Why Boston Bruins might not be the favorite at the French Open is…
One of the true old hockey barns still standing in North America, and the original home of the Boston Bruins is reportedly set to enter its final season.
Per Northeastern Hockey Blog , Matthews Arena, which served as the Boston Bruins’ original home rink when it was called Boston Arena, will close after the upcoming Northeastern University winter sports season. The oldest multi-sport arena in the world will close 125 years after it opened and became the original home of the Bruins (1924-28) and the Boston Celtics (1946-1955).
Matthews Arena also served as the original home of multiple college hockey programs. Boston College, Boston University, Harvard, MIT, Northeastern University, Tufts University, Boston State College (which became the University of Massachusetts Boston), and Wentworth Institute of Technology.
The old barn on Huntington Ave. was where the most storied rivalry in the NHL and one of the oldest in pro sports began. On December 1, 1924, the Bruins and the Montreal Canadiens met at then-Boston Arena, and the Bruins became the first NHL franchise based in the United States to play an NHL game. The Bruins, who just celebrated their Centennial season, would move into the original Boston Garden in 1928 and play there until the 1995 lockout-shortened season. After the legendary ‘Last Hurrah’ on Sept. 26, 1995, the Boston Garden gave way to the FleetCenter for the 1995-96 Bruins season. That eventually became the currently named TD Garden.
Matthews Arena became a destination for what became some of the most legendary concerts, political rallies, and speeches ever.
Per the report above, Matthews Arena will be torn down after the upcoming athletics season, according to a Letter of Intent the school filed with the Boston Planning and Development Authority. Northeastern will build a new home on the site for its hockey, basketball, and perhaps other athletic programs.’
