Matthews Arena

Coordinates: 42°20′28″N 71°5′4″W / 42.34111°N 71.08444°W / 42.34111; -71.08444
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
(Redirected from
Boston Arena
)

Matthews Arena
CAA) (1930–1943, 1946–present)
WIT Leopards (ECAC) (1992–present)
Harvard Crimson men's ice hockey (independent/IHL/TL/QL/PL) (1911–1917, 1921–1943, 1945–1956)
Boston College Eagles men's ice hockey (independent) (1917–1929, 1932–1943, 1945–1958)
Boston University Terriers men's ice hockey (independent/ECAC
) (1918–1943, 1945–1971)
) (1972–1973)
Entrance to the arena, showing the original arch from Boston Arena now enclosed by bricks.

Matthews Arena (formerly Boston Arena) is a

multi-purpose arena in Boston, Massachusetts. It is the world's oldest multi-purpose athletic building still in use, as well as the oldest arena in use for ice hockey.[2][3]

The arena opened in 1910 on what is now the east end of

.

Today, Matthews Arena is owned by the university. It is used by the Northeastern Huskies men's and women's ice hockey teams, and men's basketball team as well as various high school ice hockey programs in the city of Boston. The venue also hosts Northeastern's graduation ceremonies, its annual Springfest concert, and other events.

The closest MBTA station is the

Symphony
station is two blocks northwest.

History

Originally named the Boston Arena, groundbreaking took place on October 11, 1909. The 1896 United States skating champion Herbert S. Evans dug the first portion of earth. The arena was to have a capacity of 5,000 and was to be used for ice skating, curling, horse shows, and a variety of sporting events.[4] The arena had its own power plant, which powered the two 100-ton ice machines and all of the arena's lighting. Charles C. Abbey was the first president and treasurer of the Boston Arena Company and William T. Richardson was the building's first general manager.[5] The arena was scheduled to open on Christmas Day 1909, but construction delays pushed back the opening until April 25, 1910.[4] The arena's inaugural event was an ice carnival to benefit the Sharon Sanatorium. Skating events were held throughout the day, including a performance by Irving Brokaw. The area's first ice hockey game was won by the Harvard Freshmen hockey team, who defeated Newton High School, 4–0. The Harvard varsity squad played later that evening, losing to Crescent H. C., 1–0.[6] The Arena's original ice surface was larger than the current standard at 220-by-90-foot (67 m × 27 m).[7]

The Arena was partially destroyed by fire on December 18, 1918. It was rebuilt, and the new facility opened January 1, 1921, with an ice show.[8] Harvard played the first hockey game after being reopened, January 8, 1921, against Kings College.

Interior of Boston Arena in December 1920.

The first games of professional ice hockey at the Arena took place in March 1911 when a two-game $2,500 competition between two

most historic rivalry with the Montreal Canadiens being initiated only one week later.[11] The Bruins left the Arena in 1928 when Tex Rickard's new indoor sports facility in Boston, the Boston Garden, was completed. The WHA
's New England Whalers played some of their first-season home games at the Arena in 1972–73.

Matthews is where the hockey programs of Boston College, Boston University, Harvard, MIT, Northeastern University, Tufts University, Boston State College (later merged into the University of Massachusetts Boston) and Wentworth Institute of Technology all began.

In basketball, the Boston Celtics played their first game at the Arena in 1946, and played at the Arena until 1955.[3]

The Arena was purchased in 1979 by Northeastern University. The Arena was renamed in 1982 when Northeastern alumnus George J. Matthews helped fund its refurbishment. The arena was briefly known as Northeastern Arena as well. A 1995 renovation expanded the ice surface from 200 by 80 to 200 by 90 feet (61 m × 24 m to 61 m × 27 m).

Le Colisée de Québec both had split benches for much of their histories. The reason behind this arrangement was so teams could have their benches adjacent to their dressing rooms, which were across the ice from each other for security reasons. Most modern facilities solved this dilemma not by placing dressing rooms on opposite sides of the ice, as those arenas did, but rather on opposite ends on the same side of the rink. However this arrangement still exists in American collegiate hockey, as even some newer venues such as Conte Forum at Boston College or Compton Family Ice Arena
at Notre Dame have split benches.

Matthews Arena has played host to many famous people and events during its lifetime. Matthews hosted every president from Theodore Roosevelt in 1912 to John F. Kennedy in 1946. Other dignitaries to hold events at the arena include Charles Lindbergh and Amelia Earhart. Boxing was once a mainstay at the arena and hosted bouts with Jack Sharkey, Jack Dempsey, Gene Tunney, Joe Louis and Marvin Hagler. Muhammad Ali trained at what was called Santos Gym, where the Varsity Club now sits, for his second bout with Sonny Liston. Professional wrestling events were also staged there. In the 1950s the arena also hosted the Rodeo led by Roy Rogers and Dale Evans.

Matthews Arena also proved famous as a concert venue during much of its lifetime. On Saturday evening May 3, 1958 the 'Big Beat' Rock n Roll show hosted by

WBCN
the next day.

Mathews Arena converted for basketball for a Northeastern Huskies men's basketball game.

Matthews has hosted all or part of the

Beanpot tournament between Boston's four major college hockey programs.[13]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Matthews Arena". Northeastern University. Retrieved February 27, 2017.
  2. ^ a b "Northeastern University Athletics Official Website". Gonu.com. Retrieved March 18, 2011.
  3. ^ a b c Katy Fitzpatrick (October 2, 2009). ""New Season Brings Renovated Arena for Northeastern," USCHO.com, October 2, 2009". Uscho.com. Archived from the original on January 9, 2010. Retrieved March 18, 2011.
  4. ^ a b "Work Begun on New Arena". The Boston Daily Globe. October 12, 1909.
  5. ^ "Building to be Pushed". The Boston Daily Globe. November 29, 1909.
  6. ^ "Crowd Out for Ice Carnival". The Boston Daily Globe. April 26, 1910.
  7. ^ a b Ross 2015, p. 113.
  8. ^ "New Arena Ice Palace Opens". Boston Post. January 2, 1921. p. 19.
  9. ^ "Wanderers lose the $2,500 purse". Montreal Gazette. March 27, 1911. p. 10.
  10. ^ "NHL hockey came to the U.S. on Dec. 1, 1924". nhl.com. National Hockey League. December 1, 2008. Retrieved December 4, 2016. The National Hockey League celebrates another historic anniversary...remembering the first NHL game played in the United States, as the Boston Bruins hosted the Montreal Maroons, both expansion teams, at the Boston Arena on Dec. 1, 1924.
  11. ^ "Canadiens Downed Boston, Rallying in Final Period". The Montreal Gazette. Boston, MA USA. Canadian Press. December 9, 1924. p. 16. Retrieved June 12, 2017. The world champion Canadiens defeated Boston in a fast game here tonight, 4-3, incidentally giving 5,000 Boston hockey fans the best exhibition of the Canadian game on record here.
  12. ^ "D1 Men's Ice Hockey". NCAA.
  13. ^ Klein, Jeff Z. (December 29, 2009). "Matthews Arena, the Ice Rink That Changed Boston Hockey". New York Times. Retrieved December 30, 2009.

Bibliography

  • Ross, J. Andrew (2015). Joining the Clubs: The Business of the National Hockey League to 1945. Syracuse University Press. .

External links

Preceded by
none
Home of
Boston University Terriers men's ice hockey

1917 – 1971
Succeeded by
Preceded by
none
Home of the
Boston Bruins

1924–1928
Succeeded by
Preceded by
none
Home of the
Boston Celtics

1946–1955
Succeeded by
Preceded by
none
Home of the
New England Whalers

1972–1973
Succeeded by
Eastern States Coliseum