dornhoefer, a winger on the two Cup teams.

Parent, team captain Bobby Clarke and Dave “The Hammer” Schultz all became stars for the Flyers under owner Ed Snider in an era when the team was known for its rugged style of play that earned the Bullies nickname. They embraced their moniker as the most despised team in the NHL and pounded their way into the hearts of Flyers fans. More than 2 million fans packed Philadelphia streets for each of their championship parades.

“We always felt comfortable with Bernie in the net,” former Flyers winger and enforcer Bob Kelly said. “He would challenge the guys in practice. He’d stop the puck and throw it back at you and say, ‘Go ahead, try and catch this one.’ He was the first guy to jump in line to help another teammate if they needed it. He was a real testament to what a team player is all about.”

Parent’s No. 1 jersey was retired by the Flyers and still hangs in the rafters of their arena. In 1984, he became the first Flyers player inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame. He is still their career leader in shutouts with 50.

Parent remained connected with the team over the years as an ambassador.

“He was so good with people,” said Watson, who first met Parent in 1963. “A lot of athletes don’t get it or don’t give fans the time of day. Bernie gave everyone the time of day. He’d always have his rings on. He’d show them to the people and people loved to see them. This past Friday in Delaware, people were coming up, they wanted to see the rings. People were so excited to see him. He had a great sense of humor. Bernie was a funny guy.”

Flyers coach Rick Tocchet, who played 11 seasons over two stints with the team, choked back tears at the New Jersey practice rink as he described Parent’s influence.

“As a young kid, you’re stressed trying to make the team. When he would come in, he’d just break the room up. He really helped me out when it came to that,” Tocchet said. “It seemed like every day was a great day to him. I don’t know if he ever had a bad day. But that (Stanley Cup) group was very close, and Bernie was kind of the glue. Bob Clarke obviously unreal, and Billy Barber and all those guys, they came around a lot. Bernie was one of those guys, he would just, we’d lose three in a row, somehow he’d come in there and loosen us up the Bernie way.”

The final career highlight came in 2011 when Parent was in the net for an alumni game outdoors at the baseball stadium Citizens Bank Park ahead of the NHL Classic. “Bernie! Bernie! Bernie!” echoed throughout the park for the affable goalie, who played 5 minutes, 32 seconds and stopped all six shots. Each save made the “Bernie!” chants return.

“He was a man who was always happy, always laughing and was always fun to be around,” Clarke said. “He did what all great hockey players do: He played for the hockey team. The two years that we won the Stanley Cup, he was the only member of that team that we could not have been without if we were going to win. He was the best goalie in hockey for those two years.”

Parent was the third Hall of Fame goaltender to die this month. Ken Dryden, who helped the Montreal Canadiens win six Stanley Cup titles in the 1970s, died at 78 after a fight with cancer. Ed Giacomin, one of the faces of the New York Rangers’ franchise in the 1960s and ’70s, died at 86 of natural causes.

“They’re big losses,” Kelly said. “They were just prime, super goaltenders.”

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