January 25, 2015
Philadelphia's hockey history can sometimes get confusing. Between the Quakers, the Flyers, the Blazers, the Firebirds, the Arrows, the Rockets, the Falcons, the Comets, and the Phantoms, there have been hockey teams in and out of Philly ever since 1927. But from 1955-1964, the only team in town was the Philadelphia Ramblers, who played in the Eastern Hockey League.
The Ramblers would only finish with a winning percentage above .500 three out of the nine years they were in town, but they brought an entertaining brand to a puck starved city. Ted Harris was probably the most well-known player. After leaving the team in 1958, he would go on to win multiple Calder and Stanley Cups. The last of his ten championships would be with the 1974-1975 Flyers, almost 20 years after he started his career with the Ramblers. Other notable players included Doug Adams, Ross Brooks, and John Brophy.
After the 1963-64 season, the Ramblers moved across the Delaware to Cherry Hill, NJ and become the Jersey Devils, not to be confused with the NHL's New Jersey Devils. Philly wouldn't have to wait long for more hockey though, as the Flyers would have their inaugural season in 1967, winning the Stanley Cup in '74 and '75, and defeating the Soviet Union's Red Army in '76.
Pick up your own Philadelphia Ramblers t-shirt here!