Matthews Arena

Matthews Arena

Interior of arena in 2009
Former names	Boston Arena (1909–1982)
Location	238 St. Botolph Street, Boston, Massachusetts
Coordinates	42°20′28″N 71°5′4″W / 42.34111°N 71.08444°W / 42.34111; -71.08444Coordinates: 42°20′28″N 71°5′4″W / 42.34111°N 71.08444°W / 42.34111; -71.08444
Public transit	Orange Line  at Massachusetts Avenue  Green Line  at Symphony
Owner	Northeastern University
Operator	Northeastern University
Capacity	Ice Hockey: 4,666 Basketball: 5,066[1]
Surface	200 ft × 90 ft (61 m × 27 m) (hockey)
Construction
Broke ground	October 11, 1909
Opened	1910
Tenants
Northeastern Huskies (Hockey East, CAA) (1930–present) WIT Leopards (ECAC) (1992–present) Boston Bruins (NHL) (1924–1928) Boston Tigers/Cubs (CAHL) (1926–1936) Boston Olympics (EAHL/QSHL) (1940–1952) Boston Celtics (NBA) (1946–1955) New England Whalers (WHA) (1972–1973)

Entrance to the arena, showing the original arch from Boston Arena now enclosed by bricks.

Matthews Arena (formerly Boston Arena) is a multi-purpose arena in Boston, Massachusetts. It is both the oldest arena still in use for ice hockey and the oldest multi-purpose athletic building still in use in the world.^[2][3]

It opened in 1910 on what is now the east end of Northeastern University's campus, and is currently owned by the university. It is the original home of the National Hockey League (NHL) Boston Bruins — the only team of the NHL's Original Six whose original home arena still exists for the sport of ice hockey at any level of competition — and the WHA New England Whalers (now the NHL Carolina Hurricanes), as well as the secondary home of the NBA Boston Celtics.

Today, Matthews Arena is home to the Northeastern Huskies men's and women's ice hockey teams, and men's basketball team as well as various high school ice hockey programs in the city of Boston. Matthews Arena also hosts a variety of Northeastern on-campus events, including the annual Springfest concert, as well as graduation ceremonies for the university.

The closest MBTA station is the Massachusetts Ave Orange Line subway station; the Green Line E branch's underground Symphony station is two blocks northwest.

History[]

Originally named Boston Arena,^[4] the arena opened on April 16, 1910, for an ice show.^[3] The Arena was partially destroyed by fire on December 18, 1918. It was rebuilt, and the new facility opened January 1, 1921, with an ice show.^[5] Harvard played the first hockey game after being reopened, January 8, 1921, against Kings College.

Interior of Boston Arena in December 1920.

The first games of professional ice hockey took place in March 1911 when a two-game $2,500 competition between two NHA teams, the Montreal Wanderers and the Ottawa Senators took place.^[6] The NHL's first US-based franchise, the Boston Bruins, played their first-ever NHL regular season game at the Arena on Monday, December 1, 1924.^[7][3] with the Bruins' most historic rivalry being initiated only one week later.^[8] The Bruins left the Arena in 1928 when Tex Rickard's new indoor sports facility in Boston, the Boston Garden was completed. The Boston Celtics played their first game at the Arena in 1946, and played at the Arena until 1955.^[3] The WHA's New England Whalers played some of their first-season home games at the Arena in 1972–73.

Matthews is where the hockey programs of Boston College, Boston University, Harvard, MIT, Northeastern University, Tufts University, Boston State College (later merged into the University of Massachusetts Boston) and Wentworth Institute of Technology all began; in particular, it housed the Boston University hockey team until 1971, when Walter Brown Arena was built.

The Arena was purchased in 1979 by Northeastern University. The Arena was renamed in 1982 when Northeastern alumnus George J. Matthews helped fund its refurbishment. The arena was briefly known as Northeastern Arena as well. A 1995 renovation expanded the ice surface from 200 by 80 to 200 by 90 feet (61 m × 24 m to 61 m × 27 m).^[2] Another round of renovations took place in the summer of 2009. The centerpiece of the renovations were all-new seating and a brand new center ice jumbotron. In 2018, a new jumbotron was installed, currently one of the largest videoboards in the Northeastern US. The lobby was also reworked, with additional concessions and an elevator for ADA compliance. A new weight room and expanded locker rooms were provided for the athletes. The total cost of the renovations was estimated at $12 million. It still shares a feature with both the 1998-demolished Boston Garden pro sports facility and Harvard's existing Bright-Landry Hockey Center where ice hockey is concerned; with non-standard team bench locations, one on either side of the rink, much as the departed Garden possessed. This feature was for years not uncommon on rinks throughout the East, as the Montreal Forum and Le Colisée du Québec both had split benches for much of their histories. The reason behind this arrangement was so teams could have their benches adjacent to their dressing rooms, which were across the ice from each other for security reasons. Most modern facilities solved this dilemma not by placing dressing rooms on opposite sides of the ice, as those arenas did, but rather on opposite ends on the same side of the rink. However this arrangement still exists in American collegiate hockey, as even some newer venues such as Conte Forum at Boston College or Compton Family Ice Arena at Notre Dame have split benches.

Matthews Arena has played host to many famous people and events during its lifetime. Matthews hosted every president from Theodore Roosevelt in 1912 to John F. Kennedy in 1946. Other dignitaries to hold events at the arena include Charles Lindbergh and Amelia Earhart. Boxing was once a mainstay at the arena and hosted bouts with Jack Sharkey, Jack Dempsey, Gene Tunney, Joe Louis and Marvin Hagler. Muhammad Ali trained at what was called Santos Gym, where the Varsity Club now sits, for his second bout with Sonny Liston. Professional wrestling events were also staged there. In the 1950s the arena also hosted the Rodeo led by Roy Rogers and Dale Evans.

Matthews Arena also proved famous as a concert venue during much of its lifetime. On Saturday evening May 3, 1958 the 'Big Beat' Rock n Roll show hosted by Alan Freed was cut short due to riots inside the Arena and a non-fatal serious stabbing outside. Headlining the bill were Jerry Lee Lewis, Chuck Berry, and Buddy Holly & The Crickets. Alan Freed was arrested after police repeatedly had the house-lights turned on to stop teens jiving in the aisles, and Freed issued the now infamous line, "I guess the police don't want you to have fun." Other famous acts to grace the arena were The Doors in a 1970 concert that was later released to the public. Another famous concert was the Phish New Year's Eve concert on December 31, 1992. The show was the highest attended Phish concert to date and was played on WBCN the next day.

Matthews has hosted all or part of the America East Conference men's basketball tournament a total of seven times and hosted the 1960 Frozen Four.^[9] The arena also served as the original home to the annual Beanpot tournament between Boston's four major college hockey programs.^[10]

See also[]

• Huntington Avenue Grounds, site of the nearby first home of the Boston Red Sox baseball team (playing there 1901–1911), existed on current Northeastern University property
• List of NCAA Division I basketball arenas

References[]

External links[]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Matthews Arena.

• Men's hockey media guide, 2007-08 season
• Matthews Arena page, NU Athletics website