In the past, we’ve mostly dealt with local baseball history. But since the hockey team is in season right now, let’s talk hockey history. Specifically, let’s discuss the short lived Philadelphia Quakers. The team was originally known as the Pittsburgh Pirates, but when financial hardship set in, they decided to move the squad to Philly, and they dropped the puck for the first time on November 11, 1930. The team played at the Philadelphia Arena at 45th and Market. They lost their first game 3-0 to the New York Rangers, and according to a reporter, by the end of the game, Philly fans were making “caustic remarks”. (What? Philly fans?) Things only got worse. The team averaged only 2,500 fans a game, and no wonder. The team was brutal to watch, finishing the season with a 4-36-1 record, and their .136 winning % was the worst in NHL history until the Washington Capitals had a .131% in 1974-75. After one season, the NHL suspended the team, and they never took the ice again. Surprisingly, one member of the team went on to have a Hall of Fame career. Syd Howe later became a star player for the Detroit Red Wings and was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1965, two years before Philadelphia got a new NHL hockey team. For a more detailed history of the Quakers one and only season, click here on Flyershistory.net.
