The arena that helped to bring the Flyers to Philadelphia, hosted the NBA Finals, gave birth to one of the best home ice advantages in the NHL, host of great boxing matches, concerts and so many other events, the Spectrum will be demolished live on Comcast SportsNet Philadelphia. It will also be streamed at CSNPhilly.com. For Philly sports fans, the Spectrum was the place to be in the 1970’s for the Flyers and in the 1980’s for the 76ers. Even when the Wells Fargo Center went up, the Spectrum was still used for concerts and the AHL’s Phantoms.
But it will end on Tuesday as the wrecking ball comes down on the Spectrum. We have the press release from Comcast SportsNet Philadelphia.
COMCAST SPORTNET TO AIR “SPECTRUM’S FINAL SHOW” AS WRECKING BALL HITS THE SPECTURMLive Special Airs on November 23Philadelphia, PA (November 21, 2010) – Comcast SportsNet, the leader in regional sports, celebrates the history of the Spectrum with a one-hour live special on Tuesday, November 23 at Noon. “The Spectrum’s Final Show” is hosted by Michael Barkann in studio, along with Neil Hartman who will be live outside the Spectrum. In addition to live coverage of the wrecking ball hitting the legendary arena, viewers will hear from Comcast-Spectacor Chairman Ed Snider, Flyers alums Bernie Parent and Bob Clarke, and Philadelphia 76ers Julius “Dr. J” Erving. “The Spectrum’s Final Show” will air live on Comcast SportsNet and CSNPhilly.com at Noon.“The Spectrum’s Final Show” will replay on Tuesday, November 23 at 11 p.m.; Wednesday, November 24 at 4 p.m. and Sunday, November 28 at 2 p.m. The program will also be available on Comcast On Demand beginning on Wednesday, November 24.The Spectrum opened on September 30, 1967, with the Quaker City Jazz Festival. After nearly 40 seasons of Philadelphia Flyers hockey and Philadelphia 76ers basketball, the Spectrum gave way to the Wells Fargo Center in l996. The two teams moved to their new home, paving the way for a minor league hockey team, the Philadelphia Phantoms, and a new indoor soccer team, the Philadelphia Kixx, to call the Spectrum “home.”The demolition of the Spectrum signifies the start of construction of phase one of Philly Live, a spectacular new retail, restaurant, and entertainment district. The Cordish Company, of Baltimore, MD, a world-renowned developer of similar projects throughout North America, is partnering with Comcast-Spectacor on Philly Live.
Again, if you’re not in the Philly area, CSNPhilly.com will stream the program live.
