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Bernie Parent was a goaltender in the National Hockey League from 1965 to 1979 for the Philadelphia Flyers. Parent was always a stand-up type goalie, a technique he learned from his boyhood hero, Jacques Plante. Many years later, when the slumping Parent talked about retiring, Plante talked him out of it. In addition, Plante coached Bernie Parent on some fundamental points that Bernie had been missing in his game. Plante watched him practice in Philadelphia for two days and didn't say anything. Then he told Parent exactly what he was doing wrong - sitting back on his heels, backing into his crease and losing concentration.
Parent admitted he had considerable fear of playing goal in the NHL, and that fear helped him play better. On game nights, he never appeared without his mask on, even going to and from the dressing room. He also had a strict pre-game ritual. He sat alone under a miniature Stanley Cup and thought about the opposing players he would face, then slept for eight hours, had a steak for lunch and then slept again.
Parent grew up in Montreal in the early 1950s and played pickup games on the street with a tennis ball. Somewhat of a loner as a kid, he liked playing goal. Remarkably, Parent didn't learn to skate until he was 11. In his first game as a kid, he sheepishly admitted he let in 20 goals, not a great start for someone aiming for the pros.
Parent began his career with the Boston Bruins in 1965 until 1967 and played for the Toronto Maple Leafs (with Jacques Plante)from mid-season 1970 to 1972. In the 1972-73 season he played for the Philadelphia Blazers of the World Hockey Association. For the rest of his career he played for the Flyers.
Although he was one of the great goaltenders of the initial era of professional Canada-Russia games, Parent never played for a Canadian National Team.
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