Boldly, Ed Snider will forever stand stoic and distinguished overlooking the empire he created - an iconic portrayal of a pioneer entrepreneur who exuded authority and resolve.
A statue commemorating the late Flyers founder and Comcast Spectacor chairman was unveiled Thursday, facing the southwest corner of Broad Street between the Wells Fargo Center and the previous location of The Spectrum, his two homes away from home.
"Not just the likeness but the character of Dad is so incredibly real in this sculpture that it's almost scary," Snider's oldest daughter Lindy Snider said. "You can see his focused and determined look and that drive in him, and we kids always called it ‘The Eye.' And believe me, it was very scary."
Zack Hill/Philadelphia Flyers
The ceremony was attended by an impressive list of dignitaries, including a long list of "Broad Street Bullies," Hockey Hall of Famers and NHL commissioner Gary Bettman.
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"He was a consummate ball of energy," Bettman said. "Ironically, his memory will stand here idly for us all to see and to remember because he was a man who was constantly, constantly in motion, and that's how I will always think of him and remember him."
Philadelphia will now remember him always in the perfect spot.
"Ed Snider was a visionary," Flyers president Paul Holmgren said. "What a fitting place for the Mr. Snider statue to be on this piece of property where he can overlook his building here, The Spectrum was behind him, and this area he envisioned - that he built for all of us."
For the city of Philadelphia, it has an equivalency to the Blarney Stone. Snider's family requested the inclusion of a Stanley Cup ring on Snider's finger so fans could pay tribute to the legendary owner by rubbing the ring as a good luck charm.
Zack Hill/Philadelphia Flyers
Unintentionally, but certainly symbolic, Snider has his back turned to the direction of New York, home to the Rangers team he and so many of the players despised for decades.
"We all hated the Rangers in those days, probably still do," Bob Clarke said with a laugh. "It's a beautiful statue. It represents him so well, everything that he stood for and accomplished."
From Clarke to Bernie Parent hoisting the Stanley Cup, to Gary Dornhoefer's legendary goal in the 1973 Stanley Cup Playoffs to Kate Smith singing "God Bless America," all of those statues located throughout the sports complex wouldn't exist today if it wasn't for Snider's dogged determination to bring the game of hockey to the Delaware Valley in the 1960s.
Dillsburg, Pennsylvania's Chad Fisher commissioned the 1,300-pound bronze statue that stands on a three-foot granite base, and over the last seven weeks it became a labor of love, working endlessly seven days a week, 12 hours a day to ensure the project's completion.
"You're closing in and everything needs to be solidified and you've got to look over everything," Fisher said. "It gets very intense in the end."
Three and a half years ago, the 34-year-old Fisher unveiled his meticulous representation of former Flyers head coach Fred "The Fog" Shero located just outside XFINITY Live! right off Ed Snider Way. One man called upon to create a likeness of the two most influential figures in the 51-year history of the Flyers franchise.
"We had a chance to meet with Mr. Snider during the Fred Shero unveiling, and he was so gracious to my family and I, especially my kids," Fisher said. "This was more than just a statue. It was really a chance to do this for someone who meant something, not only to this city, but to me and my family. He really gave us our start."
For then general managers Clarke and Holmgren, who strived to bring "one more cup" to Snider, they know the chairman would be proud of the team current GM Ron Hextall has assembled behind an organizational approach that has been radically amended over the past few years.
"It's not only a terrific honor, but it's fitting and somehow it's comforting," Lindy Snider said. "There's no doubt in my mind that he's been watching over us all along anyway, and Paul, especially you. He wants a Stanley Cup, and the pressure's on and you're not off the hook."
And now there's a likeness of Mr. Snider that will forever serve as that constant reminder.
