treble 0 Report post Posted October 22, 2003 Article TORONTO (Reuters) - Price checks will replace body checks at one of the ice-hockey world's most hallowed sites. Maple Leaf Gardens, until recently home to the National Hockey League's Toronto Maple Leafs and scene of some of the greatest games in hockey history, has been sold to a supermarket chain, its owners said on Tuesday. Canada's biggest grocery chain, Loblaw Cos Ltd., plans to acquire the downtown arena for an undisclosed amount and turn it into a supermarket. Under the deal, Loblaw will leave the exterior facade of the iconic building untouched. "Maple Leaf Gardens was our home for 71 years but the reality is...we have to move on," said Bob Hunter, general manager of Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment Ltd. "We're disappointed that we couldn't continue to operate as an ice rink but again it was not financially viable to do so." Maple Leaf Sports -- which owns both the Maple Leafs hockey team and the Toronto Raptors National Basketball Association team -- put the Gardens up for sale in 1999 after the Leafs moved to the Air Canada Centre. Toronto's city council declared the building a historic site shortly after, preventing its demolition. The yellow brick, art-deco building was built in 1931 at the height of the Great Depression, providing badly needed jobs and a touchstone for Canadians. For decades the Leafs were the only NHL team in English Canada and radio, and later television, broadcasts of games from Maple Leaf Gardens were almost a Saturday night religion for generations of fans. The Gardens is the last arena still standing that was used by the six pre-expansion NHL teams. It witnessed greatness both on the ice and off. The Maple Leafs won 11 Stanley Cup championships, with the Stanley Cup hoisted by such greats as Ted Kennedy, Frank Mahovlich, Tim Horton, and Syl Apps. On the financial side, from 1946 until it closed, there was not a single unsold seat in the arena. Britain's Winston Churchill spoke in the building in 1932 and a young Muhammad Ali successfully defended his title in 1966 against Canadian fighter George Chuvalo. "Oh my God...this great bastion of Canadian hockey is being sold off to become a grocery store," said Gail Brown, an avid Maple Leafs fan. "That's so pathetic, that's so tacky. "We should have known once they sold off the seats, nothing is sacred." Hunter said the company had tried to find a buyer who would include a 2,000-seat arena in redevelopment plans. "Will people be disappointed about there being no ice rink? I'm sure they will be. But we tried for four years to make that work," he said, adding all the proposals they had received in recent months all called for retail development. "The reality is, unfortunately, that if you kept the ice rink then you really killed the best retail space within the development." This sucks. Eugene Melnyk wanted to buy it and renovate it so that his OHL team could play there, but they didn't want the competition for the ACC, apparently. God, this pisses me off. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Choken One Report post Posted October 22, 2003 I'd rather it be used for something useful instead of being a parking lot or something Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bob_barron 0 Report post Posted October 22, 2003 I live right next to Maple Leaf Gardens. It's about a minute walk. There is no need to build a supermarket there. Hasty Market is right across the street. The Dominion and Rabba are also a short walk from MLG. Just let MLG be as is. Everytime I walk by it- I bow my head and tap my chest. This is horrible news Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Fook Report post Posted October 22, 2003 They're turning Maple Leaf Gardens into a freaking Loblaws?!?! Brutal! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Red Baron 0 Report post Posted October 22, 2003 They turned the Forum into a shopping mall.... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
