Phantoms live to play another day at the Spectrum

By Steven Lienert

The Phanatic Magazine

PHILADELPHIA – The Phantoms’ last game at the Spectrum turned out not to be their last game at the historic building at all.

Thanks in part to Rob Sirianni’s hat trick, the Phantoms defeated archrival Hershey, 5-2, to clinch the fourth and final playoff spot in their division to extend the Spectrum’s life at least for a little while.

I cut my hockey teeth at the Spectrum, so, for me, it was one last chance to take in a game at a place that housed thousands of memories.

I can’t believe that old place added one more.

Everybody knows about the Spectrum’s press box, long known for great sight lines, cramped corridors and tight seating. For those in the media that overflowed the press box, they were treated to a spot in what employees call the “balcony press box.”

It almost conjured up images of the two old guys that heckled everybody from the balcony seats on the Muppet Show. It was nothing of the sort.

There was no one higher up in the building than myself, Phanatic intern Greg Esterly and Phantoms’ employees John “The Beav” Cleaver and Joe Mele. When the Phantoms unfurled their last game at the Spectrum banner, we were looking down at it.

There were dust bunnies as big as mice, none of the seven TVs dangling from the ceiling worked and I swear there was asbestos clinging to the girders in the rafters. We all needed a booster seat to be able to see the action down on the ice and the black curtain used to cover unused seats in the upper deck blocked our view of the archaic jumbotron.

It was perfect.

After picking up our passes, we proceeded through the bowels of the Spectrum, past the locker rooms and up to the press box, which was pretty packed. We were instructed to head all the way upstairs; they weren’t kidding.

But when we got up there, it was like an oasis, a luxury skybox minus the luxury.

The Phantoms didn’t waste anytime getting the sellout crowd into the game. Less than two minutes in, left winger Josh Gratton won what seemed to be a premeditated fight at center ice. Four minutes later, Matt Clackson won another fight for the Phantoms. Combine that with three first-period goals and Philadelphia hockey fans left their seats to get food in the concourse during the first intermission as happy campers.

While in that concourse, everyone realized why the Spectrum had to go: Walking through that concourse was harder than driving on the Skuykill expressway during rush hour with construction.

In the end, the night was a small celebration of Philadelphia past while at the same time appreciating Philadelphia’s present. The Spectrum trips this season made me appreciate the Wachovia Center and its’ spacious corridors and multiple bathrooms just a little bit more.

I will, however, miss the Spectrum a great deal. Not like I miss the Vet; a person can only have one first love. But I’ll miss how the Flyers hit and fought and how the Phantoms let us relive that for 13 more years. I’ll miss seeing Doctor J soar for a windmill dunk and a svelte Charles Barkley, even if it is in my own mind.

As for the Phantoms, they provided games that I could take my 11-year-old nephew to, and the Spectrum became a place where he and I bonded. There’s talk that the team is moving to Allentown, which would be nice so we can take a trek up the Northeast Extension and catch a game.

There’s also talk of moving the team to Glens Falls, N.Y. or Richmond, Va. Either way, the plan is to keep the team as the Flyers’ affiliate.

But one thing’s for sure: You can take the Phantoms out of Philly, but you can never take the Philly out of the Phantoms.

The Spectrum made certain of that.

Steve Lienert can be reached at stevelienert@hotmail.com.