History Of Ice Hockey in Philadelphia - Part 5

Philadelphia Rockets (1942)

1942. After the Rangers ended their affiliation with the Ramblers in 1941, team management decided to give them a new name. The team was renamed the Philadelphia Rockets for the 1941-1942 season.

Unfortunately things didn't go much better, than the year before, as the Rockets went 11-41-4 that season, generating only 26 points. After finishing dead last, once again, in their division the team folded and Philadelphia was left without a Pro Hockey team until the Rockets reemerged in the AHL in 1946.

1946-1949. The Rockets came back to the AHL for their second stint in 1946, unfortunately that season didn't go no better than before. Once again, Philadelphia set a loosing record in pro hockey that still stands today. The Rockets went 5-52-7 with a .133 winning percentage, that was actually lower than the 1930-1931 Quakers winning percentage of .136. Amazingly this record still stands today.

Ironically Philadelphia's first AHL scoring champion came in that year. After playing 125 games with the Black Hawks and scoring only 21 goals prior to the war years, Phil Hergesheimer, who doubled as a player and coach, scored 48 goals, and 44 assists that year in 64 games. This nearly accounted for half of the goals the Rockets scored that year, becoming the AHL's leading scorer. Hergehgeimer's success paid off as he was the AHL's starting Right Wing All-Star. But the Rockets gave up a remarkable 400 goals that season, which averages out to around 6.25 goals per game!The next season proved the Rockets where much better, proving their worthiness in the AHL. With former Hershey Bears head coach, and former Philadelphia Quaker, Wally Kilrea behind the bench the team improved to a 22-41-5 record.

Hergehgeimer remained on the team, as a player, and earned another All-Star team berth, but this time he wasn't on the starting line. He would repeat this in the following season, 1948-1949, also. Also earning a spot in the AHL's All-Star Game for Philadelphia was defensemen Eddie Bush. Another spot light that season was Wally Stefaniew, who lead the league in assists with 72.

But the Rockets slipped back to a 15-48-5 in the 1948-1949 season. Philadelphia's second AHL franchise never got a chance to prove their worthiness again as they relocated to Cincinnati, Ohio after the 1948-1949 season, becoming the Cincinnati Mohawks. All in all the Rockets won a mere 42 games out of 200 they played in their second stint in the AHL, that's not even a fourth of the total games played. Their three year totals where 42-141-17.


Philadelphia Falcons (1942-1946; 1951)

The Falcons remained Philadelphia's only hockey team for the next four seasons after the Rockets folded. The Falcons played in the Eastern Amateur Hockey League. After folding in 1946, they reemerged in 1951, but lasted only one season. They had a horrible record of 8-17-0 and didn't even last til the end of the season, as the team was disbanded in mid-December because of poor attendance. The last game was played on December 15 in front of 1,500 fans. The Falcons lost to the Johnstown Jets 9-3. After the news that the team would be disband, they would still play their final two games, but that was later canceled so that the players could return to their hometown teams.

This was allowed so that the players wouldn't violating the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association ruling on eligibility (if a member played in the United States after December 15 and his team disbanded, he was not eligible to return to his hometown team).

The city of Philadelphia would have no pro hockey team until a second Ramblers team was established in 1955.

Philadelphia Ramblers (1955-1964)

The Philadelphia Ramblers where back in Philadelphia, this time under the Eastern Hockey League, during the mid 50s and early 60s, the Ramblers where Philly's only pro hockey team.

The Ramblers offered Philly a taste of ice hockey for 9 seasons, 1955-1964. After the 1963-1964 season, the team moved across the Delaware, to Cherry Hill, New Jersey. They were renamed the Jersey Devils (not to be confused with the NHL's New Jersey Devils, who came along in 1982). Some notable players who played for the red sweater Ramblers include Ted Harris. Harris would win multiple Calder Cups with Springfield and Cleveland and multiple Stanley Cup titles with Montreal and Philadelphia in his playing career. Ironically, he ended up coming back to Philadelphia almost twenty years later where he won his 10th championship, playing for the Flyers in 1975.

Other notables include Boston netminder, Ross Brooks; EHL badboy, John Brophy, who went on to coach the Maple Leafs for 3 seasons, 1986-1989; Al Fontana; "Obie" O'Brien, who went on to be a longtime AHL defensemen with the Hershey Bears. The Ramblers longest serving player was Reggie Meserve, who first came over from the Washington Lions mid-season in 1955, playing through all 9 seasons in Philadelphia, and 5 more seasons when the team moved to New Jersey. Meserve hung up his skates in 1969.

There where a few future Flyers who came out of the Ramblers system after the team moved to New Jersey. Those players include: Bobby Taylor, future back-up of Bernie Parent; Dick Sarrazin, who played for the Flyers in the late 60s and early 70s; Rosaire Paiement, who played for the Flyers and the Vancouver Canucks in the 70s, and Vic Stasiuk, who coached Jersey from 1966-1968, became the Flyers 2nd Head Coach.

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***Credits for the information gathered on this blog goes to hockeydb.com, flyershistory.com, hockeyscoop.net. Logos and Photos are copyrighted to their respected owenrs. All information was collected for recreational use only. This is NOT an attempt to claim this information gathered as my own. All information belongs to the respected owners.***

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History Of Ice Hockey in Philadelphia - Part 4

Philadelphia Ramblers (1935-1941)

Before the start of the 1935 season the Philadelphia Arrows changed their name to the Ramblers, after becoming the New York Ranger's top minor affiliate. The Philadelphia Ramblers would last until the 1941 season, playing 6 seasons under the name.

After the 1934 season, things looked bright for the new Ramblers for the 1934-1935 season, as they where, again, the top dominate club in the Can-Am League. They won the regular season championship and then defeated the Providence Reds on the road, 1-0, to win the series 3-1, and take home the Frank Fontaine Cup. This became Philadelphia's first pro hockey championship.

After the 1935 season, the International Hockey League (IHL) merged with the Canadian-American Hockey League (CAHL). After years of being rival leagues, both of the leagues' franchises had shrunk down to just four teams a piece. In order to protect the healthiness of the remaining hockey clubs, the two leagues merged for the 1935-1936 season, becoming the I-AHL (International-American Hockey League). This became known as the present days' American Hockey League.

As one team dropped out, the Buffalo Bison, the league had only seven teams for the next two years. The Ramblers, once again, showed they where a dominate force becoming the top team of the I-AHL, finishing with a 26-14-8 record. The next year, they once again had a winning season of a 31-18-5 record.

A new team surfaced for the 1938-1939 season, filling the void of the Buffalo Bison. This brought the new league back to 8 franchises. The team was the Hershey Bears. With the Bears now in the league, this ultimately created the Philadelphia-Hershey rivalry. The first game was just as intense as it is today, with the Bears being victorious at home, beating the Ramblers 3-1. When the two met in Philly two weeks later, the Ramblers where seeking revenge, as the Bears where still the only team to have beat the powerful 'Blueshirts.' At the time the Ramblers where 8-1-0, they scored 6 times to bring their goal total to 60 goals in just 10 games, but the Hershey faithful scored 9 times to give Philadelphia their second loss of the season.

The battles lasted all through the regular season and the playoffs. After the Ramblers finally won the 4th match up, 4-1, the two rivals faced off 2 more times. This match up was a home and home series, and decided who would have the league's best overall record. The two split that series, with the home team winning in each game. With that win, the Ramblers secured home ice advantage for the playoffs.

As the two teams met in the playoffs, the Bears traveled to Philadelphia for game 1 of the series, which went to the Ramblers. The score was 6-3, with rookie forward, Alf Pike, scoring a hat trick. The next game, the Bears evened the series, 1 game a piece, after the Bears beat back up goalie, Havery Teno, 3-2 in Hershey. Teno replaced the Ramblers #1 goalie, after The Ramblers would have their #1 goalie play just 1 more game in that series as Bert Gardiner was recalled from the Rangers to sub for the injured Dave Kerr. Hershey would survive game 4, and force game 5 in Philadelphia, where this time, Teno shutout the Bears, helping the Ramblers advance to the Calder Cup finals defeating the Bears 1-0. The Ramblers would be upset by the Cleavland Barons 3 game to 1.

After 1939, the Ramblers did not see much success, with players gaining spots on the Rangers roster, and with war becoming bigger, the Ramblers lasted two more NHL seasons before being renamed in 1941.

Notable players include Ron Hextall's grandfather, Bryan Hextall (top left), played on the Ramblers in the 1937 season. Hextall went on to be a forward in the NHL with the New York Rangers, and was a key player for the Rangers winning the Stanley Cup in 1940. Hextall scored the winning goal for the Rangers to win their third Stanley Cup. Other notables of Bryan Hextall include being the NHL scoring leader in 1940 + 1941, winning the Art Ross Trophy in 1942, and being inducted in the Hockey Hall Of Fame in 1969. Other notable players to play as Rambler where Dave Kerr, Bert Gardinerand Larry Molyneux (above), and Clint Smith (left[Photo creidt HHOF archives])

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**Credits for the information gathered on thus blog goes to hockeydb.com, and hockeyscoop.net. All information was collected for recreational use only. This is NOT an attempt to claim this information gathered as my own. All information and photos belongs to the respected owners.***

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History Of Ice Hockey in Philadelphia - Part 2

Philadelphia Quakers (1932)

After five years in the NHL, the Pittsburgh Pirates relocated to Philadelphia in 1932 due to financial troubles and their home arena, Duquesne Gardens, being unsuitable for a NHL team. This created Philadelphia's first NHL team, who where renamed the Quakers after the relocation. The team played in the Philadelphia Arena, same Arena the Arrows played in.

Things didn't go much better in Philadelphia as the Quakers set a couple loosing records for the NHL. They had a season’s record of 4-36-4, and their .136% winning percentage was the lowest in the NHL (1931-1932 Standings) . That lasted until the Washington Capitals broke that mark in the 1974/1975 season with a .131% record. The 4 wins tied the 1919/1920 Quebec Bulldogs for the fewest wins in NHL history for teams who played a full season. With 76 goals for, the Quakers had the worst offense, and the worst defense with 184 goals against in the league. The Quakers did have two players who where among league leaders.....in Penalties In Minutes; D'Arcy Coulson third with 103 PIM, and Allan Shields 4th with 98. At the end of the season, the Quakers franchise, along with the Ottawa Senators, announced that they both would suspend operations and would not field a team for the following NHL season. The Quakers ownership tried to secure a better arena in Philadelphia or Pittsburgh, but with the depression, funds never came together; By 1936 the team officially canceled operations. (Click the Jersey Above to view the Quakers stats)

There was a lone bright spot,for this horrid team though. The Quakers had two future Hockey Hall Of Famers, these two where: Syd Howe and coach J. Copper Smeaton.

Smeaton became a legendary NHL referee, and 30 years later was elected into the Hockey Hall Of Fame.

Syd Howe, who was a rookie on the Quakers, was a future Hall Of Famer as well. After the Quakers folded, he played for the Toronto Maple Leafs, Ottawa Senators, and even the St. Louis Eagles. Finally he landed in Detroit before the start of the 1934-1935 season, where Howe (no relation to Gordie Howe) played the rest of his NHL career. Upon his retirement in 1946, the summer before Gordie Howe’s NHL debut, Syd was the all-time leading scorer in the NHL with 237 goals, 291 points in 697 games, winning 3 Stanley Cups. Want to know more about Syd Howe? Click Here ;For Complete Stats Click Here

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***Credits for the information gathered on thus blog goes to hockeydb.com, flyershistory.com and hockeyscoop.net. All information was collected for recreational use only. This is NOT an attempt to claim this information gathered as my own. All information belongs to the respected owners.***

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