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A Brief History of the Philadelphia Firebirds

February 25, 2014

The Philadelphia Firebirds were a minor league ice hockey team that began play in Philly in 1974. One of their first owners was former Phillie great Robin Roberts, though he left after they lost a ton of money in their first season.

They began play in the North American Hockey League, where they played from 1974-1977. Among the players on that inaugural team was goalie Reggie Lemelin, who would play for the team for five years before later enjoying some success with the Calgary Flames and would be the Flyers goaltending coach for 13 years.

The team had some great nicknames. The best was Gordie “Road Hog” Brooks, but they also had Dave “Crash” Kelly, Fred “Fats” Williams, Bob “Waldo” Neely, and enforcer Mike “Barretta” Haworth.

The Firebirds won the league’s Lockhart Cup in 1976, defeating the Beauce Jaros, a team based in Quebec, 4 games to 2. (Here’s a great photo of a packed house in Philly for one of those games. A friend of mine who was at one of those games said that Paul Newman attended, as he was scouting for his upcoming film Slap Shot, which was based on the NAHL.)

The league folded in 1977, and the team moved to the American Hockey League. They played there for two years (in one of those seasons, they featured a right wing named Steve Coates; they also had a young left wing named Mike Eruzione who played with them for 6 games before becoming a national hero), then moved to Syracuse in 1979, where they played for one year as the Syracuse Firebirds. They folded a year later. For their 5-year run in Philly, they played at Convention Hall on the edge of Penn’s campus near Franklin Field.

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Size Charts

Select your brand and style to read more about how your purchase will fit:

Use these tips as a general guide when finding your measurements:

Chest/Bust: With your arms at your sides, measure around the fullest part of your chest, across shoulder blades and under arms.
Waist: To measure your natural waistline, wrap the tape so it intersects your navel. Keep tape flat, but comfortably loose.
Hips: Stand with your heels together and measure the fullest part of your hips. Make sure the measuring tape is level all the way around your body.
Inseam: Stand up straight, and start the tape measure high in your crotch. Straighten the tape down the inside of your leg to the bottom of your ankle.
Hat Size: Measure your head about a half-inch above your eyebrow where the hat will sit. If you are unsure or between sizes, buy the larger size.

American Needle Fitted Hats

If you do not know your size, first determine where on your head you want to wear your hat. Usually it is worn about a half-inch to an inch above the eyebrows and/or just above the ears. Have a friend hold the tape measure (cloth, plastic, or download a printable version here) at the point where you want the hat to rest on your head. Insert the tip of your little finger between the tape and your head. Record the measurement and find your Fitted Hat size using the chart below. This should provide you with a comfortable fit.

'47 Brand Hats

47 Brand Adjustable Hats Size Chart	Size	Hat Size	Circumference (cm)
Adjustable Hats	Men's	6 7/8 - 7 5/8	55 - 61
	Women's	6 5/8 - 7 1/4	53 - 58
	Youth	6 5/8 - 7 1/8	53 - 57

47 Brand Fitted Hats Size Chart	Size	Hat Size	Circumference (cm)
Fitted Hats	XX Small	6 1/2 - 6 5/8	52 - 53
	X Small	6 3/4	54
	Small	6 7/8 - 7	55 - 56
	Medium	7 - 7 1/8	56 - 57
	Large	7 1/4	58
	X Large	7 3/8 - 7 5/8	59 - 61
	XX Large	7 5/8 - 7 3/4	61 - 62
	XXX Large	7 7/8	63
	XXXX Large	8	64
	XXXXX Large	8 1/8	65

47 Brand Stretch Fit Hats Size Chart	Size	Hat Size	Circumference (cm)
Stretch Fit Fitted Hats	Youth	6 1/2 - 6 5/8	52 - 53
	Small / Medium	6 7/8 - 7	55 - 56
	Medium / Large	7 1/8 - 7 3/8	57 - 59
	Large / X Large	7 1/2 - 7 5/8	60 - 61
	One Size Fits All	7 - 7 1/2	56 - 60

47 Brand Knit Hats Size Chart	Hat Size	Circumference (cm)
Knit Hats	Youth	6 1/2 - 6 3/4	52 - 54
Knit Hats	One Size Fits All	6 7/8 - 7 1/2	55 - 60

'47 Brand Apparel

47 Brand Men's Size Chart	S	M	L	XL	XXL
Neck	14"-14.5"	15"-15.5"	16"-16.5"	17"-17.5"	18"-18.5"
Shoulder	21"	22"	23"	24"	25"
Chest	36"-38"	39"-41"	42"-44"	45"-47"	48"-50"
Waist	28"-30"	31"-33"	34"-36"	37"-39"	40"-42"

47 Brand Women's Size Chart	S	M	L	XL
Size	2-4	6-8	8-10	10-12
Shoulder	14.25"	15.25"	16.25"	17.25"
Bust	32"-34"	35"-36"	37"-38"	39"-42"
Waist	26"-27"	28"-29"	30"-31"	32"-33"

Majestic apparel

**Men's Sizing** (measurements in inches)
	S	M	L	XL	XXL	3XL	4XL
Chest	34-36	38-40	42-44	46-48	52-52	54-56	58-60
Waist	28-30	32-34	36-38	40-42	44-46	48-50	52-54
Hip	34-36	38-40	42-44	46-48	50-52	54-56	58-60
Sleeve	32-33	33-34	34-35	35-36	36-36 1/2	36 1/2-37	37-37 1/2
Neck	14-14 1/2	15-15 1/2	16-16 1/2	17-17 1/2	18-18 1/2	19-19 1/2	20-20 1/2

**Women's Sizing** (measurements in inches)
	XS	S	M	L	XL	1X	2X
Size	0-2	4-6	8-10	12-14	16-18	16W-18W	20W-22W
Chest	32-33	34-35	36-37	38-40	41 1/2-43 1/2	43-45	47-49
Waist	24-25	26-27	28-29	30-32	33 1/2-35 1/2	36-38	39-41
Hip	34 1/2-35 1/2	36 1/2-37 1/2	38 1/2-39 1/2	40 1/2-42 1/2	44-46	46-48	49-51
Sleeve	29 1/4	30	30 3/4	31 1/2	32	32 1/2	33

**Youth Sizing** (measurements in inches)
	S	M	L	XL	XXL	3XL
Size	6-8	10-12	14-16	18-20	20	22
Chest	24-26	28-30	32-34	36-38
Waist	21-23	25-27	29-31	33-35	37-39	40-42

Majestic Jerseys

Adult Men's Replica Jersey Sizing
Jersey Size	Small	Medium	Large	X Large	XX Large
Neck (diameter of neck)	6.5	6.75	7	7.25	7.5
Chest (underarm to underarm)	20 1/2	22 1/2	24 1/2	26 1/2	28 1/2
Sleeve (back of inside neck to end of middle sleeve)	8 1/2	8 3/4	9	9 1/4	9 1/2

Apparel Sizing Tips:

Use these tips as a general guide when finding your measurements:

Chest/Bust: With your arms at your sides, measure around the fullest part of your chest, across shoulder blades and under arms.

Waist: To measure your natural waistline, wrap the tape so it intersects your navel. Keep tape flat, but comfortably loose.

Hips: Stand with your heels together and measure the fullest part of your hips. Make sure the measuring tape is level all the way around your body.

Inseam: Stand up straight, and start the tape measure high in your crotch. Straighten the tape down the inside of your leg to the bottom of your ankle.

Red Jacket apparel

Junk Food apparel

Next Level apparel (Shibe Originals)

General Size	Neck (in inches)	Chest (in inches)	Waist (in inches)	Arm (in inches)

Small	14-14.5	34-36	28-30	31.5-32
Medium	15-15.5	38-40	32-34	32.5-33
Large	16-16.5	42-44	36-38	33.5-34
X-Large	17-17.5	46-48	40-42	34.5-35
XX-Large	18 – 18.5	50-52	44-46	35.5-36

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Shibe Vintage Sports