Musings: The 'Barn' once had it all: Sports, stars and glory
Peter Frampton recorded "Show Me the Way" for "Frampton Comes Alive!" at Long Island Arena in 1975. Credit: Wolfgang's Vault / Joe Sia, 1975
When reading "This Date in History" in Newsday, I remember many of those events. Sometimes I am stunned to see something that seems as if it happened yesterday but actually occurred 30, 40 or even 50 years ago.
Here's one that happened 61 years ago, on April 7, 1965. Long Island won its first professional hockey championship at the original "Barn," the Long Island Arena in Commack. The Long Island Ducks of the Eastern Hockey League defeated the Nashville Dixie Flyers, 3-1, to win the Walker Cup before 4,300 fans.
Suffolk County was still growing, and the area was as much a rural community as it was suburbia. Long Island Arena was billed as the Madison Square Garden of the East by Tom Lockhart, president of the American Hockey Association, who had the idea of building it on those 22 acres.
The arena was the site of political rallies, including 1960 presidential candidates John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon. And more: wrestling, boxing, roller derby, the circus. The New Jersey Americans of the American Basketball Association moved there in 1968 and changed their name to the New York Nets. Now, they're the Brooklyn Nets. (The arena closed in 1996; these days you'll find a strip of stores anchored by Target on the south side of Veterans Highway.)
Singer Peter Frampton recorded the live version of his hit song "Show Me the Way" for his iconic "Frampton Comes Alive!" album at the arena in 1975. Eight years earlier, The Who and the Beach Boys performed in that space. It wasn't just rock concerts, though. You could see Tony Bennett, Connie Francis, Louis Armstrong and even the Boston Pops.
The best-known tenant in these parts, however, was the Long Island Ducks, owned by Al Baron. During the championship season, he had to spar with the Town of Smithtown just to keep the doors open after the town found safety violations. Baron's swashbuckling Ducks were a rough group led by legendary tough guy John Brophy. The crowds could also be a bit tough. Baron often said, "It's the only place where the players stop to watch the fights in the stands."
Baron was much more than just an owner. He broadcast the championship game over radio station WPAC when the Ducks won Long Island's first championship on April 7, 1965, on this date in history.
Joseph Rossi, West Babylon
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