Prior to their brief stay in Philadelphia, the Philadelphia Quakers had been the Pittsburgh Pirates. Formed in 1925 as a new addition to the NHL’s roster, the Pirates spent five losing years in the Steel City before moving east. The team moved to Philadelphia late 1930 and was renamed the Philadelphia Quakers.

 

The Quakers skated at a small venue called the Philadelphia Arena, once located at 45th and Market streets, and they were run by one Cooper Smeaton, a former NHL referee. Perhaps haunted by the Pirates’ own losing streak, the team fared poorly during its single season, earning a 4-36-4 record, which today ranks as second-worst in NHL history. The team was suspended in 1931 and formally disbanded in 1936. 

 

The Philadelphia Arrows/Ramblers, a Canadian-American Hockey League team and other minor league teams kept the city’s hockey fandom afloat until the Flyers debuted in 1967.