WHAT HAPPENED TO THE NHL'S PITTSBURGH PIRATES? // DEFUNCT: A PITTSBURGH PIRATES HiSTORY DOCUMENTARY

In today's All Sports History video we'll take a look back to the early 1920’s when the NHL expanded, bringing in new franchises to keep up with rival leagues. One such team was the formerly independent club, the Pittsburgh Pirates hockey club. In today’s video we’ll take a look back at how the once promising team ended up folding after just five seasons in the National Hockey League.
On November 7, 1925 the former Pittsburgh Yellow Jackets, now known as the Pittsburgh Pirates officially joined the league. As for the new name, the club most likely wanted to capitalize on the success of the Pittsburgh Pirates baseball team, who had just won the World Series a few weeks before. The team even got permission from the baseball Pirates owner, Barney Dreyfus to use the name “Pirates” for the ice hockey club.
The Pirates made their home at Duquesne Garden, which was built originally in 1890 as a trolly barn before being turned into an arena. On Thanksgiving night, November 26, 1925, the Pirates made their NHL debut by beating the Boston Bruins 2-1 at the Boston Arena. The Pirates continued to have success in their first year, clinching the playoffs with a 19-16-1 record. Pittsburgh Pirates playoffs hopes would come to an end as they would lose however to the eventual Stanley Cup winners, the Montreal Maroons in the first round of the playoffs.
A few seasons later, in October 1928 the team was sold after the club’s original owner Henry Townsend passed away. The Pirates were bought by former boxer Benny Leonard, but it’s believed that Lenoard may have gotten financial help from Bill Dwyer (a prohibition bootlegger and owner of the New York Americans) to complete the purchase.
After the stock market crash of 1929, the Pirates were $400,000 in debt, and their rapidly aging home arena Duquesne Garden was in desperate need of repairs. The arena was never an ideal home for the Pirates, as its 8,000 combined seating and standing capacity was by far the smallest in the NHL. Benny Leonard wanted to keep the club in Pittsburgh but knew the only way to keep the team afloat was to relocate the franchise. At the NHL governor meetings, on October 18, 1930, Leonard was able to officially relocate the Pirates to Philadelphia for the upcoming 1930-31 season. With the move, the club changed their name to the Philadelphia Quakers and played their home games at the Philadelphia Arena (which opened in 1920).
The move to Philadelphia turned out to be the beginning of the end, as just before the next season got underway, the Quakers, along with the Ottawa Senators got permission from the NHL to temporarily cease operations. The Quakers hoped to buy time while they searched for a new arena in either Pittsburgh or Philadelphia.
By 1936, with no new arena deal in site, Leonard relinquished control of the franchise for good. In fact, no new arena would be built in Pittsburgh until 1961 when the Pittsburgh Civic Arena first opened its doors. After the Quakers suspended operations in 1931, the legacy of the team continued to live on as one of the National Hockey league highlights. The last active NHL player who had played for the Pirates and Quakers, Cliff Barton, retired in 1940 after winning the Stanley Cup with the New York Rangers.
Although the Pittsburgh Pirates NHL on-ice performance may not have left a lasting mark, their role as a precursor to the Penguins and as a chapter in the broader narrative of the NHL's evolution adds a unique layer to Pittsburgh's hockey heritage with hall of fame players like ice hockey goalie Roy Worters.
So what did you guys think of the NHL Pittsburgh Pirates moving to Philadelphia, becoming the Quakers, and eventually folding? Should the Penguins do more to honor Pittsburgh hockey history and the old Pirates team, like wearing the throwback inspired jerseys more often? Let me know in the comments below!
WHAT HAPPENED TO THE NHL'S PITTSBURGH PIRATES? // DEFUNCT: A PITTSBURGH PIRATES HiSTORY DOCUMENTARY