Spectrum (arena)

Lore & Background

The Spectrum was built as the home of the expansion Philadelphia Flyers and also to accommodate the existing Philadelphia 76ers. Ground was broken on June 1, 1966, by Jerry Wolman and then-Philadelphia Mayor James Tate. The first event was the Quaker City Jazz Festival on September 30, 1967, and the first sporting event was a boxing match on October 17, 1967, featuring Joe Frazier vs. Tony Doyle. The name 'Spectrum' was selected to evoke the broad range of events, with each letter representing a different type of event. On March 1, 1968, wind blew part of the covering off the roof during an Ice Capades performance, forcing the building to close for a month; the Flyers played home games in New York, Toronto, and Quebec City during repairs. The roof was repaired in time for the Flyers to open their first Stanley Cup playoffs on April 4, 1968.

Reader's Guide

The Spectrum was a landmark venue in Philadelphia sports and entertainment history. It was the home of the Flyers' first Stanley Cup win in 1974 and the 76ers' NBA Finals appearances. The arena hosted ten NHL or NBA playoff championship series, the 1976 and 1992 NHL All-Star Games, and the 1970 and 1976 NBA All-Star Games. It is the only venue to host the NBA and NHL All-Star Games in the same season (1976) and also hosted that year's Final Four. The Spectrum was one of the first sports arenas to have a scoreboard with a messageboard, featuring the first dot matrix screens in pro hockey or basketball. The final event was a Pearl Jam concert on October 31, 2009, and the arena was demolished between November 2010 and May 2011.

Did You Know?

• The Spectrum held the world record for the fastest conversion from hockey to basketball.
• The Flyers became the first NHL team to defeat the Soviet Central Red Army at the Spectrum on January 11, 1976.
• The Grateful Dead played the Spectrum 53 times, the most of any musical act.