Skip to main content

Philadelphia Ramblers (1957-58, EHL)

1957-58 Regular Season
Ramblers vs. Charlotte Clippers
     Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, has been home to two NHL clubs: the Quakers who lasted just one season, and the Flyers, who were born in 1967. In between, Philly was home to a handful of minor-pro clubs in various leagues. One of them was the Philadelphia Ramblers of the Eastern Hockey League, a blood-and-guts league that was a couple notches below the NHL. The Ramblers played their home games at the old Philadelphia Arena and were coached by Edgar "Chirp" Brenchley.
     Brenchley's Ramblers had a so-so season in 1957-58, going 30-31-3. Their 63 points put them in fifth place, just two behind fourth-place Johnstown and 14 behind league-best Charlotte.
     On offense, the Ramblers potted 223 goals, fourth in the league. They were led by Bill Kurtz (featured on the cover), who had 35 goals and 71 points in 64 games. Three other players, Rheal Savard (24), Nick Rukavina (22) and Ross Turnbull (20) were the other Ramblers with at least 20 goals.
    Philadelphia allowed the third-fewest goals in 1957-58, just 211. This was the era of teams employing just one goaltender, and the EHL was no different. Ivan Walmsley played in all 63 games that year.
     No playoffs for the Ramblers that year, as they, along with last-place Clinton, were the lone teams left out in the cold. As for the program, this is one of the older ones I own. It's also one of the smallest hockey programs I own too--just 13 pages, but with plenty of ads. It starts off with an articles about Coach Brenchley and Ray Crew. Each player has their own "thumbnail sketch", aka short bio. Local advertisements include Berry Bros. Buick, Pop Corn Sez. Co., Vincent P.Sully Commercial Printer and Ballantine Beer.

     The Ramblers played the Charlotte Clippers that night. Notable participants include:

John Muckler (Charlotte D): Long-time NHL Coach in Edmonton and Buffalo
John Brophy (Charlotte D): Coached the Toronto Maple Leafs in the 1980s
Bill Sinnett (Charlotte RW): Future Port Huron Flags star
Les Binkley (Charlotte G): Future Pittsburgh Penguin
Ted Harris (Philadelphia D): Long-time NHL defenseman, four-time Stanley Cup winner with Montreal
"Chirp" Brenchley (Philadelphia Coach): First Coach in Port Huron Flags history

Aftermath: The Ramblers would exist through the 1963-64 season before folding. Philadelphia, of course, would join the NHL as part of the "Class of '67" group. The city would still be home to minor-league hockey since then, including the AHL Firebirds in the 1970s and AHL Phantoms from 1996-2009.
Sources:
Eastern Hockey League Statistics: 1957-58 (from hockeydb.com)
1957-58 Philadelphia Ramblers Program, 22 November 1957

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Port Huron Hockey: Flags/Wings (1962-81)

Now, on to Port Huron.      Port Huron has had a long, yet checkered, history of pro hockey. The most successful franchise, by far, was the Port Huron Flags (also called Wings for a few years) of the IHL. The Flags were, for the most part, a competitve team on the ice, making the Turner Cup Finals seven times and winning the Cup on three occasions. For three years, (1971-74), the franchise was a farm team of the Detroit Red Wings, and sent numerous players on to the NHL in it's existence. However, the team had problems drawing big enough crowds. While the Flags lasted for nearly 20 years, former GM Morris Snider later admitted that the franchise could have folded three years before it actually did, due to declining attendance. I've found some Flags/Wings programs online over the years, and here's what I have. 1963-64 Regular Season--Flags vs. Windsor       1963-64 was the second year of existence for the Flags. After missing the...
Post a Comment
Read more

Indianapolis Checkers (IHL, 1985-86)

1985-86 Regular Season Checkers vs. Flint Spirits      The Indianapolis Checkers were back for their second season in the IHL after five seasons in the defunct Central Hockey League. The Checkers remained a secondary affiliate of both the New York Islanders and Minnesota North Stars. Larry Woods purchased the Checkers after the 1984-85 season and moved the team to the 15,900-seat Market Square Arena, home of the NBA's Indiana Pacers. The team kept their Islanders-styled uniforms, but changed the logo.      Former Port Huron Flags coach Ron Ullyot was named Coach/GM of the Checkers, and his team greatly improved on their first IHL season. Indy finished with a 41-35-6 mark. They finished last in the very competitive West Division, which had all the teams win at least 40 games. The Checkers' 88 points would have easily taken fourth place in the East.     Indy scored just 296 goals that year, better than only Flint and Toledo. Longtime minor lea...
Post a Comment
Read more

Muskegon Mohawks (IHL, 1965-84)

I know, I said earlier I was going to look at Detroit's minor league teams. That would mean the Vipers would be next, but I decided to cover them later when I had time (I have a TON of programs from that team). Instead, I'm going to look briefly at Muskegon.  Muskegon has had a long, colorful past in professional hockey. It all started in 1960 with the expansion Muskegon Zephyrs of the IHL. Five seasons later, 1965-66, the Zephyrs became the Mohawks, and remain so until 1984-85, when they became the Lumberjacks. The Lumberjacks would remain in town through the 1992-93 season. After that season, the franchise would relocate to Cleveland, Ohio. Here are the Mohawks programs I have, along with a couple bonus scans.        The Mohawks existed from 1965-84, about 20 seasons, and had two vastly different eras of success. From 1965-76, the Mohawks finished above .500 10 times, winning the Huber Trophy (Regular Season Championship) six times and the ...
Post a Comment
Read more