Chris Therien , called "Bundy" by his teammates, is a good solid NHL defenseman, who plays a clean game, is remarkably mobile for such a big guy and is pretty good positionally. He can also level opposing players with legal bodychecks when the mood strikes him. But to hear many Flyers fans (and segments of Flyers management) say it, Therien is "soft" and a perennial underachiever. Nevertheless, he is a crucial component of the Flyers defense, and has moved up to the team's #1 pairing with Eric Desjardins. About once or twice a year, he'll make a stunning end-to-end rush with the puck and score a goal. He tends to have short point scoring bursts that last 4-5 games in duration, then his offense vanishes for several months until the next outburst. Other times, he'll have dominating defensive streaks where he topples one opponent after another with bone-crushing checks. That leads to expectations that he will play that way all the time, and when it doesn't happen (although he's still a good player overall), people get down on him and want more. They want him to drop the gloves, to hit people in the slots and near the blueline as consistently as he takes people out in the corners, and they would like some more offense from him. In a nutshell, they want Chris Therien to be what Chris Pronger has become. When they don't get it, he's branded a "stiff" in typical Philly fashion, although in actuality he's a pretty solid player, especially in his own end.

Rather than playing junior hockey in his native Ontario, Therien opted for US collegiate hockey for Providence. Therien was drafted out of Northwood Prep by the Flyers in the 3rd round of the 1990 draft. He went on to become an outstanding two way defenseman for Providence and earned his way onto the Canadian national team. Therien played for silver medal winning Team Canada at the 1994 Winter Olympics in Norway. He then joined the Hershey Bears for 6 games late in the season. The following year, he earned a spot on the big team, beating out the likes of Jason Bowen and Stewart Malgunas. However, the NHL lockout was looming and Therien was sent to the Hershey Bears the day before the lockout kicked in, so that he could get playing time in the interim. He played 34 games for the Bears and then joined the Flyers when the lockout was finally resolved in January. Therien went on to have a very good NHL rookie year before struggling somewhat in the playoffs against the Rangers and Devils. After the season, Therien, along with Kenny Jonsson, was named to one of the defense spots on the All-rookie team.

Therien had a somewhat up-and-down second year, although he and new partner Kjell Samuelsson were a productive pairing overall. Therien's lows (and highs) did not reach the extents of those reached by fellow second year defenseman, Karl Dykhuis. Therien, however, had his second consecutive mediocre playoffs, while Dykhuis came on strong in the postseason. Therien's third NHL season started off poorly and he was subjected to a full month's worth of healthy scratchings by then-coach Terry Murray. After being restored to the lineup, Therien played like a man possessed the rest of the season. He had a spectacular defensive second half of the Flyers Eastern Conference championship 1996-97 season, highlighted by Therien repeatedly shutting down and frustrating Jaromir Jagr and a marvelous playoff run. His success was parlayed into a hefty new multi-year contract. Last season, Therien started off hardly missing a beat, and was outstanding for most of the first half. His second half and playoff performance, however, were just okay. His play was not nearly of the same quality as it had been earlier in the season or the second half of the previous season. That has started some people grumbling again about Therien being an underachiever, and placed his Flyers career back at the crossroads..