I’m totally a sucker for any cover designs that evoke the optimism of the Space Age, so imagine my delight when I came across this 1969-70 program for the Jacksonville Rockets of the Eastern Hockey League (EHL):
Needless to say, I would totally get that illustration blown up and framed if I could.
The Rockets were formed in 1964 and played in the EHL until 1972. They were reportedly the first pro hockey team in Florida, predating the Panthers by several decades. After folding, the Rockets were followed by the American Hockey League’s Jacksonville Barons, who relocated from Cleveland, in 1973. The Barons folded at the end of the 1973–1974 season, and Jacksonville did not have another hockey team for nearly two decades.