Matthews Arena

The Matthews Arena the oldest indoor hockey and basketball arena in Boston, MA, located only a mile away from Fenway Park. It can be found on the Northeastern University Campus by its original Entrance made of red brick from when it opened back in April of 1910. It was originally made to be home for the original six hockey team, the Boston Bruins. The Mathews Arena was first known as the Boston Arena until 1982 when hey changed the name to honor George and Martha Matthews.

The Matthews Arena has been host to many famous and influential throughout the years. It was first and manly home to the Boston Bruins till 1928 and the Celtics until 1955. It is also known for hosting several boxing events in its early life. For example.Gene Tunney, Joe Louis, Marvin Hagler and Jack Dempsey all fought here. It was also used for Muhammad Ali to train during his career. Many presidents such as Teddy Roosevelt, Franklin Delano Roosevelt and John F. Kennedy have also used this arena for events. Babe Ruth would also use this arena to play pick up hockey at the arena.

Gordie Howe also played in this Arena when he played for the New England/Hartford Whalers.This stadium is where he became one of the only players to compete in five decades.

Northeastern University purchased the arena in 1979 but have been using it since 1930. At the Northeastern University Huskies' debut game they unfortunately lost 2-1 to MIT. The Huskies have gone to the NCAA hockey tournament in 1988, 1994, 2009, 2016, 2018, and 2019 but have not won yet. The Huskies have had major success in the annual Beanpot Tournament by winning it seven times throughout their career. Another place they have had success by winning the Hockey East Championship three times. In recent years they have had a solid win rank with an NCAA title in their sites.

Throughout the Matthews Arena's long life it has had a couple tragedies. These both being fires in 1918 and in 1948. Both of these fires required immediate renovations due to some structural damage. More recently they have done several renovations to the arena for athletes and fans alike. Even the oldest rink in the world needs to be updated sometimes.

The fans got to see a couple upgrades to improve their game watching experience. These include the construction of a new scoreboard, the installation of new seats around the arena, and an elevator to improve accessibility. When it comes to improvements for the athletes there have been many. These renovations include updates to the men’s and women’s locker rooms, sports medicine area, and strength and conditioning equipment spaces. The arena keeps its old school style will having new modern touches within it.

The experience people get from visiting Matthews Arena is unparalleled to any other hockey rink. The history that has happened within this arena doors can not be seen anywhere else. Not many stadiums can state that they are the original home of two of their national teams. With a seating capacity of just under 5,000 there is plenty of rooms for visiter from all around. Even if people are not a fan of hockey or basketball the history is worth the visit.

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Matthews Arena History. (n.d.). Retrieved April 14, 2020, from https://nuhuskies.com/sports/2013/4/3/GEN_0403130702.aspx

Men's Hockey - Huskies in the NCAA Tournament. (n.d.). Retrieved April 14, 2020, from https://nuhuskies.com/sports/2010/4/1/MHOCKEY_0401105624.aspx?id=470

Northeastern Matthews Arena. (n.d.). Retrieved April 14, 2020, from https://www.mds-bos.com/northeastern-university-matthews-arena