Matthews Arena (formerly Boston Arena) was a multi-purpose arena in Boston, Massachusetts, owned by Northeastern University. At the time of its closure, it was the world's oldest multi-purpose athletic building still in use, as well as the oldest arena in use for ice hockey.
- Venue
- Matthews Arena
- Town
- Massachusetts, US
- Capacity
- 4,666
Matthews Arena (formerly Boston Arena) was a multi-purpose arena in Boston, Massachusetts, owned by Northeastern University. At the time of its closure, it was the world's oldest multi-purpose athletic building still in use, as well as the oldest arena in use for ice hockey. The university is demolishing the historic arena and plans to replace it with a new facility. It was the original home of the National Hockey League (NHL)'s Boston Bruins (the last team of the NHL's Original Six whose original home arena still existed), the National Basketball Association (NBA)'s Boston Celtics, and the World Hockey Association (WHA)'s New England Whalers (now the NHL's Carolina Hurricanes) It was used by the Northeastern Huskies men's and women's ice hockey teams, and the men's basketball team, as well as various high school ice hockey programs in the city of Boston. The venue also hosted Northeastern's graduation ceremonies, its annual Springfest concert, and other events. Originally named the Boston Arena, groundbreaking took place on October 11, 1909. The 1896 United States skating champion Herbert S. Evans dug the first portion of earth. The arena was to have a capacity of 5,000 and was to be used for ice skating, curling, horse shows, and a variety of sporting events. The arena had its own power plant, which powered the two 100-ton ice machines and all of the arena's lighting. Charles C. Abbey was the first president and treasurer of the Boston Arena Company and William T. Richardson was the building's first general manager. The arena was scheduled to open on Christmas Day 1909, but construction delays pushed back the opening until April 25, 1910. The arena's inaugural event was an ice carnival to benefit the Sharon Sanatorium. Skating events were held throughout the day, including a performance by Irving Brokaw. The arena's first ice hockey game was won by the Harvard Freshmen hockey team, who defeated Newton High School, 4-0. The Harvard varsity squad played later that e