PHILADELPHIA, Pa. – The fate of the former home of the Philadelphia Flyers, Philadelphia 76ers, and the current home of the Philadelphia Phantoms, has been determined. Its sentence: death, or in this case, demolished.
According to the Philadelphia Flyers web site, the Wachovia Spectrum will be torn down for the upcoming PHILLY LIVE project, which will entail a new hotel, restaurants, bars, stores, and more around the other stadium and arenas, such as Citizen’s Bank Park (Phillies), Lincoln Financial Field (Eagles), and the Wachovia Center (Flyers and Sixers) that exist near the corner of Broad and Patterson.
In a statement made on the Flyers web site, Comcast-Spectacor chairman Ed Snider was sentimental about the future of the building his Flyers called home since the team’s inception.
“This has been one of the hardest decisions I’ve ever had to make,” said Snider. “The Spectrum is my baby. It’s one of the greatest things that has ever happened to me, but after a lot of thinking and discussions, we all 
feel it is in our best interest to close the Spectrum at the conclusion of the upcoming 2008-09 Philadelphia Phantoms and Kixx seasons.”
No date has been set for the end of the Spectrum, or details on how it will be destroyed, but regardless of how the building meets it’s fate, the home to the Sixers and Flyers since 1967 will be replaced by what should make the surrounding area a more vibrant place to be at before, during, and after the games at Philadelphia’s sports venues.
There is no word yet on the fate of the Phantoms, the current AHL affiliate of the Flyers. Needless to say, no matter what happens with the Phantoms, it will have a ripple effect in the AHL and the ECHL at the very least.
Rumors have the team temporarily moving to New Jersey in either Atlantic City or Trenton. Atlantic City used to be the home of the former Atlantic City Boardwalk Bullies (ECHL) before they moved to Stockton, California where they are now called the Stockton Thunder. AC might become either a temporary move or a permanent one.
One reason the team might not want to move to Atlantic City is attendance. In the Bullies four seasons in the city (2001 to 2005), the team’s best attendance average was 3,795, and that was in team’s first year of existence. During the Bullies’ last season the team averaged only 2,453. In comparison, last season’s attendance in the AHL averaged 5,270 per game. The Phantoms drew an average of 6,679 which was good for eighth in the league.
A group based in Allentown, Pennsylvania is already trying to woo the Phantoms to move to Allentown, but currently there is no arena in the city. For years the city has been trying to get funding to build a new arena that will potentially house an AHL franchise. Now might be the time to finally put those actions into motion, but until then nothing has been finalized.
Trenton currently houses the Trenton Devils (ECHL). Despite being closer to Philadelphia, Trenton will most likely not be an option as rumors persist regarding Trenton’s fate as well. One rumor has the struggling Lowell Devils eventually moving to Trenton or Newark. Lowell drew a league worst 2,102 in attendance. The Tsongas Arena capacity in Lowell is 6,500. Lowell’s arena lease runs through 2010. Both Lowell and Trenton are owned by the New Jersey Devils.
One reason the Phantoms might move to Trenton is Sovereign Bank Arena is run by Comcast-Spectacor, the same people who own the Flyers.
Another option for the team is would be to move to Reading which currently is the home of the ECHL’s Reading Royals and recently came into an affiliation agreement with the Toronto Maple Leafs, and is also a partial affiliate with the Los Angeles Kings. The Kings, Royals, and Manchester Monarchs (AHL) are owned by SMG, a private management for public facilities group, and AEG, a sports and entertainment presenter.
One major hurdle for the Phantoms moving to Reading is the fact that Comcast-Spectacor and SMG-AEG are major competitors. In fact, both were originally two of the three bidders for the Reading franchise when they moved from Columbus, Ohio. Reading however might be in the near future a team looking for a new owner.
A new ECHL franchise will begin play this fall in Ontario, California (which will be known as the Ontario Reign) and will also become a Kings affiliate. AEG will run the brand new Citizens Business Bank Arena that will hold 9,736 for hockey. Rarely do leagues allow to for the same company to own more than one franchise in the same league, so the Royals might be up for sale come next season.
If that ends up the case, look for Comcast-Spectacor to potential move into Reading as the new owners and give the Flyers an ECHL team closer to home. The Flyers currently have a partial affiliate with the Wheeling (West Virginia) Nailers, which is also an affiliate of the Pittsburgh Penguins.
One major selling point for moving into Reading is attendance. In an arena that holds 7,215 for hockey, the Royals last season averaged 5,430 fans, good for sixth in the ECHL. If that number was translated into the AHL they would have finished fourteenth during the regular season and fourth in the playoffs. If they are an actual AHL franchise you can bet since Hershey and Wilkes-Barre Scranton who are an hour to an hour and a half away from Reading, would boost attendance, especially on the weekends.
Reading, like Allentown, is only an hour away from Philadelphia. If the Phantoms move to Allentown, and Comcast-Spectacor decides to buy the Royals from SMG-AEG, the Flyers could have what they originally wanted, all three professional hockey teams within an hours distance of another.
In the meantime, the dominos are about to fall. The Spectrum will meet either the wrecking ball, or implosion. Either way, it’s the beginning of the end of an era in south Philadelphia.
Contact the author at Brian.Jennings@prohockeynews.com
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