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The San Francisco Bulls hockey team begins its season at the Cow Palace tomorrow night. By my count, this is the 147th reinvention of the Daly City arena, which has hosted two Republican national conventions, multiple Exotic Erotic Balls and everything in between.

Maybe it’s the name, but the Cow Palace doesn’t get the respect it deserves. Ask yourself this: How many formative moments from your Bay Area upbringing happened in the Cow Palace? I’m guessing that everyone who has been here 40 years or more has at least five.

I would argue that historically speaking, the Cow Palace is the most culturally significant chunk of real estate in the Bay Area. Did Evel Knievel ever jump 15 cars and break his ankle on a pole at the Fillmore West or Davies Symphony Hall?

Two professional sports teams, the Beatles, Elvis and the San Francisco Bay Bombers roller derby team all played at the Cow Palace. It’s the only venue I know that has hosted Richard Nixon, Wayne Gretzky and both Van Halen and Van Hagar. Yes, Candlestick Park was blessed by The Pope and “The Catch.” But the Cow Palace featured some of the earliest battles between Wilt Chamberlain and Bill Russell, and Rowdy Roddy Piper and Jimmy “The Superfly” Snuka. And that’s a checkmate.

Above is my photo tribute, showing all the cool stuff at the Cow Palace over the past 71 years. A few more thoughts after this Evel Knievel article …

* Yes, there are a few great Cow Palace moments missing. The 1967 NBA All-Star game was played at the Cow Palace. I was also hoping to find photos from Elvis in 1970, the Pink Floyd “Wish You Were Here” tour, and the 1973 The Who show where Keith Moon passed out and a drummer from the audience took his place.

(Glass is half full, people. We’ve got Knievel.)

* I intentionally left out the Dickens Fair and the garden show.

* The rest of the KISS photos were amazing. Cheap Trick opened, and photographer Stephanie Maze spent a lot of time roaming the Cow Palace, capturing the fandom in all of its 1977 glory. If there’s enough interest, I’ll post those as next week’s Let’s Go to the Morgue! entry. If you were there, chances are good you’re in the photos.

* My ultimate Cow Palace moment was my very first concert — Van Hagar on the 5150 tour with my friends Matt and Melissa. The basics are covered here.

* I’m excited about Bulls hockey, and not just because their coach/owner Pat Curcio was supremely cool when I made fun of the team’s name last year. I think the blue collar approach of ECHL hockey is a good fit for the Cow Palace, which looks better than it has in years because of the Bulls renovation. Hopefully this delays the talk about shutting the place down for a little while. Go Bulls!

I’m looking forward to hearing your Cow Palace memories in the comments!

PETER HARTLAUB is the pop culture critic at the San Francisco Chronicle and founder/editor of The Big Event. He takes requests. Contact him at phartlaub@sfchronicle.com. Follow him on Twitter @peterhartlaub. Follow The Big Event on Facebook.

Article source: http://blog.sfgate.com/thebigevent/2012/10/11/touch-of-evel-a-tribute-to-the-cow-palace/