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Comcast-Spectacor
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| Championships | 1st 1974 |
2nd 1975 |
Sources:Mediaventures
Ballparks Virtual Mall The Philadelphia Flyers' former home rink derives its character from the incredible fans who flock to every contest. The intimate building still rings of the Broad Street Bullies era. From Kate Smith singing "God Bless America" to the irrepressible Dave Leonardi, better known as "the Signman of Philly," Flyers fans are unpretentious in their taste.
"It's a blue-collar crowd, and that's the way they want their team to play," said former Flyers assistant coach Ken Hitchcock.
"They appreciate finesse but still go back to the way things were in the 1970's. They like very physical hockey. If you can go and play physical hockey the first 10 minutes the crowd is behind you. They really appreciate that type of hockey. They want to see a good effort from every player. If you don't perform you're going to hear about it, but if you do they're very supportive."
The Flyers' physical brand of hockey brought them two Stanley Cups in the 1970s, and their rink was the most intimidating in the league. "It wasn't fund going into that building," recalls Walt McKechnie, a veteran of 16 seasons. "When you went into the Spectrum to play the Flyers you knew you were in for a physical contest. We had players showing up with the 'Philly Flu.' That's when a player claims to be sick or to leave his skates at the hotel because he doesn't want to play in there."
The home of the Philadelphia Flyers honors an underdog spirit that originally characterized one of the most successful expansion franchises in the NHL. The statues of Rocky Balboa and the scorers of a key Flyers goal certainly express that spirit. The Wall of Fame inside the stadium gives a lot of team history.
The arena is a three-level stadium, and all the seats inside are red. There is a good scoreboard, but no luxury seats or other newer amenities. However, an improved Spectrum 2 is built next door and is scheduled to be ready for the 1996 season.
Getting there
From the south, take I-95 north to Broad Street exit and follow it to Zinkoff Blvd. and turn right.
The Spectrum history
- First regular-season game: Oct. 19, 1967, 1-0 over the Penguins
- March 1, 1968, Spectrum Roof was blown off, forcing the NHL Flyers to play the final month of the season on the road and the NBA 76ers to play at the Palestra and Convention Hall.
- First overtime game: Nov. 20, 1983, 6-5 over the Penguins
- First Stanley Cup finals game: May 12, 1974, 4-1 over the Bruins
- Dec. 8, 1987: Ron Hextall becomes the first NHL goalie in history to shoot the puck directly into the opposing net in 5-2 win over Boston
September 30, 1999
Copyright 1999 MediaVenturesThe Spectrum in Philadelphia is changing the name of its restaurant to Bullies. The name is in honor of the Broad Street Bullies, a former nickname of the NHL Flyers. The restaurant also has a new design and format.
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