Color Guard

More (in)famous characters who lit up the Spectrum.

1967-1985

Longtime Sixers (and Warriors) public address announcer Dave Zinkoff was known for his velvety bellow and clever score-keeping ("Two for Shue!" "Gola goal!"). After he died, Zink's mic was retired and his name raised high in the rafters.

1967-1995

Jovial TV/radio announcer Gene Hart was "The Voice of the Flyers," and the soundtrack to just about every Spectrum hockey highlight. His call of the 1974 Cup Finals still gives us chills.

1969-1996

Bodacious Kate Smith's version of "God Bless America" has become a kind of lucky charm for the Flyers. Smith died in 1986, but when her voice has opened a hockey game (live or recorded), the Flyers are said to be 77-21-4.

1972-1996

Dave Leonardi, aka the Sign Man, had something ready for every Flyers home game. After the Flyers beat the Russians, he summed it up thusly: "Bring on the Martians." Sign Man moved with the team into the Wachovia Center.

1973

Before he became a lovably nutty Flyers broadcaster, Gary Dornhoefer was a tough-as-nails right wing with the Broad Street Bullies. His 1973 OT game-winner against the North Stars at the Spectrum remains immortalized in bronze outside the rink.

1976

Kenzo bum Rocky Balboa lost in his Spectrum debut to reigning champ Apollo Creed, which is how million-to-one shots usually end up. The rematch, also at the Spectrum, came three years later with Rocky eking out a win.

1976

According to oft-confirmed legend, Flyers winger Reggie Leach scored five goals in one home playoff game against the Bruins while completely, utterly drunk. Alcoholism!

1976 and 1981

Bobby Knight and his Indiana Hoosiers won two NCAA titles at the Spectrum and they're not even from here.

1977

After fighting and getting kicked off the ice, Flyer Paul Holmgren and Bruin Wayne Cashman continued their fisticuffs in the no man's land between the two locker rooms, leading to the installation of the infamous Holmgren-Cashman Gate. This was a preseason game.

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1980

It was May 16, the NBA Finals, Lakers vs. Sixers. With Kareem Abdul-Jabbar injured, the Spectrum became unwilling host of Magic Johnson's coming-out party. He scored 42 and played every position. Johnson would later shock the world with an appallingly poor talk show.

1982

James "Clubber" Lang's Spectrum debut was his finest hour. He induced a heart attack in elderly boxing trainer Mickey by bumping into him, then won the heavyweight title by knocking out that fool Rocky in the second round.

1984-1992

Charles Barkley's glory days with the Sixers mighta been short on actual glory, but his faceoffs with Michael Jordan were thrilling. At the Spectrum, it usually went down like this: Mike scores more points, Sir Charles gets the win.

1987-1996

Raise a SuperPretzel to those lacrosse-playing Philadelphia Wings, who play a fully-pro, semi-popular sport that permits the blaring of Mötley Crüe's "Kickstart My Heart" during game play. They've won six championships, some at the Spectrum.

1990

The WWF and the Spectrum went together like Nikolai Volkoff and The Iron Sheik; the August SummerSlam was an epic showdown of large dudes pretending to hurt each other. Among the night's victors: Jake "the Snake" Roberts, "Macho Man" Randy Savage, Hulk Hogan and The Ultimate Warrior.

1992

When wunderkind Eric Lindros stole the puck from Scott Niedermayer and scored the game-winner against the Devils in his Spectrum debut, the future looked wide open.