Some new activity at the old arena!

With eight months left in the $60-million Ryerson University renovation of the upper portion of Maple Leaf Gardens, new sketches of the plans show an effort to keep the spirit of the former hockey shrine in the new, scaled-down rink.

See article at: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/toronto/spirit-of-maple-leaf-gardens-lives-on-in-reno/article1649233/

MAPLE LEAF GARDENS TO REOPEN AS SPORTS FACILITY WITH STORES

Courtesy of http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=300652

THE CANADIAN PRESS
12/1/2009 10:06:23 AM

TORONTO -- The sound of slapshots and blades carving the ice will reverberate through the roof girders of Maple Leaf Gardens for years to come under a plan to remake part of the storied building into a university sports complex.

The gold, red, blue and grey seating sections won't survive the remodelling, but a new NHL-sized rink will be built under a plan that will also see recreation facilities and a grocery store occupy the former hockey temple on Carlton Street.

"You'll be looking straight up at that roof as you play hockey, at the original Maple Leaf Gardens roof," said Galen Weston, executive chairman of Loblaw Companies Ltd., which bought the building in 2004.

"(That) will be quite a thrill for all of us who have the luxury of getting a chance to skate on this ice again."

The $60-million Ryerson University Sports and Recreation Centre will be financed through $20 million from Ottawa's economic stimulus plan and an equal amount from increased student fees. The remaining $20 million will come from a joint fundraising effort from the university and Loblaw, with the grocer pledging $5 million to get the ball rolling.

Seats from the Gardens and memorabilia will be auctioned off to help fund the project, said Weston.

The sports facilities will be on the upper level of the remodelled building. The grocery store will be on the ground level and the old arena floor will be dug up to create a parking garage, adding an additional $20 to $25 million to the bill.

After it reopens in the spring 2011, the Ryerson Rams men's hockey team will play games under the same roof that was home to the Maple Leafs for decades, including 11 Stanley Cup championship teams.

"With today's announcement we're keeping Maple Leaf Gardens as a special place for generations of Canadians to come," said Federal Finance Minister Jim Flaherty.

The facade of the building will remain as well.

It's through those doors that music fans also streamed in over the years, including crowds clamouring to see Elvis Presley gyrate and croon in 1957 and The Beatles perform in all three of their North American tours in the 1960s.

In addition to the rink, the sports centre will host a four-lane, 200-metre running track, basketball and volleyball courts with telescoping bleachers, a fitness centre, a gym and academic space.

"We are bringing Maple Leaf Gardens back to life," said Ryerson president Sheldon Levy. "Our varsity sports and athletics will have the facilities and opportunities to excel."

While the Maple Leaf Gardens sign will be kept, the fate of the big score clock is up in the air.

"It's been dismantled. It doesn't actually work. So, we're going to need to think through exactly what we're going to do with it," said Weston.

Gary Miedema, a historian with Heritage Toronto, said he's excited there's a plan for the building's future and that it includes an ice rink.

Maple Leaf Gardens is a sports and cultural icon, he said.

With its hockey broadcasts on radio from the 1930s through the 1960s, Maple Leaf Gardens was important to Canadian identity and was likely the best known building in the country second only to the Parliament Buildings, he said, quoting historian Michael Bliss.

"There's so much hockey history that's just central to not just the history of Toronto, but obviously important to the country as well," said Miedema.

"There's great stories of events that took place in there from The Who, Elvis Presley, and The Beatles playing in that building to political rallies including Prime Minister (Pierre Elliott) Trudeau.

"Then, of course, Winston Churchill spoke there in 1932."

Duke Ellington, Frank Sinatra, Bob Dylan and Bob Hope are also among numerous performers to have taken the stage there.

On March 29, 1966, Muhammad Ali fought George Chuvalo at the Gardens -- Chuvalo lost the fight on a decision.

The Gardens, built by Leafs managing director Conn Smythe, opened in 1931, hosting its first Maple Leaf game on Nov. 12 that year, when the Leafs lost 2-1 to the Chicago Blackhawks.

In 1947, the first annual All-Star NHL game took place at the Gardens. In 1972, Team Canada beat the U.S.S.R. 4-1 in Game 2 of their Summit Series at the building.

The Leafs moved down the street to the Air Canada Centre in February 1999 and Loblaw bought the Gardens in 2004 from Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment.

Jimmy Holstrom at the keyboard!

Fireworks from the scoreboard!

Private box menua from 96-97

Winning lottery ticket notification for the last game at MLG

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.

Decade in the dark

From: http://tinyurl.com/bc8364

TIM WHARNSBY
From Friday's Globe and Mail
February 12, 2009 at 9:31 PM EST

TORONTO — George Bigliardi admits he is at a crossroads in his professional life.

The popular Toronto restaurateur, who in 1977 opened Bigliardi's on Church Street, two blocks north of Maple Leaf Gardens, is considering his options on what to do with his once-trendy eating place.

Since the final Toronto Maple Leafs game was played at the Gardens, 10 years ago today, business at Bigliardi's has slowed.

Does he sell? Does he move to another location? Does he attempt to reinvent the steakhouse that was the place to be seen before and after Leafs games?

"It's really a sad thing," Bigliardi said. "I have loyal clients and was hoping they would still come here, but they don't come back that often. I guess I'm a little too far from the [Leafs' current home at the Air Canada Centre]."

Bigliardi has entertained many celebrities such as Frank Sinatra, Tony Curtis and Joe Torre at his place since he opened the doors, but there was nothing like the atmosphere at Bigliardi's on a game night.

Often customers would return to the restaurant after two periods, hand a ticket over to Bigliardi so he could run down and catch the third. Now, when Bigliardi either walks or drives by the Gardens at the northwest corner of Carlton and Church Streets, he is saddened to see the empty 78-year-old hockey shrine.

"It was a wonderful place," Bigliardi said. "It was like part of the family, but now that part of the family is gone."

Bigliardi said the odd player or hockey executive periodically visits and recently Detroit Red Wings senior vice-president Jim Devellano, a Toronto resident, brought the Stanley Cup to celebrate with his friends at the restaurant.

The Gardens saw the Leafs win Stanley Cups, Canada beat the Soviet Union in the 1972 Summit Series, Muhammad Ali box, Elvis Presley and the Beatles perform.

The Toronto Raptors played their final NBA game at the Gardens four days before the Leafs' swan song. After the Leafs' finale at the Gardens, the only remaining tenant was the Toronto Rock, but following their National Lacrosse League championship seasons in 1999 and 2000, the Rock also moved down the road to the ACC.

Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment didn't close on a deal to sell the Gardens building until July of 2004, for an estimated $13-million to supermarket operator Loblaw Cos. Ltd.

Prior to the sale there were different ideas floated on what to do with the historic venue. There were whispers about a condominium development or turning the sports arena into an entertainment complex. Building supply giant Home Depot was interested in snapping up the venue.

Ottawa Senators owner Eugene Melnyk wanted to buy the property for his junior team, the St. Michael's Majors of the Ontario Hockey League, and as a concert venue. But MLSE didn't want the competition and rejected Melnyk's proposal.

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."

The building has been home to only a few happenings since the Rock moved out. Part of the movie Cinderella Man, about depression-era boxer James Braddock, was filmed there.

Last September, actor Matt Damon hosted a charity concert at MLG in support of OneXOne during the Toronto International Film Festival, and a few weeks later, part of the city's annual Nuit Blanche contemporary art celebration was held there.

The Last Game

Chicago Blackhawks enforcer Bob Probert scored the final NHL goal at Maple Leaf Gardens a decade ago, when he beat Toronto Maple Leafs goalie Curtis Joseph at 11 minutes 5 seconds of the third period. Here are the rosters from the finale the Hawks won 6-2:

Chicago

Goalies Jocelyn Thibault, Mark Fitzpatrick

Defence Brad Brown, Christian Laflamme, Doug Zmolek, Chris Chelios, Dave Manson, Jamie Allison

Forwards Tony Amonte, Nelson Emerson, Chad Kilger, Ed Olczyk, Ethan Moreau, Mark Janssens, Jean-Yves Leroux, Bob Probert, Todd White, Reid Simpson, Eric Dazé, Doug Gilmour

Toronto

Goalies Curtis Joseph, Glenn Healy

Defence Sylvain Côté, Jason Smith, Bryan Berard, Dmitri Yushkevich, Dany Markov, Alexander Karpovtsev

Forwards Derek King, Todd Warriner, Garry Valk, Steve Sullivan, Kris King, Mats Sundin, Fredrik Modin, Mike Johnson, Igor Korolev, Tie Domi, Steve Thomas, Sergei Berezin

A decade has passed since Leafs vacated Gardens

Can't believe its been 10 years since I was in Toronto!
--------------------------------------------------------
Howard Berger, National Post Published: Friday, February 13, 2009

"We all laugh and we all cry; we all live and we all die; but through it all and in between ... time flies."

-- Canadian country singer Johnny Reid

TAMPA, Fla. -- How can it possibly be an entire decade since the Toronto Maple Leafs and Chicago Blackhawks played the final National Hockey League game at Maple Leaf Gardens?

The weathered shrine on Carlton Street sits lonely and deserted -- almost beckoning for recognition 10 years after the night its most famous tenant moved out. The Blackhawks obliterated the Maple Leafs 6-2 in a game that seemed almost an intrusion after the enormous build-up to the event. The irony lingers that perhaps never in the 68-plus years of the Gardens' existence had a Leafs game been so utterly anti-climactic.

But, memories never seem to fade ... memories of the building as a centrepiece of hockey history, and of a final night that brought together every former Toronto player that could make it back one last time.

"I never would have guessed it's already been 10 years," said Liberal parliamentarian Ken Dryden, who ran the Leafs as president and general manager in 1998-99, and spent countless hours planning for the closing ceremony. "The Gardens was a great, iconic place for the Maple Leafs, but it was time for a new arena; for Leafs fans and the city of Toronto to enjoy the benefits of a next-generation building."

That next generation would open its doors one week later, when the Air Canada Centre hosted its first NHL game between the Maple Leafs and Montreal Canadiens.

But the final night in the hot, steamy Gardens -- with the baritone-static voice of public-address announcer Paul Morris calling goals, assists and penalties; with the brilliant panel of television lights shimmering down from the west-side girders, and the spectators hovering from end-zone seats that clung to the building's walls ... well, it's already the stuff of legend.

"When planning for that final-night ceremony, it was so important that we do it properly," said Dryden, who had played numerous games in the Gardens as a goaltender during the Canadiens' Stanley Cup dynasty of the 1970s.

"The Habs had closed the Montreal Forum three years earlier and I'd been part of an absolutely perfect ceremony. I remember thinking how that had to be the formula for the last night at the Gardens -- with the players coming out on the red carpet."

But Dryden knew itcouldn't be done exactly the same way.

"The Leafs and Montreal had different histories and it had to be reflected in the post-game ceremony," he said. "If we had replicated what the Canadiens did [in 1996], it would have been embarrassing. The Habs had great stars and living legends [Maurice Richard, Jean Beliveau, Guy Lafleur] that had won numerous Stanley Cups. They were the focal point of the last night at the Forum.

"The Leafs hadn't won in many years, and were not as influenced by a small group of former stars. So, what we did is simply invite every ex-Toronto player we could find. We told them, 'You were a part of it, come along and join us.' And it was obvious how meaningful it became for so many of them.

"The top 10 or 20 stars of a franchise often get a chance to be seen in public," Dryden said. "The players beyond that group rarely do. So, it was wonderful to watch as several hundred former Leafs of all description had their last moment in the spotlight."

A particular memory from that night still causes Dryden to burst out in laughter. It involved Red Horner, the rugged Leafs defenceman of the 1930s, who was closing in on 90 years of age.

"It was Red's responsibility to symbolically pass a Maple Leafs flag to our captain at the time, Mats Sundin," Dryden recalled. "Red was a great guy and in good health, but at an age where you don't go to bed past midnight very often.

"In the director's lounge, prior to the game, someone came up to me and said, 'Ken, you've got to go and talk to Red.' So, I went over and Red suggested that he might leave after the first period. He said he didn't want to get home too late, and hoped to avoid the post-game crowds and traffic.

"Well, my heart nearly sunk. I told him it's really important that he stay for the ceremony, because of his role in it. And, we made sure that as soon as he passed that banner to Mats, we'd quickly escort him out of the building and into a waiting car.

"Thank heavens he agreed."

Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment Ltd. sold the Gardens to the Loblaw grocery chain on Oct. 21, 2003. Plans to convert the arena into a retail/ grocery complex have not materialized. The building is immaculately maintained and has hosted the odd charity event through the years.

It is the last remaining edifice of the NHL's so-called Original Six era, with the Montreal Forum, the Boston Garden, Chicago Stadium, Detroit Olympia and old Madison Square Garden in New York all since demolished or converted to other means.

The last great season

Fitting picture and tribute after last night's ceremonies.

From ROY MacGREGOR, The Globe and Mail:

The last great season

A look back at the 1967 Maple Leafs, their cast of characters and their improbable run to the Stanley Cup -- a script that continued long after the glory. And who would have predicted Toronto's achievement would be unmatched in 40 years

"Seven . . . six . . . five . . . four . . . three . . . two . . . one! . . . The game is over! . . . The Leafs have won the Stanley Cup! . . . The crowd is going wild! . . . There is no use trying to talk against that uproar!!"

Foster Hewitt, May 2, 1967

They have made movies of the life of Rocket Richard and of the 1972 Summit Series, but there may be no richer material for a hockey drama than what took place in Toronto and Montreal that improbable spring of 40 years ago.

It was Centennial Year, and the Maple Leafs and the Canadiens -- the sole Canadian franchises in the National Hockey League -- were playing the national game for the most revered Canadian trophy, the Stanley Cup.

The powerful Canadiens -- two-time defending champions, the bleu, blanc et rouge of Jean Béliveau, Henri Richard, Yvan Cournoyer -- were hoping to display the prized Cup at Expo 67, which had opened only five days earlier in Montreal.

The '67 Leafs -- now all in their 60s, 70s and 80s -- somehow denied Montreal that glory and, tonight, will themselves be honoured at the Air Canada Centre as the '07 Leafs take on the Edmonton Oilers.

Forty years . . . and counting.

The Leafs of Centennial Year will be remembered as a team hardly expected to make the playoffs let alone the final, a team of kids and over-the-hill veterans, a team where the controlling coach and sensitive superstar could not bear to look at each other, let alone speak, and when it was over could not even shake each other's hand.

Punch Imlach, the fedora-wearing Toronto coach and general manager, was so superstitious he had a lucky jacket -- green and ugly -- made in Montreal and wore it faithfully to the end. He "tiled" the dressing room floor with 3,000 $1 bills in hopes of inspiring his players, the $3,000 representing the Stanley Cup bonus of the day and equal, approximately, to one regular-season shift today by a barely recognizable NHL player.

Then again, a good seat at that remarkable game cost $7.

It was a time of cheap seats and rich nicknames: Chief, the Big M, Snowshoes, the Entertainer, Boomer, Uke, Shaky -- and, of course, Punch, whose unused name was George.

Tyrannical and sentimental at the same time, Imlach stuck with his "over-the-hill gang" to the very end -- literally.

The heroes for Toronto were the six old veterans left on the ice for that final, tense minute of the sixth game of the series: George Armstrong, 36, Red Kelly, 39, and Bob Pulford, 31, on forward; Allan Stanley, 41, and Tim Horton, 37, on defence; and Terry Sawchuk, 37, in goal.

It is believed to be the oldest lineup ever sent over the boards in Stanley Cup history.

The strange man in goal, Sawchuk, had never expected to play, having been called into service in the fourth game after an injury to Johnny Bower.

Sawchuk had been so hung over he could barely see, and lost, only now back into his regular routine of a little snack, a little nap and, whenever possible, a little sex before the game.

For a scriptwriter, the storylines continued on long after the glory -- Sawchuk killed in a mysterious off-ice scrap with a teammate; Horton, whose name would soon come to mean doughnuts rather than pucks, killed in a car crash; Imlach and backup third goaltender Bruce Gamble dead early of heart attacks.

Little Davey Keon, just turned 27, walked away with the Conn Smythe Trophy as the most valuable player of the 1967 playoffs and would later, bitterly, walk away entirely from the Maple Leafs organization -- only to return tonight to what will most assuredly be an emotional reception.

It is a story of the players, but also of the game. When Armstrong, the captain, scored on an empty Montreal net at 19:13 of the final period, it marked the end of more than a single game.

"That was it," Kelly remembered. "They weren't going to get back in."

It was also the final game of Kelly's career, and the final game of the old six-team league.

"It was the end of an era," said Ron Ellis, one of the kids on that legendary team.

"Whoever won the Cup that year was going to be remembered."

True, but the Toronto Maple Leafs added something extra that only time would reveal.

Pierre Berton would one day look back on that Centennial birthday, 1967, and call it The Last Good Year.

He wrote the book that Leafs' fans have had to live.

Toronto has never won the Stanley Cup since.

The b.s. will be flying," former trainer Bobby Haggart said of tonight's celebrations. "Everybody will have his own version of what happened."

The more-or-less accepted version is as follows:

The Leafs had been a dynasty almost to equal the mighty Canadiens. Under Imlach's iron fist, they had won three successive Stanley Cups in the early years of the decade. They did so with the likes of Frank Mahovlich, who had blossomed into such a star that, at one point, Chicago Blackhawks owner James Norris had tried to buy him for $1-million.

Imlach had traded brilliantly to build his dynasty. He had turned all-star Detroit defenceman Kelly into a Toronto star at centre. He had plucked Bower, who is believed to have been 42 the spring of 1967, out of the minors and made him a top NHL goaltender. Imlach was, people said, a genius, and he agreed with them.

"Like a lot of people," Mahovlich, now a senator, said, "success goes to the head."

Mahovlich had liked Imlach at first, but thought later he was somehow blamed for the Chicago offer. "After that," Mahovlich remembered, "we just ignored each other."

So intense was the pressure Imlach put on some of his players that nervous exhaustion led to hospital stays for Mahovlich and star defenceman Carl Brewer, who quit the Leafs rather than put up with more of Imlach.

In 1967, little, if anything, was expected as the Imlach era was finally winding down. He had surrounded himself with loyal veterans -- a dozen players were over 30 -- frightened kids and several other players who had long since tuned him out.

Chicago was the class of the season, finishing with 94 points, and Montreal, the reigning champion, had come second with 77. At one point late in the season, Toronto had gone into a 10-game tailspin that sent Imlach to hospital with heart troubles and forced King Clancy, then 64, to take over the coaching role.

"What did he do to win?" winger Larry Jeffrey said. "Nothing. What did he say? Nothing. He just relaxed and let everybody play." In the next 10-game stretch, the Leafs were 7-1-2 and their season was saved.

"He was like this little Irish leprechaun," checking forward Brian Conacher remembered, "just a good, good fellow. We came to realize that if we win, we win for ourselves, not for a coach or for anybody else. For ourselves."

They finished third and met Chicago, the powerhouse, in the first round. It seemed an impossible task. At one point, Sawchuk was hit so hard with a Bobby Hull slap shot that Haggart, the trainer, raced off the bench and onto the ice thinking "He was dead."

Sawchuk had taken the shot straight in the upper part of his body. "He had a bruise the size of a watermelon," remembered Jeffrey, who would himself be injured for the final series.

Sawchuk lay flat, not moving, but then his eyes opened. "I'm all right," he mumbled. "I can go."

"Guys were different then," Haggart said.

The Leafs, surprisingly, got through the Blackhawks in six games and moved on to meet the Canadiens, who had just dispatched the fourth-place New York Rangers.

It was like an early Centennial present to the country -- Leafs versus Habs, Stanley Cup at stake.

Brian McFarlane, who worked on the broadcasts, said it is hard to convey just how exciting those Toronto-Montreal matchups were in the days before expansion.

"There will never be another time quite like it," he said. "It was a time when there were no helmets. Everybody knew all the players. It wasn't even necessary to see the number on the back to know who it was."

Imlach had been using his best psychological warfare, at one point dismissing Montreal's Rogatien Vachon as a junior B goaltender. He must have gotten to him, because Vachon was soon replaced with veteran Gump Worsley, who recently died. He was 77.

The Leafs were crushed 6-2 in the opening game, with Sawchuk performing so badly he figured he'd never play again. Bower came in and shut out the Canadiens in the second game, then won again in the third game.

Sawchuk later told sportswriter Jim Proudfoot that he got so drunk the night before the fourth game that he almost passed out when he was sent in to replace injured Bower, only to lose again.

But there was no choice. Sawchuk had to play on and, back to his old routine, came back brilliantly. The Leafs took the fifth game in Montreal, with the sixth game set for Toronto on May 2.

Ellis thinks it fortunate there were only two rounds. In today's four-round playoffs, he said, "I wouldn't bet the house" on that aging team surviving.

"I don't think any of us believed we would win," Conacher added, "until we won."

It was the brilliance of Sawchuk and the exceptional checking of Keon that made it possible. Ellis scored early in the second period off a Kelly rebound, then Jim Pappin scored what would be the winning goal when an intended pass went off the skate of a Montreal defender.

With the score 2-1 for Toronto and only 55 seconds left, Montreal coach Toe Blake pulled Worsley. He sent out his best six players, including John Ferguson, who had played so well against the Rangers that he had been an early favourite for the MVP trophy that would go to Keon.

Ferguson, like every other Montreal player, was stunned by the turn of events.

Imlach had defenceman Allan Stanley take the faceoff against Béliveau, and Stanley simply tied up the big centre. With Béliveau calling for a penalty, the puck went to Kelly, who got it to Pulford, who passed to Armstrong in the clear.

The game was over.

"It was a tough one to swallow," said Ferguson, whose son John Jr., born that Centennial Year, is now the general manager of the Leafs.

"We didn't get it done."

The Leafs, on the other hand, did -- though they had no idea it would stand for so long as the last.

"You just can't imagine Toronto not having a Stanley Cup at some time in all that period," said Kelly, who went on to coach subsequent Leafs teams.

"I think because there has never been another Cup," Conacher said, "this team has lived on in the memories of Leafs' fans longer than it would ever have had there been another."

"The fact the Leafs haven't won for 40 years keeps us out there," Ellis added.

It certainly does. Every anniversary it comes up. There have been two books written about the '67 Leafs, Stephen Cole's The Last Hurrah and Damien Cox and Gord Stellick's '67: The Maple Leafs, Their Sensational Victory, and the End of an Empire.

John Ferguson remembers the long train ride back to Montreal, owner Senator Hartland Molson coming into the smoker car to drink beer with the players, and the incredible silence.

Johnny Bower remembers the cheering, and how the Stanley Cup parade felt like "the end of war."

And, of course, the start of a brand new battle.

My brother Matt and I at the Last Game, February 13, 1999.

The Maple Leafs lost 6-2 to the Blackhawks. Former Leaf Doug Gilmour scored a goal and notorious tough guy Bob Probert scored the final in MLG history during the third period. During the post-game ceremony, legendary Canadian singer Anne Murray performed "The Maple Leaf Forever", clad in a Leafs jersey.

Interesting facts about MLG

MAPLE LEAF GARDENS (1931-1999) 60 Carlton Street - Toronto, ON, Canada

Date Built: 1931
Constuction Cost: 1.5 Million(CAN $)
Capasity Seating: 15,837 (1931 capacity: 13,542)
Held the most incredible sports attendance record of any in the world: From 1946-1990 there wasn't an unsold seat in the arena during Leafs Games.

Maple Leaf Gardens history

First regular-season game: Nov. 12, 1931, 2-1 loss to the Blackhawks
First Stanley Cup finals game: April 9, 1932, 6-4 over the Rangers
April 9, 1932: Led by Ace Bailey, King Clancy and Harvey "Busher" Jackson, the Maple Leafs win their first Stanley Cup by beating the Rangers 6-4.
Feb. 7, 1976: Darryl Sitler sets an NHL record with 10 points in a game -- six goals and four assists -- leading the Leafs to an 11-4 victory over Boston.
LAST game at Maple Leaf Gardens: February 13, 1999 vs the Chicago Blackhawks

As the last surviving edifice from the days of Hockey's "Original Six," Maple Leaf Gardens, is an historical shrine in the city of Toronto and in the world of hockey. Built in 1931 with Conn Smythe's leadership and influence, the Gardens was an architectural wonder of its time, being built in less than six months. On opening night, seat prices ranged from $.95 to $2.95 - a far cry from the inflated prices people currently pay to see the Leafs play. Since then it has seen 11 Stanley Cup victories by the Leafs and has played host to some of the world's biggest music acts. Whole generations of Toronto teenagers have seen their first concert and their best concerts at the Gardens. The Gardens has demonstrated its multi-use capability since its completion. Many activities held here over the years includes: track and field, speed skating, boxing, wrestling, political meetings and church services.

If you really want to get a taste of this city's history, step through the entrance at 60 Carlton and behold the pictures that adorn the walls of this exalted arena. Names like King Clancy, Turk Broda, Punch Imlach, Dave Keon, Darryl Sittler and Doug Gilmour are forever etched in its hallowed halls. The Gardens did stage the first ever NBA game, and Ali, Schmeling, Patterson and Louis all fought here.

Maple Leafs owner Conn Smythe persuaded large local businesses such as Eaton's (department store) and Sun Life Assurance, to invest in the venture. Eaton's eventually agreed to sell the plot of land on which the Gardens now stands to Smythe's group for $350,000.

Construction costs were minimized as a result of agreements made with labour unions to provide the workers with Gardens' stock in place of a portion (20%) of their regular earnings. Material cost 20 to 30% less than the pre-depression period due to extremely low demand.

On April 1st, 1931, demolition began at the corner of Church and Carlton streets. Over 1,200 labourers were employed on the project. The 350ft by 282ft (106m by 86m) building extended thirteen stories (40m) above street level.

Opening night, November 12, 1931, saw the Maple Leafs lose 2-1 to the Chicago Black Hawks. The Gardens originally included a six-lane bowling alley, a billiards room and a gymnasium. These areas were transformed over the years into carpenter and electrician workshops and storage areas. Seating capacity was steadily increased to 15,646 after various renovations over the years.

The last Leafs game was played Feb 13, 1999. It now sits empty and abandoned on Carlton Street. The seats and other interior fixtures were sold off two years ago and now it is only occasionally used. The plan to sell it to a large supermarket chain here fell through in the winter of 2003 and it's future is very uncertain. There are many developers who would love to tear it down and build condo apartments. There is a campaign to save it but it's future is very uncertain.

Sign outside MLG circa. June 2005

Museum planned for renovated Maple Leaf Gardens

This was posted on Tue. Jan. 30 2007 6:47 PM ET from http://tinyurl.com/2fhyhk

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The sight of a neglected Maple Leaf Gardens and word that building owner Loblaws wants to gut the building to make way for a supermarket touched a nerve with hockey fans in Toronto. But Loblaws says its plan will preserve the hockey shrine's integrity.

"It's an historic building. To take it back and turn it into something like that, it's a shame," one man told CTV's Tom Hayes on Tuesday.

Mayor David Miller echoed people's concerns on Tuesday.

"It's unfortunate. I think everybody would like to see this remain a hockey rink and be used for hockey," Miller said.

Since the Maple Leafs left the Gardens in 1999, the building has been in a slow state of decline.

On the outside, not much has changed. The building is a designated heritage site and in any development the outside walls and roof must be preserved. Inside, Maple Leaf Gardens is collecting dust.

Loblaws wants to change that by gutting the interior and turning it into two levels of parking and two levels of retail space.

But news of a supermarket in the hockey shrine caused worry among hockey fans. They want to see the hockey and cultural heritage of the building preserved.

Loblaws responded on Tuesday, saying they will help preserve the memorabilia and history of a redeveloped Maple Leaf Gardens.

Company spokesperson, and former city mayor David Crombie, said he has received several phone calls on the issue, one from as far away as Florida. He said Loblaws has plans for a museum.

"For sure there will be a museum," Crombie said Tuesday. "Probably at the corner of Church and Carlton (Streets)."

The museum will keep the lobby of the Gardens intact and also include rotating displays of memorabilia. It will stretch from the lobby to the south east corner of the building. But an ice surface is not part of Loblaws' plan.

Crombie added that there will be memories for people visiting the renovated Maple Leaf Gardens.

"The history of the place is not only hockey, though that's mainly it, but almost anything that happened of significance from 1931 on happened at the Gardens."

For hockey fans who want a piece of the Gardens, specifically one of the thousands of seats, a plan will be announced by Loblaws once all their plans for the building are finalized.

Construction on the building is expected to begin this year.

With a report from CTV's Tom Hayes

What a shame!

Apparently the arena has fallen on hard times and the anticipated turnover to become a retail site has fallen thru. I'm just shocked that the Hockey Hall of Fame hasn't searched the arena to make sure there isn't anything of value inside. I would think the paperwork mentioned below might be of interest for historical purposes?
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From Gino Reda's column on TSN.ca (http://tsn.ca/tsn_talent/columnists/gino_reda/)

"A minus to those who betrayed public trust and allowed the historic Maple Leaf Gardens to go from shrine to shambles. Dead rats lying in the halls, a disgusting mess in the kitchens, garbage everywhere, old record books and historic documents left behind like trash, seats that once commanded hundreds of dollars as treasured souvenirs, now lay abandoned and strewn throughout the forgotten building."

Long overdue with posts....I will be putting up multiple posts over the next few weeks. A few will deal with the current state of MLG. Keep coming back to read some of the updates!

MLG stock certficate

Beautifully engraved cancelled certificate from the Maple Leaf Gardens, Limited issued in 1994. This historic document has an ornate border around it with a vignette of the Maple Leaf Garden, a maple leaf, and an allegorical man holding a torch. This item has the printed signatures of the Company’s Chairman and Secretary.

Here's my ticket from the final game at Maple Leaf Gardens. I purchased the tickets through a firm called Road Trips. They are based out of Canada and I recommend them highly. I attended the game with my brother Matt.