Rendell: Remembering Ed Snider, who was perfect for Philadelphia

SINCE ED SNIDER'S death, a lot has been written about him, Philadelphia, and Flyers Nation.

I could not let the opportunity pass without adding my insight. As I thought about what to write someone from 6ABC came into my office to capture my reaction and showed me an article I wrote in June 2011, titled, "Ed Snider and Philly have been perfect together."

I reread it and was shocked to find how well it encapsulated a lot of what I want to say now. Let me quote from a few sections:

"Ed Snider might not be the easiest guy to love - he's too rich, too handsome, too self-assured, too stubborn, too Republican (although he has been a significant contributor to my campaigns) and too well-dressed (I usually hate guys like Ed who look so good in clothes, as I usually look like a mess). But virtually all Philadelphia sports fans, especially hockey stalwarts, should love him for what he has done. No one has had as much or as long of an impact on our city's sports scene."

To continue:

"Ed then went and got a franchise from the NHL. It was truly a leap of faith. Almost no one but Ed believed that hockey could succeed in Philadelphia. Ed also told me a little-known fact: that Philadelphia had an NHL team in the 1930s that lasted only 1 year. (The Quakers went 4-36-4 in 1930-31.) Even The Hockey News rated Philadelphia as the franchise "most likely to fail" among the six expansion teams. But Ed pressed on. He had to raise the $2 million purchase price. (That's right, $2 million and he could get somewhere between $250 million and $300 million if he sold the team today. But knowing Ed, hell will freeze over before that sale happens.) Ed persuaded Girard Bank to put up $1.5 million, and he cobbled the rest together by selling 5 years of TV rights to Kaiser Broadcasting, working out advanced payments from ARA for concessions rights and by mortgaging his home. So if hockey failed as so many had predicted it would, Ed Snider would have lost his home."

Ed made it up to the fans when he built a stadium complex at a cost of over $200 million, with less than 15 percent of the money coming from the city and state. Compare that with the Phillies, Eagles, Steelers and Pirates - where the public share ranged from 55 to nearly 70 percent of the cost - and you will see taxpayers owe Ed a big debt of gratitude.

Reflecting on my experiences with Ed have made me laugh, but also made me cry.

I remember when his and my good friend, Lewis Katz, was a co-owner for the New Jersey Devils the year they won the Stanley Cup. Lew told me that a couple nights after the Devils clinched, he took the Cup and put it outside Ed's door. Needless to say, Ed had no sense of humor about the Flyers being surpassed by the Devils, and he went ballistic when he opened the door and saw the Cup there.

Ed also cared deeply about Philadelphia's children. He was almost obsessed with bringing hockey into the city for its youth and wanted to build rinks throughout the city. He put up $6 million of his own money, but needed $6 million in matching funds. He asked me for a state grant when I was governor, and, although it was a worthwhile project, it was not on the top of my list. But, he was relentless. He asked me time and time again and almost begged, and for a proud man such as Ed, that was amazing. I finally found enough money, and, now, many young people throughout Philadelphia not only enjoy learning how to play hockey, but also are able to obtain college scholarships for the skills they learned on Ed's rinks.

His No. 1 wish undoubtedly would be for the Flyers to go on a tear and win the Stanley Cup this year. For an eighth seed, that seems unlikely. The Flyers played a great game Thursday night, but lost to the first-place Capitals. But in sports, you never know, and the Flyers, with Ed's death motivating them, might do the impossible.

I thought about the 1990 NCAA Tournament run by Loyola Marymount, which was led by Philly natives Hank Gathers and Bo Kimble. During a semifinal in their conference tournament on March 4, 1990, Hank Gathers collapsed on the court and died of a heart condition. The tragedy was immense. The team had to play its first-round game in the NCAA Tournament only 12 days later. During the Lions' tournament run, where they reached the Elite Eight, Kimble took his first free throw in each game with his left hand in honor of his childhood friend. Though Loyola Marymount lost in the regional final to eventual champion UNLV, they went on quite a ride, fueled by the emotion that came from Gathers' death.

Could it happen to the Flyers? The odds are long, but Ed Snider's team is playing its best hockey of the year and no one can match the emotion they will bring to the task.

When I interviewed Ed for the article in 2011, he spoke with pride about what the stadium complex had become and the arrival of what is now Xfinity Live! He was also hopeful that the stadium complex could become a permanent home for the Philadelphia Sports Hall of Fame. He thought that it was needed and that placing it in the stadium complex would be perfect.

A month before his death, Ed and I decided to write a fundraising letter for the Hall of Fame. The letter never went out, but I have a good idea about what we should do: Build it and name it Ed Snider's Philadelphia Sports Hall of Fame, in honor of the best owner this city has ever had and probably ever will have!

@GovEdRendell