A Decade Later, Maple Leaf Gardens Stands and Waits Alone

http://tinyurl.com/aepf39
Posted Feb 13th 2009 2:00PM by Ted Starkey (author feed)
Filed Under: Maple Leafs, NHL Economics

Ten years ago tonight, the Maple Leafs played their final game at Maple Leaf Gardens, a 6-2 loss to the Blackhawks that ended a 68-year run for the franchise at the old barn off Carlton Street, as the team moved down Yonge Street to their new home, Air Canada Centre.

But a decade later, the last of the NHL's Original Six arenas still is standing, waiting for its fate.

The old Boston Garden and Chicago Stadium were turned into parking lots for their teams' new buildings. The Montreal Forum is now living a new life as an entertainment complex. Madison Square Garden lives on in name only, as the current home of the Rangers only has been open since 1968. Detroit's Olympia is long gone, having been torn down in 1980 when the team moved to Joe Louis Arena.

Even the Aud in Buffalo, while only an NHL arena since the Sabres joined the NHL in 1970 but built in 1939 and which housed the AHL's Bisons for years, is currently getting taken apart piece-by-piece and will be gravel by May.

One junior hockey owner wanted to take the Garden and put the St. Michael's major team in there, but the Leafs' owner didn't want it to be used as competition to their new building.

Then, five years ago, the Canadian grocery chain Loblaw's bought the Garden, wanting to turn it into a superstore. But with some disputes in the neighborhood and the downturn of the economy, that plan has been shelved.
Loblaw was supposed to keep the Gardens' facade and build a flagship superstore at the site. But after announcing two years ago it was about to begin a cleanup that would be followed by a 22-month construction for the store, those plans have been shelved.
"Loblaw is still intending to develop Maple Leaf Gardens into a grocery store," Loblaw spokesperson David Primorac said. "Currently, our main focus is on improving our existing stores prior to building new stores in the greater Toronto area."
Still, it's a sad fate for the last of the old barns, as while the new buildings have the bells-and-whistles - and money-making revenue streams which make them desirable for their owners - they lack the charm of the old buildings. There was something special about seeing a game at Boston Garden or the Montreal Forum, while TD Banknorth Garden and the Bell Centre are more corporate and resemble features of the other buildings constructed in this era.

The Aud, after sitting unused for over a decade, finally succumbed to demolition this past year, remarkably in decent shape for sitting around unused for a dozen years, even as fans walking to HSBC Arena parked in front of the old for games.

For Canadians, seeing the yellow rails of tiny Maple Leaf Gardens and its steep stands was a staple of Hockey Night and Canada, and while the ACC certainly holds its own, it's still not the same experience. Parts of "Cinderella Man" were filmed in the Garden as a throwback to the 1930s, as it was small, intimate and the fans were on top of the action.

It was the last of the old buildings to close, and now it stands waiting to join the others in the pages of history.