Northeastern To Tear Down Oldest Active Indoor Hockey Rink In The World

Boston Globe. Getty Images.

Northeastern University today filed a "letter of intent" with the BPDA that it plans to replace Matthews Arena - built as Boston Arena in the early 1900s and once home to the Bruins and Celtics - with a new 290,000-square-foot facility that will include both an arena for university teams and a fieldhouse for recreational student use.

The fieldhouse will include "multi-purpose turf, basketball courts, recreational courts and other accessory uses to support the University's broader recreation and fitness needs," according to the filing, which formally signals that Northeastern will soon file detailed plans with the BPDA for the new building. - Universal Hub

Well this sucks. Northeastern University announced yesterday that the school would be knocking down Matthews arena and replacing it with a new 290,000 square foot facility. Matthews Arena has been a staple in Boston for 100+ years, hosting the Bruins, Celtics, Presidential Debates, Muhammad Ali training sessions and tons more historical events that have shaped the city of Boston. Alot of people don't know this, but Matthews Arena is the oldest active multipurpose arena IN THE WORLD. Yes, the oldest barn in the entire world sits nestled in downtown Boston.

The Bruins (1924) and Celtics (1946) both played their first games at Matthews Arena (formerly known as Boston Arena). Boston Arena even hosted the first game the Carolina Hurricanes franchise ever played. The then New England Whalers called Boston Arena home for their first seasons in 1971 and 1972 seasons before owners decided to move the team to Hartford, CT. Also, lets not forget everyones favorite college hockey tournament, the Beanpot, was first played at Boston Arena as well. 

New York Daily News Archive. Getty Images.

Can't forget all the historical events at the arena as well. Hosting presidents Theodore Rosevelt in 1912 and JFK in 1946 as well as a Boxing haven in the 1900's, hosting Rocky Marciano fights and training sessions for Muhammad Ali.

Growing up, going to NU games at Matthews was the go to. We'd load up vodka in water bottles, jump on the train and for 8 bucks we'd get to see a legit college hockey game. I'm sure you're thinking…why not just go to a BC or BU game?? Well you could basically get into Matthews arena for nothing and with the train station essentially attached to the arena, it was an easy trip for us Suburb kids. We'd sneak into the Dog House (one of the best fan sections in all of college hockey) just to try and get the college experience as 15-year-olds.

There is a few ways to look at all this. While it sucks that a historic landmark of Boston will be torn down, it is probably time due to the fact the rink is sinking at a pretty alarming rate, but a new state of the art hockey facility in downtown Boston should have NU fans horny. If we have learned anything from Chiclets University, it's that Universities are going ALL OUT on their Athletic facilities. 

I'm not a math guy but NU costs around 60k per year per student with 20k students, they are making like billion dollars a year on just Tuition. Point being….this rink is going to be bananas. I look at recent builds like UConn, Sacred Heart and Bentley as the models. 

Richard T Gagnon. Getty Images.

MediaNews Group/Boston Herald via Getty Images. Getty Images.

Small barns, but ELITE facilities. We live in a day in age with social media where everyone likes to compare themselves to one another and that remains true with Universities and the college selection process. You used to get a call from a coach and wouldn't see the facilities until your official trip, and at that point, does it really matter? Now a days, the second the kid hangs up the phone with the coach, he's likely heading to Youtube to check out their facilities and what they have to offer. 

Chiclets University: Matthews Arena…..COMING SOON