FLYERS 2005-06 SEASON THREAD!

[rjs246]

Wow! Who knew?!?!

[PhillyGirl]

Wow! Who knew?!?!

[SunMo]

t-minus 628 minutes until faceoff

[ice grillin you]

im almost more excited to see the new comcast pavillion than i am the game.....almost...

[SunMo]

im almost more excited to see the new comcast pavillion than i am the game.....almost...

what's the deal with the new pavillion?

[ice grillin you]

The Wachovia Center, the 21,000-seat multipurpose sports and entertainment venue, is expanding its concourse to add an 8,000-sq. ft. food court, which will be known as the Cingular Pavilion, according to Comcast-Spectacor President and Chief Operating Officer Peter Luukko. It will be the largest bar inside any sporting arena in the United States.

The newly constructed addition on the 11th Street side of the facility features two legendary Philadelphia restaurants, Chickie's & Pete's and Steve's Prince of Steaks, and will open in time for the Philadelphia Flyers regular season opener on Wednesday, October 5. The Cingular Pavilion will open two hours prior to every Wachovia Center event and will remain open after each event, as well, for all ticketed patrons.

"With the new Cingular Pavilion, we can offer our customers new and exciting options, including a full-service menu with dining prior to, during and after all Wachovia Center events," said Luukko. "As a company our goal is to always provide our guests with the ultimate entertainment experience each and every time they visit. Our fans are going to love going to the Cingular Pavilion before the game or event and having great food and drinks at Chickie's & Pete's and Steve's Prince of Steaks."

The Cingular Pavilion features 28 large, 45" High Definition LCD Screens and six additional 35" monitors for fans to view live game action, and televised sports events, as well as a state-of-the-art audio system for live music from local musicians, and live broadcasts from area radio stations. The Cingular Pavilion features both table-top seating and bar stools for customer convenience. The newly expanded concourse also features a sliding glass door to further extend activities into the outside pavilion in warmer weather.

Budweiser will also have a significant presence throughout the Cingular Pavilion, including the naming of the bar.

The total 100,000-sq. ft. expansion also includes four additional levels of office space for the ever-expanding Philadelphia-based sports and entertainment firm, Comcast-Spectacor, owners of the Wachovia Complex. The expansion did not require losing or sacrificing any parking spaces at the Wachovia Complex.

"As our company continues to grow nationally and expand, we also need the additional office spaces to accommodate our staff," added Luukko. "With the expanded office space we can now house our management company Global Spectrum, and our naming rights division Front Row Marketing Services into one location presenting us with tremendous synergistic opportunities."

Comcast-Spectacor worked with DPK&A Architects, of Philadelphia, PA, who designed the expansion; Fox Management, of Chesterbrook, PA, who handled construction; and LF Driscoll Company, of Bala Cynwyd, who served as the General Contractor. Both Fox Management and LF Driscoll Company worked on the construction of the Wachovia Center prior to its 1996 opening.

The Wachovia Center, which is home to the Philadelphia 76ers, Flyers, Phantoms, Wings and Soul, will host the 2006 NCAA Men's First and Second Round Basketball games on Friday, March 17 and Sunday, March 19.

[Rome]

Posted on Wed, Oct. 05, 2005

Flyers Preview


Phil Sheridan | The icemen returneth, and it could get interesting

By Phil Sheridan

Inquirer Columnist


Those guys (what are they called again?) are back, ready to drop those little gizmos (the black rubber dealies), and skate in pursuit of that big silver thing (you know, Lord What's-His-Name's What-Have-You).

Hockey. That's it. They're going to be playing ice hockey again.

This is going to be a first: a league where the comeback player of the year is everybody.

Do you care? Will you rush back to the rink? Or are you going to make them win you back? After learning you could live without the NHL, are you interested in trying to live with it again?

The Flyers (those are the guys) will drop pucks (that's it!) against the New York Rangers tonight as they begin a season that could well end with them winning the Stanley Cup.

The Flyers' expectations are high, not because they built the best team through careful drafting and player development. No, the home team is a preseason favorite because it won the high-stakes equivalent of a fantasy-league draft after the NHL's ruinous lockout ended.

Peter Forsberg in, John LeClair out.

Derian Hatcher in, Jeremy Roenick out.

Mike Rathje in, Tony Amonte out.

Just like that, Flyers fans seemed willing to forgive and forget everything that transpired in the previous 12 months. The first major pro sports league to lose an entire season because of a labor dispute stumbled onto a remarkable bit of accidental genius.

In order to make the transition from uncapped fiscal lunacy to a tightly capped system, teams were given the one-time-only opportunity to get rid of high-priced players.

(Think the Phillies would like a chance to flush out the bad contracts? How about the 76ers?)

The resulting shuffle shook up the entire NHL. Instead of welcoming back the same old tired faces, all a year older, fans will get a chance to root for brand-new stars playing under radically changed rules. There should be more scoring, less clutching and grabbing, and all the free beer you can drink.

OK, that last part was made up. But the rest of it is real, and it should give hockey a chance to survive what looked like almost certain self-destruction.

Six months ago, the NHL looked bound for the scrap heap of obsolete sports leagues. It seemed ready to be tossed on top of the pile that includes the USFL and the XFL and the WHA. Cause of death: idiocy.

And now? It's a little early to say the lockout is completely forgotten. There are no doubt fans who will refuse to come back to the arena. But here in Philadelphia, ticket sales took off the moment the Flyers announced the signing of Forsberg. There is a definite buzz about the opening of this season.

After all, it's not as if Philadelphia fans can afford to be choosy. When the Phillies' season ended with them one victory short of a wild-card berth, the city's championship drought was extended yet again. Since the Sixers' 1983 title, the four major pro sports teams in town have completed a total of 88 seasons without a parade. The Eagles are in the middle of the 89th season and, once again, have a chance to end the drought.

Still, you can see why Flyers fans were fired up by the addition of Forsberg, one of the game's great offensive players.

A purist might argue that this season will be tainted by all the changes. Squint back through the mists of time to the 2004 Cup playoffs and that was a Flyers team that grew together organically. That's the kind of team you root for. This team is like one of those rock supergroups that never quite sound as good as the members' original, more authentic bands.

But if these Flyers can win that Cup, purists will be run right over by the parade. No one will care a bit how it came together. Besides, the long regular season and grueling playoffs will give this team and its fans plenty of time to get to know each other.

Right now, these Flyers look to be a fascinating mix.

There are the marquee additions - Forsberg and Hatcher.

There are the mainstays from '04 - Keith Primeau and Simon Gagne and Kim Johnsson and Robert Esche.

There are the kids - Mike Richards and Jeff Carter and Antero Niittymaki.

Of course, there is also the superb coaching of Ken Hitchcock to make it all work under the new rules. The teams that are quickest to understand the new game and how to take advantage of it will have an edge. Hitchcock gives the Flyers that edge.

It didn't seem possible, but here it is.

Hockey, which did all it could to drive us away, now is asking us to come back. The surprise is that the invitation may well be worth accepting.

Why do I feel the overwhelming impulse to punch Phil Sheridan in the face everytime I read one of his columns?

God, and they say the fans of Philly are negative.

[Rome]

Mmmmmm... crab fries.

[PhillyGirl]

Hockey

[Wingspan]

Mmmmmm... crab fries.

mmmm $15 fries

[SunMo]

Why do I feel the overwhelming impulse to punch Phil Sheridan in the face everytime I read one of his columns?

i think it's 'cause he sucks

[Rome]

Mmmmmm... crab fries.

mmmm $15 fries

LOL.  Exaggerate much?

Crab fries > you.

[Rome]

John Buccigross Rulez

Barry Melrose, on the other hand, is a fleshpop.

[PhillyGirl]

Melrose has always BEEN a prick. Unbearable to listen to or watch.

[SunMo]

i'm surprised that ESPN is still employing Melrose.

did OLN hire Keith Jones?  i know the tonight Comcast Sportsnet is carrying OLN's pre-game coverage featuring Bill Clement and Keith Jones, i wasn't sure if OLN hired Jones as a full-time  in studio analyst