As a youngster I remember the escalator, and people would slide their beers down the middle part between the two escalotors Then they installed astroturf and the beer races stopped. I also remember the haze that hung in the rafters from all the smoke.

I also remember my dad taking me through the concourse between periods where the players had to cross the concourse to get from the ice to the locker rooms. The visitors had to do likewise, but I remember an accordian style wall would block the passageway until they were across.

My first trip to the Old Red Barn was for the Ice-Capades [[or something) featuring Herbie the Love-Bug. I was terrified of his blinking eye/headlights. Several Wings games later, I saw Eddie Giacamon shut-out the Atlanta Flames one night 8-0 amidst the "Ed-die Ed-die" chants coming from the Mezzanine. I too, attended the last game ever played there, and people were walking out with chairs. I still have my program.

I also remembering listening to Tommy Hearns fighting at Olympia on the radio.

I was working down the street @Gd. River & the Blvd when the old building finally came down. We drove by, walked around to the back, and looked into the half demolished building. The front of the building and roof were still intact, so was the lime green paint with the Winged Wheels on the facing of the upper deck behind where the nets once stood. We grabbed a couple bricks but left them at our house on Archdale when we moved.



Now for the exciting part.

Several years ago, at Hirt's in Eastern Market, there was a panoramic picture of the inside of Olympia Stadium. The picture had extensive damage, as it was probably left behind when the Wings moved out. It is 2' wide by 38" across, shows the flags hanging from the rafters, [[as well as that haze), bunting lining the entire facing of the upper deck, and shows the packed stadium from 'behind the net.' Every spectator is dressed in a suit and wearing a hat, except for the women, who are wearing dresses and hats. The loudspeakers and lights shine brightly directly above the ring. In goldleaf, at the bottom "First Boxing Show" "Johnny Risko of Cleveland vs. Tom Heeney of New Zealand" "Heeney took the decision in ten rounds." This picture hangs about 3 feet from my keyboard. I bought it for 25 bucks and alot of the picture is "stuck" to the glass frame, giving the picture an eerie 3-D effect. It's probably a week before the first hockey game, and maybe hung in Mr. Norris' or even Jack Adams office.

A similar picture, only enlarged, hangs to the right of the entrance on the river side of JLA, and shows the same panoramic view, only for a hockey game. Sadly, the picture is blocked by the Pro-shop so it's kinds hard to find.