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I went to my first hockey game on December 20, 1986.  I was 10.  My cousin George took me.  We sat in the 3rd row of the 3rd deck. Leafs vs. Sabres.

Shrine

I could barely see over the 2 rows of heads in front of me much less the ice.  But it didn’t matter.  Just being at Maple Leaf Gardens, a building I had seen the inside of only from watching an insane amount of games on TV, was a thrill.  The leg room was bad but it didn’t matter because I didn’t need much anyway.  For me, it was all about the air in the place, the crowded aisles, the narrow escalator, even the smell of the programs.

Old staircase on the wall. Blue seats in the shape of a Leaf

Maple Leaf Gardens. It played host to The Beatles, Elvis, Billy Graham and even Ali.  It’s seen basketball, lacrosse and soccer.

Elvis was in the building

Leaf Glory

But above all, between 1931 until its doors were closed to professional sports in 1999, MLG was considered a hockey shrine.  In fact in 2007, MLG was named a National Historic Site of Canada.

So the question was what to do with this shrine?  Demolish it?  Convert it into a parking lot?  A shopping mall?

No.  But close.

Jazzy shoppers

Supermarket

Cheese

On November 30, 2011, The Gardens re-opened its doors to the public. It’s been turned into a giant retail center which includes a Loblaws supermarket, cooking school, clothing store a liquor store.  Ryerson University, located close by, is constructing an athletic centre, which will include a rink and a 2,600-seat arena.  The school’s hockey team, the Ryerson Rams, will call the building home.

Grill eatery

MLG was closed for so long it seemed as if most of us forgot about it and its importance. With its re-opening, we all can’t help but remember back when we first entered it, the excitement we felt seeing a game or a concert.

More importantly, we’re all just glad it’s still standing and that we’re able to get more than 85,000 square feet of groceries!

By the way, the Leafs won that game against the Sabres.  5-4 in Overtime.  Crowd erupted.  Thrilling!

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