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Pittsburgh Pirates (NHL)
Encyclopedia
The Pittsburgh Pirates were an American professional ice hockey
team in the National Hockey League
(NHL), based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
from 1925–26 to 1929–30. The nickname comes from the baseball team also based in the city
. For the 1930–31 season the team moved to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
and played one season as the Philadelphia Quakers
.
of the US Amateur Hockey Association. The Yellow Jackets' owner was a former referee named Roy Schooley
. Even though the team won the USAHA Championship in 1924 and 1925, Schooley encountered financial problems. His team was purchased by attorney James F. Callahan
. Callahan renamed the team the Pittsburgh Pirates, after he cashed in a favor from Barney Dreyfuss
, the owner of the Pittsburgh Pirates
baseball team. During this time, Eddie Livingstone was eyeing Pittsburgh as a city for his proposed rival league to the NHL, and Frank Calder
negotiated to put a franchise in Pittsburgh to thwart this. It resulted in the Pirates being granted a franchise by the National Hockey League
(NHL) on November 7, 1925
, becoming the seventh team to join the NHL as well as the league's third US-based team.
The Pirates were assigned to, what would later be called, the NHL's American Division with the Boston Bruins
and the New York Americans
. The only other American teams in the NHL were the Bruins (1924 – present) and the New York Americans
(1925 – 1942). The Duquesne Gardens
, located in the city's Oakland
neighborhood, served as the team's home arena. The Pirates, dubbed the "Mighty Steel City Sextet" in the Pittsburgh Press
, were mostly leftovers from the former Pittsburgh Yellow Jackets. Ten former Yellow Jacket players would play for the Pirates.
and captain
Lionel Conacher scored Pittsburgh's first-ever NHL goal. Conacher beat Boston goaltender
Charles Stewart
at the 17:50 mark of the second period to tie the game at 1-1. Pirates' left wing Harold Darragh
notched Pittsburgh's first game-winning goal 9:20 into the third period. While Pittsburgh goaltender Roy Worters
stopped 26 of 27 shots to record the first win in franchise history.
Two nights later, on November 28, 1925, the Pirates would stun the Montreal Canadiens
. Legendary Habs goaltender, Georges Vezina
, would play his final game in a 1-0 loss to the Pirates. Vezina had started the game with severe chest pains and left the game during the first intermission with a high fever. He died four months later from tuberculosis
.
The first NHL game ever played in Pittsburgh was on December 2, 1925 in which 8,200 fans paid $1.00 to see the 8:30 p.m. faceoff at The Gardens. The Pirates lost to the New York Americans in overtime, 2-1, and Conacher scored the lone goal for Pittsburgh at 9:15 of the second period.
In 36 games, the Pirates had an impressive 19 wins, 16 losses, and 1 tie for third best in the league. With a 0.542 winning percentage, that first season would arguably be the team's best. They made the playoffs their inaugural year. The Pirates faced the Montreal Maroons
in a best-of-three, semi-final Stanley Cup playoff series. However the team lost the series to Montreal in two straight games at the Duquesne Gardens. The Maroons would later win the Stanley Cup
.
The Pirates' third season (1927–28) was that other season. In their third season, 1927–1928, the Pirates had 19 wins, 17 losses, and 8 ties and made the playoffs. This playoff series would be based on a two game total goal series format. In the playoffs the Pirates would be beaten by the Rangers 6-4. As their 4-2 win in Game 2 could not overcome a 4-0 white washing that they suffered in Game 1. This marked the second time the team lost in the first round to the eventual Stanley Cup winner. It would turn out to be the last playoff game the Pirates would play.
with fight
promoter and ex-lightweight boxing champion, Benny Leonard
as his front man. Despite the sale of the team, things didn't improve on the ice. Cleghorn left the team at the end of the 1928–1929 season and became a referee in the league. This led the Pirates to assign coaching duties to Frank Fredrickson
in 1929–30. The team also switched to black and orange uniforms for their fifth and what would be their final season. The 1929–30 season saw the Pirates achieve their worst win-loss record with 5 wins, 36 losses, and 3 ties in 44 games. In five seasons, they were above .500 only twice and made the playoffs only twice.
Things didn't improve financially either. With the stock market crash of 1929 followed by the Great Depression
, the owners found themselves in financial difficulties. Attendance was down and they tried selling off their star players to make ends meet. The team was $400,000 in debt by the end of the 1929–30 season and in need to replace the aging Duquesne Gardens.
. However, Leonard's intention was to return the team to Pittsburgh as soon as a new arena was built. Thirteen players from the Pirates were transferred to the Philadelphia Quakers after Pittsburgh franchise relocated. These players were Cliff Barton
, Harold Darragh
, Herb Drury, Gord Frasier, Jim Jarvis, Gerry Lowrey
, Rennison Manners
, Johnny McKinnon
, Hib Milks
, Joe Miller, Rodger Smith
& Tex White. Frank Fredrickson
was also transferred to the Quakers, but he was released by Philadelphia two days later. The Quakers had a wretched season in 1930–31. The team then received permission from the NHL on September 26, 1931 to temporally cease operations as they sought a permanent arena in either Pittsburgh or Philadelphia.
Meanwhile the poor economy was taking a toll on the entire league. The Great Depression would devastate the NHL as 4 teams were forced to fold, leaving behind just six teams
. When a new Pittsburgh arena failed to materialize, Leonard surrendered his franchise in 1936. As it turned out, a new arena in Pittsburgh wouldn't be built until the Pittsburgh Civic Arena (now Mellon Arena
) opened in 1961. The NHL would play with six teams for 25 years before deciding to expand. The expansion in 1967
brought the Pittsburgh Penguins
to the NHL and the city of Pittsburgh and the orange and black uniformed Philadelphia Flyers
to Philadelphia. The last active Pirates player was Cliff Barton
, who played his last NHL game in 1940.
's colors. Decades after the team folded, the colors have become the team colors of all three of Pittsburgh's major sports teams. However, during the team's existence, they would be the only team in the city with the colors, as the baseball team of the same name
, like all other baseball teams at the time, had a more patriotic red, white, and blue color scheme and wouldn't adopt black & gold until 1948
. The NFL's Pittsburgh Steelers
were not in existence until 1933, three years after the team left town and two years after the franchise folded altogether.
The Pirates would later have a connection with Pittsburgh's next NHL franchise; the Pittsburgh Penguins
used the Pirates as an example of a team other than the Boston Bruins
using the black & gold color scheme when the Bruins protested to the NHL over the Penguins change in team colors in January 1980. The NHL allowed the Penguins to change their colors as a result of the Pirates using these colors.
The Pirates wore bright yellow wool jerseys with black trim stripes with a "P" on the front of their jerseys during the 1925–1926 season. The team used the Pittsburgh's city crest emblems from older police jackets on the uniform sleeves. Callahan's brother was a policeman in the city and offered the use of police emblems to the team. The first year jerseys appear to have been inherited from the Pittsburgh Yellow Jackets old jerseys. The Pirates featured new jerseys in 1928–29 that were gold with black striping. The word "Pirates" written in arched, blocked lettering. The city crest on the sleeves was replaced with a "P".
In 1929–30 the Pirates switched to black and orange uniforms for their fifth and final season. The wool jerseys featured a chain-knit logo of a pirate face with an eye patch and hat with skull and cross bones. The jersey featured double striping on the sleeves and a diagonal background behind the crest. The orange and black remained when the Pirates moved across the state to become the Quakers, Philadelphia's first NHL team, adopting script lettering like the original Pirates' uniforms. When the Philadelphia Flyers joined the NHL in 1967, they adopted the orange and black colors first worn by the Pirates and Quakers.
Ice hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
team in the National Hockey League
National Hockey League
The National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States...
(NHL), based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
from 1925–26 to 1929–30. The nickname comes from the baseball team also based in the city
Pittsburgh Pirates
The Pittsburgh Pirates are a Major League Baseball club based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They play in the Central Division of the National League, and are five-time World Series Champions...
. For the 1930–31 season the team moved to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...
and played one season as the Philadelphia Quakers
Philadelphia Quakers (NHL)
The Philadelphia Quakers were an American professional ice hockey team that played only one full season in the National Hockey League , 1930–31, at the Philadelphia Arena in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania...
.
Early days
The Pittsburgh Pirates' history traces back to the Pittsburgh Yellow JacketsPittsburgh Yellow Jackets
The Pittsburgh Yellow Jackets was an amateur hockey team that existed between . They evolved from being an amateur to a semi-pro team and are one the earliest sports organizations in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The Yellow Jackets played primarily in the United States Amateur Hockey Association...
of the US Amateur Hockey Association. The Yellow Jackets' owner was a former referee named Roy Schooley
Roy Schooley
Roy D. Schooley was a former treasurer for the City of Pittsburgh, as well as the founder of the Pittsburgh Yellow Jackets hockey club, which later became the Pittsburgh Pirates of the National Hockey League. In 1920, he assembled the first U.S...
. Even though the team won the USAHA Championship in 1924 and 1925, Schooley encountered financial problems. His team was purchased by attorney James F. Callahan
James Callahan (Pittsburgh Pirates NHL)
James F. Callahan was the owner of the Pittsburgh Yellow Jackets and later the Pittsburgh Pirates of the National Hockey League. James, who had the reputation as a frugal businessman, was a lawyer from Pittsburgh's Lawrenceville neighborhood....
. Callahan renamed the team the Pittsburgh Pirates, after he cashed in a favor from Barney Dreyfuss
Barney Dreyfuss
Bernhard "Barney" Dreyfuss was an executive in Major League Baseball who owned the Pittsburgh Pirates franchise from 1900 to 1932....
, the owner of the Pittsburgh Pirates
Pittsburgh Pirates
The Pittsburgh Pirates are a Major League Baseball club based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They play in the Central Division of the National League, and are five-time World Series Champions...
baseball team. During this time, Eddie Livingstone was eyeing Pittsburgh as a city for his proposed rival league to the NHL, and Frank Calder
Frank Calder
-External links:*...
negotiated to put a franchise in Pittsburgh to thwart this. It resulted in the Pirates being granted a franchise by the National Hockey League
National Hockey League
The National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States...
(NHL) on November 7, 1925
1925 in sports
-American football:NFL championship* Chicago Cardinals win a controversial National Football League title.* Five new teams join the NFL: New York Giants, Detroit Panthers, Providence Steam Roller, a new Canton Bulldogs team and the Pottsville Maroons....
, becoming the seventh team to join the NHL as well as the league's third US-based team.
The Pirates were assigned to, what would later be called, the NHL's American Division with the Boston Bruins
Boston Bruins
The Boston Bruins are a professional ice hockey team based in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . The team has been in existence since 1924, and is the league's third-oldest team and its oldest in the...
and the New York Americans
New York Americans
The New York Americans were a professional ice hockey team based in New York, New York from 1925 to 1942. They were the third expansion team in the history of the National Hockey League and the second to play in the United States. The team never won the Stanley Cup, but reached the semifinals...
. The only other American teams in the NHL were the Bruins (1924 – present) and the New York Americans
New York Americans
The New York Americans were a professional ice hockey team based in New York, New York from 1925 to 1942. They were the third expansion team in the history of the National Hockey League and the second to play in the United States. The team never won the Stanley Cup, but reached the semifinals...
(1925 – 1942). The Duquesne Gardens
Duquesne Gardens
Duquesne Gardens was the main sports arena located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA during the first half of the 20th century. It opened 3 years after a fire destroyed the city's prior sports arena, the Schenley Park Casino, in 1896. The arena was the first hockey rink to use glass above the dasher...
, located in the city's Oakland
Oakland (Pittsburgh)
Oakland is the academic, cultural, and healthcare center of Pittsburgh and is Pennsylvania's third largest "Downtown". Only Center City Philadelphia and Downtown Pittsburgh can claim more economic and social activity than Oakland...
neighborhood, served as the team's home arena. The Pirates, dubbed the "Mighty Steel City Sextet" in the Pittsburgh Press
Pittsburgh Press
The Pittsburgh Press is an online newspaper in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA, currently owned and operated by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Historically, it was a major afternoon paper...
, were mostly leftovers from the former Pittsburgh Yellow Jackets. Ten former Yellow Jacket players would play for the Pirates.
The Inaugural season
The Pirates first season was the 1925–26 NHL season. On Thanksgiving night 1925, the Pirates beat the Boston Bruins, 2-1, on the road in their very first NHL game on November 26, 1925 at the Boston Arena. DefencemanDefenceman (ice hockey)
Defence in ice hockey is a player position whose primary responsibility is to prevent the opposing team from scoring...
and captain
Captain (ice hockey)
In ice hockey, each team can designate an official captain for each game. The player serving as captain during the game wears a "C" on his or her jersey...
Lionel Conacher scored Pittsburgh's first-ever NHL goal. Conacher beat Boston goaltender
Goaltender
In ice hockey, the goaltender is the player who defends his team's goal net by stopping shots of the puck from entering his team's net, thus preventing the opposing team from scoring...
Charles Stewart
Charles Stewart (ice hockey)
Charles Elmer "Doc" Stewart was a Canadian professional ice hockey goaltender, most notably for the Boston Bruins of the National Hockey League.-Playing career:...
at the 17:50 mark of the second period to tie the game at 1-1. Pirates' left wing Harold Darragh
Harold Darragh
Harold "Howl" Darragh was a Canadian professional ice hockey right winger who played eight seasons in the National Hockey League for the Pittsburgh Pirates, Philadelphia Quakers, Boston Bruins and Toronto Maple Leafs. He was born in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada...
notched Pittsburgh's first game-winning goal 9:20 into the third period. While Pittsburgh goaltender Roy Worters
Roy Worters
Roy "Shrimp" Worters was a Canadian professional Hockey Hall of Fame goaltender who played twelve seasons in the National Hockey League for the Pittsburgh Pirates, Montreal Canadiens and New York Americans, and was notable for recording 66 shutouts in his career and being, at 5'3" tall, the...
stopped 26 of 27 shots to record the first win in franchise history.
Two nights later, on November 28, 1925, the Pirates would stun the Montreal Canadiens
Montreal Canadiens
The Montreal Canadiens are a professional ice hockey team based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . The club is officially known as ...
. Legendary Habs goaltender, Georges Vezina
Georges Vézina
Joseph-Georges-Gonzague Vézina was a Canadian professional ice hockey goaltender who played seven seasons in the National Hockey Association and nine in the National Hockey League , all with the Montreal Canadiens...
, would play his final game in a 1-0 loss to the Pirates. Vezina had started the game with severe chest pains and left the game during the first intermission with a high fever. He died four months later from tuberculosis
Tuberculosis
Tuberculosis, MTB, or TB is a common, and in many cases lethal, infectious disease caused by various strains of mycobacteria, usually Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Tuberculosis usually attacks the lungs but can also affect other parts of the body...
.
The first NHL game ever played in Pittsburgh was on December 2, 1925 in which 8,200 fans paid $1.00 to see the 8:30 p.m. faceoff at The Gardens. The Pirates lost to the New York Americans in overtime, 2-1, and Conacher scored the lone goal for Pittsburgh at 9:15 of the second period.
In 36 games, the Pirates had an impressive 19 wins, 16 losses, and 1 tie for third best in the league. With a 0.542 winning percentage, that first season would arguably be the team's best. They made the playoffs their inaugural year. The Pirates faced the Montreal Maroons
Montreal Maroons
The Montreal Maroons was a professional men's ice hockey team in the National Hockey League . They played in the NHL from 1924 to 1938, winning the Stanley Cup in 1926 and 1935...
in a best-of-three, semi-final Stanley Cup playoff series. However the team lost the series to Montreal in two straight games at the Duquesne Gardens. The Maroons would later win the Stanley Cup
Stanley Cup
The Stanley Cup is an ice hockey club trophy, awarded annually to the National Hockey League playoffs champion after the conclusion of the Stanley Cup Finals. It has been referred to as The Cup, Lord Stanley's Cup, The Holy Grail, or facetiously as Lord Stanley's Mug...
.
1926-1928
After a good start to their franchise history, things went downhill from there. In their second season, 1926–1927, the Pirates missed the playoffs after finishing in fourth place.The Pirates' third season (1927–28) was that other season. In their third season, 1927–1928, the Pirates had 19 wins, 17 losses, and 8 ties and made the playoffs. This playoff series would be based on a two game total goal series format. In the playoffs the Pirates would be beaten by the Rangers 6-4. As their 4-2 win in Game 2 could not overcome a 4-0 white washing that they suffered in Game 1. This marked the second time the team lost in the first round to the eventual Stanley Cup winner. It would turn out to be the last playoff game the Pirates would play.
Decline
In 1928 financial problems forced the original owner, Callahan, to sell the team to an ownership group which included mobster Bill DwyerBill Dwyer (mobster)
William Vincent Dwyer , known as "Big Bill" Dwyer, was an early Prohibition gangster and bootlegger in New York during the 1920s. He used his profits to purchase sports properties, including the New York Americans and Pittsburgh Pirates of the National Hockey League , as well as the Brooklyn...
with fight
Boxing
Boxing, also called pugilism, is a combat sport in which two people fight each other using their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee over a series of between one to three minute intervals called rounds...
promoter and ex-lightweight boxing champion, Benny Leonard
Benny Leonard
Benny Leonard was an American lightweight boxer. He was named as number 8 on Ring Magazine's list of the 80 Best Fighters of the Last 80 Years and number 7 on ESPN's 50 Greatest Boxers of All-Time....
as his front man. Despite the sale of the team, things didn't improve on the ice. Cleghorn left the team at the end of the 1928–1929 season and became a referee in the league. This led the Pirates to assign coaching duties to Frank Fredrickson
Frank Fredrickson
Sigurður Franklin Fredrickson was a Canadian ice hockey centre who was significant to both the amateur and professional sport as it evolved in North America in the early 20th century...
in 1929–30. The team also switched to black and orange uniforms for their fifth and what would be their final season. The 1929–30 season saw the Pirates achieve their worst win-loss record with 5 wins, 36 losses, and 3 ties in 44 games. In five seasons, they were above .500 only twice and made the playoffs only twice.
Things didn't improve financially either. With the stock market crash of 1929 followed by the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
, the owners found themselves in financial difficulties. Attendance was down and they tried selling off their star players to make ends meet. The team was $400,000 in debt by the end of the 1929–30 season and in need to replace the aging Duquesne Gardens.
Relocation
On October 18, 1930 at the NHL Governors meeting, Leonard moved the team to the other side of Pennsylvania and renamed them the Philadelphia QuakersPhiladelphia Quakers (NHL)
The Philadelphia Quakers were an American professional ice hockey team that played only one full season in the National Hockey League , 1930–31, at the Philadelphia Arena in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania...
. However, Leonard's intention was to return the team to Pittsburgh as soon as a new arena was built. Thirteen players from the Pirates were transferred to the Philadelphia Quakers after Pittsburgh franchise relocated. These players were Cliff Barton
Cliff Barton
Clifford John Barton was an American professional ice hockey right winger. Barton played three seasons in the National Hockey League for the Pittsburgh Pirates, Philadelphia Quakers, and New York Rangers....
, Harold Darragh
Harold Darragh
Harold "Howl" Darragh was a Canadian professional ice hockey right winger who played eight seasons in the National Hockey League for the Pittsburgh Pirates, Philadelphia Quakers, Boston Bruins and Toronto Maple Leafs. He was born in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada...
, Herb Drury, Gord Frasier, Jim Jarvis, Gerry Lowrey
Gerry Lowrey
Gerald Charles Lowrey was a Canadian professional ice hockey forward who played six seasons in the National Hockey League for the Toronto Maple Leafs, Pittsburgh Pirates, Philadelphia Quakers, Chicago Black Hawks and Ottawa Senators. He was born in Ottawa, Ontario.-External links:...
, Rennison Manners
Rennison Manners
Rennison Flint "Ren, Dinny" Manners was a Canadian professional ice hockey centre who played two seasons in the National Hockey League for the Pittsburgh Pirates and Philadelphia Quakers....
, Johnny McKinnon
Johnny McKinnon
John Douglas Ronald McKinnon was a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman who played six seasons in the National Hockey League for the Montreal Canadiens, Pittsburgh Pirates, and Philadelphia Quakers. He was born in Guysborough, Nova Scotia.-External links:...
, Hib Milks
Hib Milks
Hibbert Henry Milks was a Canadian professional ice hockey forward who played eight seasons in the National Hockey League with the Pittsburgh Pirates, Philadelphia Quakers, New York Rangers and Ottawa Senators....
, Joe Miller, Rodger Smith
Rodger Smith
Rodger Smith was a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman who played six seasons in the National Hockey League for the Pittsburgh Pirates and Philadelphia Quakers. He was born in Ottawa, Ontario.-External links:...
& Tex White. Frank Fredrickson
Frank Fredrickson
Sigurður Franklin Fredrickson was a Canadian ice hockey centre who was significant to both the amateur and professional sport as it evolved in North America in the early 20th century...
was also transferred to the Quakers, but he was released by Philadelphia two days later. The Quakers had a wretched season in 1930–31. The team then received permission from the NHL on September 26, 1931 to temporally cease operations as they sought a permanent arena in either Pittsburgh or Philadelphia.
Meanwhile the poor economy was taking a toll on the entire league. The Great Depression would devastate the NHL as 4 teams were forced to fold, leaving behind just six teams
Original Six
The Original Six is a term for the group of six teams that composed the National Hockey League for the 25 seasons between the 1942–43 season and the 1967 NHL Expansion. These six teams are the Boston Bruins, Chicago Black Hawks, Detroit Red Wings, Montreal Canadiens, New York Rangers, and the...
. When a new Pittsburgh arena failed to materialize, Leonard surrendered his franchise in 1936. As it turned out, a new arena in Pittsburgh wouldn't be built until the Pittsburgh Civic Arena (now Mellon Arena
Mellon Arena
Civic Arena is an indoor arena in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania that is currently undergoing demolition. It was the first retractable roof major sports venue in the world, covering 170,000 sq. feet and constructed with just shy of 3,000 tons of Pittsburgh steel...
) opened in 1961. The NHL would play with six teams for 25 years before deciding to expand. The expansion in 1967
1967 NHL expansion
The National Hockey League undertook a major expansion for the 1967–68 season, adding six new franchises to double the size of the league. This marked the first change in the composition of the league since 1942, when the Brooklyn Americans folded. Thus, the expansion ended the era of the Original...
brought the Pittsburgh Penguins
Pittsburgh Penguins
The Pittsburgh Penguins are a professional ice hockey team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . The franchise was founded in 1967 as one of the first expansion teams during the league's original...
to the NHL and the city of Pittsburgh and the orange and black uniformed Philadelphia Flyers
Philadelphia Flyers
The Philadelphia Flyers are a professional ice hockey team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League...
to Philadelphia. The last active Pirates player was Cliff Barton
Cliff Barton
Clifford John Barton was an American professional ice hockey right winger. Barton played three seasons in the National Hockey League for the Pittsburgh Pirates, Philadelphia Quakers, and New York Rangers....
, who played his last NHL game in 1940.
Historic firsts
The Pittsburgh Pirates have left their mark in the NHL record books and NHL history with many firsts and other notable achievements.- Odie CleghornOdie CleghornJames Ogilvie "Odie" Cleghorn was a Canadian professional ice hockey right winger, linesman and referee...
, the Pirates' coach (and occasional player) for the first four seasons, was the first NHL coach to change his players on the fly. This article from the December 21, 1925 Pittsburgh Press describes how Cleghorn would change the forward line halfway through each period with another set of attackers, who would play for "six or eight minutes". The first line would then come back on to finish the period. The defencemen were not changed.
- Cleghorn was also the first coach to use three set forward lines, which was a huge change from the standard, which was to simply leave the best players out for as long as possible.
- The Pirates set an NHL record in salaries by signing defencemanDefenceman (ice hockey)Defence in ice hockey is a player position whose primary responsibility is to prevent the opposing team from scoring...
Lionel ConacherLionel ConacherLionel Pretoria Conacher, MP , nicknamed "The Big Train", was a Canadian athlete and politician. Voted the country's top athlete of the first half of the 20th century, he won championships in numerous sports. His first passion was football; he was a member of the 1921 Grey Cup champion Toronto...
to a three-year deal worth $7,500 a year. Conacher was later named Canada's athlete of the half-century.
- On December 26, 1926 the Pirates and the New York Americans combined for a still standing NHL record for most shots in one game. The two teams combined for 141 shots in a 3–1 New York win. Roy WortersRoy WortersRoy "Shrimp" Worters was a Canadian professional Hockey Hall of Fame goaltender who played twelve seasons in the National Hockey League for the Pittsburgh Pirates, Montreal Canadiens and New York Americans, and was notable for recording 66 shutouts in his career and being, at 5'3" tall, the...
made 70 saves for the Pirates and Jake ForbesJake ForbesVernor Vivian "Jake, Jumpin' Jackie" Forbes , was a Canadian professional ice hockey goaltender who played thirteen seasons in the National Hockey League for the Toronto St...
made 67 saves for the Americans. That is a record that still stands today.
- The Pirates were the first team in Pittsburgh to use the black & gold color scheme. This newspaper article from December 1925 refers to the Pirates as "the Black and Gold".
Logos and uniforms
The Pirates were the first team in Pittsburgh to use the black & gold color scheme, basing their colors around the Flag of PittsburghFlag of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
The flag of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania is a tricolor flag featuring vertical bands of black and gold. The coat of arms of the City of Pittsburgh is charged in the center of the gold stripe....
's colors. Decades after the team folded, the colors have become the team colors of all three of Pittsburgh's major sports teams. However, during the team's existence, they would be the only team in the city with the colors, as the baseball team of the same name
Pittsburgh Pirates
The Pittsburgh Pirates are a Major League Baseball club based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They play in the Central Division of the National League, and are five-time World Series Champions...
, like all other baseball teams at the time, had a more patriotic red, white, and blue color scheme and wouldn't adopt black & gold until 1948
1948 in baseball
-Major League Baseball:*World Series: Cleveland Indians over Boston Braves *All-Star Game, July 13 at Sportsman's Park: American League, 5-2-Other champions:*College World Series: USC*Little League World Series: Lock Haven, Pennsylvania...
. The NFL's Pittsburgh Steelers
Pittsburgh Steelers
The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional football team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The team currently belongs to the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Founded in , the Steelers are the oldest franchise in the AFC...
were not in existence until 1933, three years after the team left town and two years after the franchise folded altogether.
The Pirates would later have a connection with Pittsburgh's next NHL franchise; the Pittsburgh Penguins
Pittsburgh Penguins
The Pittsburgh Penguins are a professional ice hockey team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . The franchise was founded in 1967 as one of the first expansion teams during the league's original...
used the Pirates as an example of a team other than the Boston Bruins
Boston Bruins
The Boston Bruins are a professional ice hockey team based in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . The team has been in existence since 1924, and is the league's third-oldest team and its oldest in the...
using the black & gold color scheme when the Bruins protested to the NHL over the Penguins change in team colors in January 1980. The NHL allowed the Penguins to change their colors as a result of the Pirates using these colors.
In 1929–30 the Pirates switched to black and orange uniforms for their fifth and final season. The wool jerseys featured a chain-knit logo of a pirate face with an eye patch and hat with skull and cross bones. The jersey featured double striping on the sleeves and a diagonal background behind the crest. The orange and black remained when the Pirates moved across the state to become the Quakers, Philadelphia's first NHL team, adopting script lettering like the original Pirates' uniforms. When the Philadelphia Flyers joined the NHL in 1967, they adopted the orange and black colors first worn by the Pirates and Quakers.
1920
1920 Olympic Games: Antwerp, Belgium- Frank Frederickson won a gold medal with the Canadian national hockey team
- Herb Drury won a silver medal with the American national hockey team
1924
1924 Olympic Games: Chamonix, France- Bert McCaffreyBert McCaffreyAlbert John McCaffrey was a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman who played seven seasons in the National Hockey League for the Toronto St. Pats, Toronto Maple Leafs, Pittsburgh Pirates and Montreal Canadiens.McCaffrey won a Stanley Cup in 1930 with the Montreal Canadiens...
won a gold medal with the Canadian national hockey team - Herb Drury won a silver medal with the American national hockey team
Season-by-season record
Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, Pts = Points, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against, PIM = Penalties in minutes| Season | GP | W | L | T | Pts | GF | GA | PIM | Finish | Playoffs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1925–26 1925–26 Pittsburgh Pirates (NHL) season The 1925–26 Pittsburgh Pirates season was the first season of the new Pirates ice hockey team in the National Hockey League. The club made the playoffs in its first season after placing third in the league... |
36 | 19 | 16 | 1 | 39 | 82 | 70 | 264 | third in NHL | Lost Semifinals (Montreal Montreal Maroons The Montreal Maroons was a professional men's ice hockey team in the National Hockey League . They played in the NHL from 1924 to 1938, winning the Stanley Cup in 1926 and 1935... ) |
| 1926–27 1926–27 Pittsburgh Pirates (NHL) season -Game log:-Regular season:ScoringGoaltendingNote: GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; +/- = Plus/Minus; PIM = Penalty Minutes; PPG=Power-play goals; SHG=Short-handed goals; GWG=Game-winning goals... |
44 | 15 | 26 | 3 | 33 | 79 | 108 | 230 | fourth in American | Out of Playoffs |
| 1927–28 1927–28 Pittsburgh Pirates (NHL) season -Game log:-Regular season:ScoringGoaltending-Playoffs:ScoringGoaltendingNote: GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; +/- = Plus/Minus; PIM = Penalty Minutes; PPG=Power-play goals; SHG=Short-handed goals; GWG=Game-winning goals... |
44 | 19 | 17 | 8 | 46 | 67 | 76 | 395 | third in American | Lost Semifinals (New York New York Rangers The New York Rangers are a professional ice hockey team based in the borough of Manhattan in New York, New York, USA. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . Playing their home games at Madison Square Garden, the Rangers are one of the... ) |
| 1928–29 1928–29 Pittsburgh Pirates (NHL) season -Game log:-Regular season:ScoringGoaltendingNote: GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; +/- = Plus/Minus; PIM = Penalty Minutes; PPG=Power-play goals; SHG=Short-handed goals; GWG=Game-winning goals... |
44 | 9 | 27 | 8 | 26 | 46 | 80 | 324 | fourth in American | Out of Playoffs |
| 1929–30 1929–30 Pittsburgh Pirates (NHL) season The 1929–30 Pittsburgh Pirates season was the franchise's last season in Pittsburgh, moving in 1930 to Philadelphia. The Pirates had an extremely poor season, winning only five of 44 games to finish last in the American Division, missing the playoffs... |
44 | 5 | 36 | 3 | 13 | 102 | 185 | 384 | fifth in American | Out of Playoffs |
| Totals | 212 | 67 | 122 | 23 | 157 | 376 | 519 | 1597 |
See also
- Philadelphia QuakersPhiladelphia Quakers (NHL)The Philadelphia Quakers were an American professional ice hockey team that played only one full season in the National Hockey League , 1930–31, at the Philadelphia Arena in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania...
- List of Pittsburgh Pirates (NHL) players
- Head Coaches of the Pittsburgh Pirates (NHL)Head Coaches of the Pittsburgh Pirates (NHL)This is a complete list of head coaches of the Pittsburgh Pirates in the National Hockey League . Granted a franchise by the NHL in 1925, the Pirates played in Pittsburgh from 1925 to 1930 and then moved to Philadelphia and became the Philadelphia Quakers. After their only season in Philadelphia,...
- List of NHL seasons
- List of defunct NHL teams
- List of NHL players