Opened as "The Spectrum" in fall 1967, Philadelphia's first modern indoor sports arena was built to be the home of the expansion Philadelphia Flyers of the NHL, and also to accommodate the existing Philadelphia 76ers of the NBA. The building was the second major sports facility built at the south end of Broad Street in an area previously known as "East League Island Park" and now referred to simply as the "South Philadelphia Sports Complex." The Flyers won their first Stanley Cup at the Spectrum on May 19, 1974, defeating the Boston Bruins, 1-0, in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Finals in front of a then-capacity crowd of 17,007. Perhaps the most important and emotional hockey game -- or sporting event of any kind -- ever held there, however, came at the height of the Cold War on January 11, 1976, when the Flyers became the first NHL team to defeat (by 4-1) the vaunted hockey team of the Soviet Central Red Army (ЦСКА) [1]. Two games in the inaugural Canada Cup hockey tournament were also held at the Spectrum in September of that year, as the USA took on Czechoslovakia and the USSR. Ten NHL or NBA playoff championship series were hosted at the Spectrum. The Flyers competed in the Stanley Cup Finals in 1974, 1975, 1976, 1980, 1985 and 1987. The 76ers played in the NBA Finals in 1977, 1980, 1982 and 1983. The 1976 and 1992 NHL, and 1970 and 1976 NBA All-Star Games were also held here. The AHL Phantoms also won their first Calder Cup title on Spectrum ice before a sellout crowd of 17,380 on June 10, 1998, by defeating the Saint John Flames, 6–1.
The Spectrum is the only venue to host the NBA and NHL All-Star Games in the same season, doing so in 1976, when it also hosted that year's Final Four. It is also one of a handful of venues to host the Stanley Cup and NBA Finals at the same time, doing so in 1980 (all four major Philadelphia teams would reach the championship round of their respective sport in the 1980 season). The Spectrum also hosted college basketball games, and hosted the arguably the best college game ever played, Kentucky vs Duke in 1992. In addition, popular music concerts have been stage at the Spectrum since the 1960s, which included: Cream, The Doors, The Grateful Dead, Aerosmith, Pink Floyd, Bruce Springsteen, Frank Sinatra, Queen, and others.
Quick Facts
Broke ground: June, 1966
Closed: October 31, 2009
Construction cost: 7 million
Capacity: 18,369 (Concerts) 18,136 (Basketball) 17,380 (Hockey & Arena Football League)
On July 14, 2008, Comcast Spectacor Chairman Ed Snider officially announced that the Spectrum will be shuttered and torn down to make way for the Philly Live! complex, originally planned to be at the end of the 2008-2009 hockey and soccer seasons, but instead on October 31, 2009. “This has been one of the hardest decisions I’ve ever had to make,” said Snider. “The Spectrum is my baby. It’s one of the greatest things that has ever happened to me.”
The countdown has begun to when the historical Spectrum is transformed into an entertainment venue.
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