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 On May 25, 1965 , world heavyweight boxing champ
Muhammed Ali (then known as Cassius Clay) fought his rematch against
Sonny Liston. The fight remains to this day one of the most
controversial in boxing history as Ali knocked Liston out with what is
always referred to as "the phantom punch". The fight produced arguably
the most famous photograph in fight history with the snapshot image of a
brash Ali taunting his rival Liston to get off the mat. Many in the
sparse crowd had not even settled into their seats when the fight was
stopped.
The Maine Nordiques were the primary tenant at the Civic Center from
1973 to 1977. The colorful team with a cast of characters right out of
the movie Slap Shot were members of the old North American Hockey
League. The Quebec Nordiques, then a member of the World Hockey
Association were the parent team of the Maine Nordiques. Players such as
Alan Globensky, Paul Larose and Richard Brodeur gained a strong local
following with hockey fans in the Lewiston/Auburn area. In the end, it
was the demise of the league itself that cut the Nordique era short.
The Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association featuring
Coach Red Aurbach and standout Bob Cousy, played exhibition games at the
Civic Center taking advantage of what was at the time the largest
portable floor in the world. The founder of the Celtics, Walter Brown
was a hockey fan first and foremost and actually had a financial hand in
the building’s construction.
The longest continuous tenants of the Civic Center have been playing
hockey on Birch Street since the building’s inception in 1958. The
strong showing of Lewiston and St. Dom's high schools has resulted in
several state and New England high school championships through the
years. The high school tournaments to this day continue to bring in a
raucous audience of rabid fans and serve as a reminder of why the Civic
Center was built in the first place.
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