A Flyer Fixture Passes : Jim Nugent

Gloucester County Times- A Flyer fixture passes

These are some of the names that are synonomous with Philadelphia Flyers' history. Ed Snider, Bobby Clarke, Bernie Parent, Eric Lindros, Fred Shero, Jim Nugent.

Who's Jim Nugent? Well, with the exception of Snider, it's possible no one has attended as many Flyers' games in Philadelphia over four decades -- pre-season, regular season and playoffs -- as Nugent. His son Bruce, estimates his dad worked as many as 1,700 games, "and probably didn't miss more than 10."

A long-time Wenonah resident who moved to Sea Isle City after retiring from the phone company, Nugent died recently at 81. He was a Flyers' home game penalty box and press box fixture for 33 years in vital roles -- statistician, goal judge, timekeeper, penalty timer. He gave it up in 2000 only because the late-night commutes to Sea Isle City began to wear him down.

A repair manager for New Jersey Bell for 35 years, Nugent's love for hockey dated to 1931 when the old Pittsburgh Pirates moved the hockey franchise to Philadelphia. He became a fan of minor league teams -- the Larks, Ramblers and Jersey Devils who played at the old Cherry Hill Arena and worked the penalty box.

When the Flyers began operations, they visited the Arena on a talent search to see who was handling the nuts-and-bolts statistical work. That's how Nugent secured his stats-keeping job that evolved into a full-time, part-time job.

Nugent proved he could pay attention to his tedious work. His eyes had to be glued to the ice for 60 minutes so he could accurately chart shots on goals, goals scored, and players' plus and minus numbers, and he rarely made a mistake.

Besides his work in Philadelphia, Nugent was asked to travel to other NHL cities for Stanley Cup playoff games as timekeeper or scorer. He was especially busy at a 1973 Montreal-Chicago game when 15 goals were scored.

Bruce Nugent said his father never did the work "for the money." He recalls his father receiving parking passes, two comp tickets (until the number was reduced to one) and, in the early years, as little as $15 per game. Eventually, his not-so lucrative salary climbed to $50.

The hockey job seemed ill-suited for Nugent's even temperament. The language in a penalty box can be raw. "And Jim never raised his voice his entire life," said friend Joe Schultes. Bruce Nugent echoed that, noting "and I never heard him say a bad word about anybody."

With Jim's giddy memories of the back-to-back Stanley Cup seasons and some wild on-ice scenes like the night he found himself covered by broken glass, Bruce said consummate fan Jim Nugent wasn't thrilled with the 2004-2005 NHL hockey season going down the tubes.

© 2005 Gloucester County Times