Acknowledgments vii Preface 1 Introduction: Philadelphia Professional Hockey 5 1. Quaker City Hockey Club: American Amateur Hockey League, 1900–01 11 2. The Arrows: Canadian-American Hockey League (CAHL), 1927–35 22 3. The Quakers: National Hockey League (NHL), 1930–31 42 4. The Comets: Tri-State Hockey League (T-SHL), 1932–33 57 5. The Ramblers: Canadian-American Hockey League (CAHL), 1935–36; International-American Hockey League (I-AHL), 1936–40; American Hockey League (AHL), 1940–41 64 6. The Rockets/Falcons: American Hockey League (AHL), 1941–42; Eastern Amateur Hockey League (EAHL), 1942–46; American Hockey League, 1946–49; Eastern Amateur Hockey League, 1951 79 7. The Ramblers: Eastern Hockey League (EHL), 1955–64 93 8. The Flyers: National Hockey League (NHL), 1967–Present 106 9. The Blazers: World Hockey Association (WHA), 1972–73 130 10. The Firebirds: North American Hockey League (NAHL), 1974–77; American Hockey League (AHL), 1977–79 150 11. The Phantoms: American Hockey League (AHL), 1996–2009 178 Epilogue 197 Appendix: The History of the Philadelphia Arena 199 Chapter Notes 211 Bibliography 221 Index 225