BOSTON — Brad Marchand didn’t realize he was about to reach the entrance until it appeared in front of him on St. Botolph Street.
Matthews Arena, one of Boston’s most historic sports landmarks, hides inconspicuously among the buildings in its Huntington Avenue neighborhood and Northeastern University campus.
Marchand was visiting earlier this year for a photo shoot promoting the Bruins' 100th-anniversary game. Like many of the thousands of people who pass through that busy area, Marchand had no idea that the oldest hockey arena in the world was there.
“We pulled up and I’m like where’s the rink?” he said. “It’s kind of disguised in there.”
But as he laced up his skates and took to the ice, the Bruins captain marveled at the scene around him. Even with the modern amenities that have been shoe-horned inside, it still feels like a building from another time.
The curved roof with wooden ceiling slats and the old columns that have been painted and repainted over and over again make it feel like stepping into the colorized version of a sepia-toned painting.
Matthews Arena
Northeastern's Matthews Arena, formerly Matthews Arena is the oldest hockey rink in the United States.Matt Vautour
“I like the character in the old rinks. The amount of games and guys who went through there,” Marchand said. “It was unique the way it was built. I loved the aura in it.”
In a world of interchangeable civic centers, Matthews Arena is a wonderful old hockey barn.
Sure, there’s a jumbotron now and the seats attached to the building’s old cement bones are more comfortable than the ones installed in 1909 when it opened three years before Fenway Park. But it’s still a hockey barn.
Matthews, which was known as Boston Arena until Northeastern took over in 1979, has been most closely associated with hockey over its 115 years. That includes today. The Huskies' two most beloved and successful teams are their men’s and women’s hockey teams.
But a lot of history happened not far from where Marchand posed that day and not just on the ice.
Among the highlights:
The Bruins played their first game there in 1924 as part of four seasons in the building. They hosted the Stanley Cup Finals there in 1927.
Boston Arena held rallies for candidates of the Democratic, Republican and Bull Moose Parties. President Theodore Roosevelt delivered a speech there in 1910 and future President Franklin Delano Roosevelt held one of his last rallies of the 1932 campaign there on Halloween.
Charles Lindbergh and Amelia Earhart were both honored there in 1927 and 1928 respectively.
The Celtics debuted at Boston Arena with a loss to the Chicago Stags in 1946.
Champion boxer Marvin Hagler and wrestling legends Bruno Sanmartino and Killer Kowalski all fought there.
Jim Morrisson was famously drunk on stage there in 1970 for a show that became the Doors' “Live in Boston” album.
But that history is easier to discover from a Google search than by exploring the building. The history at Matthews is as hard to find as its entrance. Northeastern has long underplayed the building’s considerable mystique.
In a city that cherishes its history, that adored the old Boston Garden and clings to Fenway Park, Matthews Arena is still open. It should be a tourist attraction for every sports history nerd. It could be a functioning museum. But other than two relatively inconspicuous banners hanging from the rafters marking that the Bruins and Celtics used to play there, there’s little to let a visitor know how special the building they’re standing in is.
The outer arena should have big black-and-white photos and plaques on the walls, reminding visitors that they’re walking in the footsteps of pioneers. They’re about to see hockey in the same place where Eddie Shore and Lionel Hitchmen battled King Clancy and Jack Adams for one of the first Stanley Cups back in 1927.
Northeastern is missing out on chances to make money. There are no $12 dollar tours. Fans can’t buy T-shirts, pint glasses, commemorative pucks or any of the other souvenirs sports tourists collect. The Old Boston Garden has been closed for 30 years and it’s still easy to find a T-Shirt celebrating its history. Matthews has nothing.
The lack of celebration of the building is especially sad now because its days are numbered. One area of second deck seats are already no longer in use for safety reasons. The school has proposed a new, modern $350 million multi-sport complex that it’s hoping to open in 2028. That would require tearing down Matthews Arena soon and building on its vacated lot. It still needs final approval, but it’s inevitable now.
That means Northeastern will finish this year and start its 2025-26 hockey season on St. Botolph Street before leaving mid-year.
While it’s a necessary move, it’s still sad. There aren’t many ol’ barns left. Northeastern should celebrate the one it still has for its final days until the doors close and the puck drops for the last time.
Marchand was glad he got to see it.
“It’s nice playing in a nice new arena,” he said. “But those are the rinks you remember.”
Boston Arena
Boston Arena hosted then Presidential candidate Franklin D. Roosevelt on Oct. 31, 1932 in the Boston Arena, Massachusetts. At the left is Boston Mayor James M. Curley. (AP Photo)ASSOCIATED PRESS
Real Jeopardy!
Sports clues from actual editions of America’s favorite quiz show. As always, mind the date:
CATEGORY: More than an Athlete $1200 - July 11, 2013:
“This Red Sox legend had a brother who died of leukemia, helping inspire his timeless work with the Jimmy Fund starting in 1953″
— Answer below
NHL should move Winter Classic date
NHL should consider moving its Winter Classic to February. When the league created the popular annual outdoor game, it hoped that Jan. 1 would become synonymous with the Winter Classic.
But changes in college football are going to significantly limit the venues available. In the new College Football Playoff, the quarterfinals are now played at campus sites.
While only four teams will actually host, there are dozens of others who go into every year believing or at least hoping they could be good enough to reach the quarterfinal. So they have to leave those dates open, making their stadiums unavailable.
NFL playoffs are also in January, so their stadiums are mostly unavailable too. That leaves the NHL with baseball parks and assorted other random stadiums to choose from.
The venue is what makes these games. If the NHL moves it to February - maybe as an Olympics, World Cup of Hockey or All-Star game appetizer — almost every outdoor venue is available.
The Top 5
Top 5 Sites for an outdoor hockey game
Whether it’s the Stadium Series or the Winter Classic, there are some great choices available.
5 — Indianapolis Motor Speedway - They could create racecar-themed uniforms for the event, and the winners would drink huge glasses of milk.
4 — Lambeau Field - I’m going to trademark “The Winter Classic on the Frozen Tundra” right now. With no Milwaukee or Wisconsin team, the NHL could get creative with who plays there.
3 — University of Washington — Sitting just off the edge of Lake Washington’s Union Bay, Husky Stadium would make a terrific scene for the game.
2 — Churchill Downs — Picture uniforms with a jockey theme. Fans wearing big fancy hats. A trumpet could play the “Call to Post” right before the puck drops.
1 — West Point — Michie Stadium should be a bucket list spot for any sports fan. Picture Army skydivers bringing in the puck as mist rises off of Lusk Reservoir in the background.
Army
Army, left, kicks off to Stanford during the first half of an NCAA college football game at Michie Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 14, 2013, in West Point, N.Y. (AP Photo/Mike Groll)AP
Even the gall is bigger in Texas...
It’s stunning just how tone-deaf Dallas Mavericks management is. Shortly after the incredibly unpopular trade that sent Luka Doncic to the Lakers for Anthony Davis, they announced season ticket prices were going up by almost 9 percent.
That’s right Mavs fans will now get to pay more to see a worse team without their favorite player.
He got how much?
The Athletic is reporting that ESPN just finalized a new deal with Stephen A. Smith for five years and $100 million. Who knew spouting hot takes while looking performatively angry all the time was worth that much?
At least he can afford Mavericks tickets.
Punching pictures
I’d been compiling these fighting photos for a story I planned to eventually do with Trent Frederic about fighting. I never quite got to it and now he’s an Edmonton Oiler. So rather than having it go to waste, I’m putting it here:
1/19
Trent Frederic fighting
Real Jeopardy! Question:
Ted Williams.
Sneak Peek at Tuesday Headline:
This is a prediction headline
Gut feeling says the Patriots' top target will rejoin his old team.Fake Headline INC
When legal tampering begins, the best free agent tackle available is going to stay put.
Last week: I had Derrick White hitting a buzzer beater to beat the Nuggets. There was no buzzer-beater, but White’s offensive rebound followed by a made jumper with 53.1 seconds left sealed the game for the Celtics. So as predictions go — B+.
MESN
For a sports network that has the Red Sox and Bruins in Boston, the New England Sports Network should have been starting on second base. But both the TV network and the website have always been worse than they could have been with shift leadership and missions.
I feel confident that Thursday’s mass layoffs won’t in any way make NESN better.
Finally...
If you need me, I’ll be listening to Irish music at the Chieftan in Plainville.
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