Philadelphia Rockets

American Hockey League (1946-1949)

Tombstone

Born: May 5, 1946 – AHL expansion franchise
Folded: March 21, 1949

First Game: October 15, 1946 (L 9-5 @ Cleveland Barons)
Final Game: March 20, 1949 (L 9-4 @ Buffalo Bisons)

Calder Cup Championships: None

Arena

Philadelphia Arena

Marketing

Team Colors:

Ownership & Affiliation

Owner: Philadelphia Arena (Peter Tyrrell, General Manager)

NHL Affiliation:

Background

The Philadelphia Rockets of 1946-1949 were a short-tenured and absolutely dreadful minor league hockey entry that played at the old Philadelphia Arena on Market Street. An earlier and separate Philadelphia Rockets franchise played in the American Hockey League (AHL) during the 1941-42 season.

The expansion Rockets of 1946-47 were perhaps the worst club in the AHL’s 80+ year history. The Rockets won just one of their first 19 games. They allowed 10 or more goals four times en route to a 5-52-7 record and a .133 winning percentage. Remarkably, in the midst of this horrific campaign, player-coach Phil Hergesheimer led the AHL in scoring for the 1946-47 season with 92 points on 44 goals and 48 assists.

Hergesheimer would skate in all three Rockets seasons, though he stepped aside as coach after that first year. He finished as the Rockets all-time goal scorer (128) and points leader (231).

The Rockets had their “best” season in the winter of 1947-48, finishing 22-41-5, good for 4th place in the AHL’s 6-team Eastern Division. The following year, they fell back to 5th place with a 15-48-5 mark. The Rockets never qualified for the playoffs during their three-year lifespan.

Demise

The Rockets played their final game on March 20th, 1949, treating a crowd of 4,000 onlookers at the Philadelphia Arena to the rare thrill of a 5-3 victory over the New Haven Ramblers. The following day, management of the Arena, which owned the AHL franchise, disbanded the Rockets. Arena boss Peter Tyrrell cited the building’s limited seating capacity for hockey and competition for prime dates with the popular Ice Capades and Ice Follies attractions (Shamokin News-Dispatch 3/21/1949).