Last week marked the end of the line for the Spectrum in Philadelphia, as wrecking balls did to it what wrecking balls do to obsolete sports venues.
Only memories remain: the Flyers winning back-to-back Stanley Cups with the Spectrum as a home; Dr. J. doing what Dr. J. did, dunking basketballs and teaming up with Moses Malone to win the Sixers’ last championship; Bruce Springsteen pulling down one of his legendary three-and-a-half-hour-long sets; a young upstart named Rocky Balboa going the distance with Apollo Creed for the heavyweight championship of the world.
OK, that last thing didn’t really happen. Nonetheless, the memories remain.
Actually, the Spectrum ended its term of useful service as the Wachovia Spectrum—but nobody called it that. A small, by-the-end-antiquated facility, the Spectrum didn’t have what it takes in the modern era of bigger seating capacity and better luxury boxes.
However, it had a meaningful place in the civic life of the hardscrabble city of Philadelphia, and the virtues of its simple utility were manifest in its name—the Spectrum—even if it was technically named something ...
Read Full Article at Bleacher Report - NHL
Article written by Brian Keenan
NHL Rankings: The 10 Worst Arena Names in the League
December 3rd, 2010 by Brian Keenan Leave a reply »
Advertisement