It took 24 minutes. That’s it.
Just 24 minutes for three different Comcast-Spectacor teams to qualify for postseason play, all on Friday, April 4.
"I’ve never seen anything like it," said Comcast-Spectacor chairman Ed Snider. "It was an amazing night for the City of Philadelphia and all of our fans. We’re really excited to be back in the playoffs and we encourage all of our fans to get excited with us."
"We’re ready for the playoffs," added Comcast-Spectacor president Peter Luukko. "It’s a great time to be a Philadelphia sports fan. We know the Wachovia Complex will be rocking."
The Philadelphia Flyers were the first to get through (9:39 p.m.) after combining a 3-0 shutout of the New Jersey Devils at the Wachovia Center and a Florida Panthers 4-3 victory over the Carolina Hurricanes.
Then, it was the Philadelphia Phantoms (10:02 p.m.) who took a point out of a 6-5 overtime loss to the Bridgeport Sound Tigers to get to the American Hockey League’s Calder Cup Playoffs. It will be the Phantoms’ first postseason appearance since winning the championship in 2005.
The Philadelphia 76ers reached the postseason for the first time in three seasons (10:03 p.m.) after defeating the Atlanta Hawks, 109-104.
Playoff tickets for the Flyers are already on sale while both the Sixers and Phantoms will put playoff tickets on sale on Monday, April 7. All playoff tickets are available through the team’s website, ComcastTIX.com, 1-800-298-4200, the Wachovia Center box office and select Acme Markets.
