Maple Leaf Gardens was an historic indoor arena located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It opened on November 12, 1931, and was the home of the Toronto Maple Leafs of the National Hockey League (NHL) until the team moved to the Air Canada Centre (now Scotiabank Arena) in 1999.
The arena was designed by architects Ross and Macdonald, who also designed the Château Laurier hotel in Ottawa and the Royal York hotel in Toronto. It was built at a cost of $1.5 million.
Maple Leaf Gardens was the first arena in Canada to feature a center-hung scoreboard, which became a standard feature in sports arenas worldwide. The arena also hosted a variety of events beyond hockey, including concerts, boxing matches, wrestling events, political rallies, and religious gatherings.
The building was known for its iconic red-brick exterior and unique “garden-like” interior, with seats arranged in a circular pattern around the ice. The arena had a seating capacity of 16,000 for hockey games and was known for its loud, passionate crowds.
Over the years, Maple Leaf Gardens played host to many memorable moments in sports and entertainment history. It was the site of the first NHL All-Star Game in 1947, and it also hosted several Stanley Cup Finals, including the famous 1967 series in which the Maple Leafs defeated the Montreal Canadiens in six games. The arena also hosted concerts by many famous musicians, including Elvis Presley, The Beatles, and Led Zeppelin.
After the Maple Leafs moved to the Air Canada Centre in 1999, Maple Leaf Gardens was largely unused for several years. The building was eventually sold and converted into a grocery store and athletic facility, with the ice rink and the famous wooden seats from the original arena still intact. Today, the building is known as Mattamy Athletic Centre at the Gardens, and it serves as a hub for sports, recreation, and community events in the heart of Toronto. Despite its new uses, Maple Leaf Gardens remains an important piece of Toronto’s sports and cultural history.
Thanks for your time. Please leave comments and suggestions below.
