I’d seen the Leafs play the Blackhawks only once before last week’s shellacking: it was fourteen years ago this Saturday, and it was my one and only time at the old Maple Leaf Gardens. The Hawks won that game, too; Denis Savard scored twice, while Mats Sundin netted my first “live” Maple Leafs goal. As for the Gardens, essentially dormant now for twelve years, blogTO has some stunning photos of its ongoing makeover into the joint Loblaws-and-Ryerson facility. I actually found these difficult to stomach; my memories of that building look nothing whatsoever like this.
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Stuff and Nonsense
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Those pictures make that Nuit Blanche visit even more interesting. Last time it was open to the general public in its original form…
I literally stumbled across the Gardens on Nuit Blanche; I was having dinner with friends, and when we walked by and saw stanchions set up outside we immediately lined up. It was eerie being in there that night; most of the people weren't paying any attention whatsoever to the art installation and instead were staring up at the ceiling. I spent a LOT of time just wandering the concourses.
Every fibre in my being aches to see such an historic landmark desecrated in such a manner. I may be a Habs fan, but that's not something I would wish on any great old piece of history.
It's got nothing to do with being a Habs fan or a Leafs fan: it's about a building that's been central to Canadian culture history being turned into a grocery store (although admittedly the rink/gym feature redeems the redesign somewhat). I don't know why MLSE didn't put the Marlies in Maple Leaf Gardens; I'm guessing it's cost-related, but goodness knows the company's got more than enough money.
Of course, it's too late now: the Gardens has been gutted. It's great they're keeping its exterior/roof relatively intact, but otherwise…yeah, it's pretty sickening to me.
I only mention the Habs fan thing, because there are enough small minded Habs/Leafs fans who have such a narrow focus they only care about their team over everything else, even historical value. Obviously you and I should have some historical appreciation in us after our education.
One would hope, anyway. It's like I said in the entry I linked to: it's not just hockey, it's everything else that makes the Gardens a significant building. The Beatles, Elvis, Ali, Churchill…Loblaws.
The older I get, the more and more I am amazed what people don't know about history.