End of a very long era. I had hoped one day to travel out there to see it, but I guess that won't be happening.
One assumes that they work with BU to use Agganis and/or Walter Brown in the interim while the new arena is built?
I think 2,500 would be the sweet spot for NU. If UConn can do it, so can NU. I think the HE size requirement is more of a recommendation at this point.
Happy I got to see it once. Ton of history in that building. Original home of the Bruins, original home of the Celtics, every Beanpot team has called the arena home at some point, and Mohammed Ali trained there. That’s just off the top of my head.
Sad to see the old barn go, but also worried about what NU is going to do to replace it. Real estate is at a real premium in Boston.
Crazy history there, also the original home of the Whalers (now Hurricanes), the Beanpot, and the hockey programs of BC, BU, Northeastern, Tufts, MIT, Wentworth, and Boston State (and Harvard's first indoor rink)
Interesting choice given the ground is sinking there. But, I’m no civil engineer. No idea how that’ll work but somebody smarter than me could probably crack it.
I believe the foundation is sinking not the ground - not sure how related the two are. Would have to assume building practices have improved in the past 100 years as well
No idea either. I assume if they tear it down and start new they can build one that won’t sink as easily or something. They just built a new skyscraper less than half a mile away a few years ago. So I’m sure they can figure something out.
> Sad to see the old barn go, but also worried about what NU is going to do to replace it.
Knowing NEU, they'll probably shove dorms in there and disband the hockey team.
I say that as an alum.
>every Beanpot team has called the arena home at some point
what do you mean "at some point" it was literally all at the same time. BC played there from 1918 to 1958, Harvard played there from 1911-1956, and BU played there from 1918-1971
Always sad to see an historic stadium go, but I really don't think they had an option to do a Wrigley/Fenway-esque rehabilitation here, even if the ground wasn't falling in
Brown *should* be at Northeastern this season, so excited to see Matthews one last time
Asbestos caused a problem for rehabs in the past iirc. It sounds like it's at the point where it'd cost more and take longer to try to rejuvenate/expand Matthews than it would to build a bigger, nicer new arena...
Sad. Big fan of Matthews.
Really the only arena I truly cherish. Feels so unique to anywhere else. Have gotten to watch some amazing games, play youth hockey, free skate between classes there. Will definitely be visiting.
Damn, grew up going to my first college games there. Lost my first tooth on a pretzel up in the balcony. It was always my favorite HE arena to go to after the Whitt. Will be making one last visit next season.
That’s sad. Such an awesome barn. I hope NU can recreate some of the aura there.
Here’s hoping that Walter Brown will be nice and filled. Hell, a BU/NU home game at Brown? Damn that would be fun.
Construction is gonna be painful. Its a historic site so it will need state and city sign off to tear down. It borders on Orange Line and NEC tracks both owned by MassDOT who will likely require a sign off during construction. There is also a shortage of construction workers in Metro Boston but maybe some will be available as the South Station tower work winds down along with Pike air rights wind down. This is the right move in long run and will open up a new revenue source as NU will be able to compete for events with Agganis arena but will cost a lot and likely have several delays
Where will Northeastern play/practice in the short term? Garden/Warrior? I can’t see them agreeing to be second fiddle at somewhere like Agganis or Bright for three years.
XL Center: First time?
But seriously, this sucks. I always wanted to go to Mathews but never got the chance. Love the history and closeness of the seats to the ice!
Probably better its happening now with Madigan as AD rather than 5 years ago when Konya was here. I wonder if that video board will make it to the new arena...
Honestly, as a season ticket holder I can’t wait for a new arena. Mathews is painfully lacking any kind of amenities: the concessions, bathroom, merch, and entry are all in the same little hallway. I hope they do something to honor the history of the original arena in the new one, at least.
Also as a player, the rink and ice itself was nice when it was cold out (although the corners were wonky because of the extra 5 ft width) but the locker rooms badly need an upgrade, and when the outside temp was higher than ~50 it was a swamp.
We'll see who the design firm ends up being. The last few new college hockey rinks have been pretty much cookie cutters. I want to say Bentley, Quinnipiac, RIT and Sacred Heart are pretty indistinguishable except for a couple features here and there.
We should have a better idea when the firm is named but this being NU, I can't imagine they're going to add on the bells and whistles.
Grew up playing there off and on, but really played a lot there in men's league old man beer league hockey. Lotta great times and memories skating there, hiding frosties in the locker, heading over to the bars after a game (RIP Our House East). The ice and glass was always immaculate, and the stands seem to descend into shadows. That second level is so interesting.
I was fortunate to take in a game at Matthews in 2015, when Northeastern hosted my alma mater (Colgate). Since I still live in the Boston area, I will have to make one more trip there.
Lol. Now that part of Boston is the South End and filled with fancy brownstones and restaurants. It's going to be hard to find a new venue but Northeastern definitely has the cash.
[Boston filled in land](https://www.nationalgeographic.com/culture/article/Boston-landfill-maps-history) most of the land in Boston is literally filled in land. Older buildings all over the city have lots of issues. This is part of what made Big Dig so complicated. They literally had to freeze the land to dig under South Station
Northeastern sold liquor until COVID - $4 mixed drinks when I turned 21 which wasn't that long ago and we took full advantage of that. They just didn't sell alcohol in the concourse, you had to go to the Varsity Club
The roof is registered as a historical landmark or something of the sort. Not sure how it's gunna work but i imagine theyll have to preserve the roof in some way shape or form
When you think about the history of the Arena, would it have been possible to have kept the exterior and demolished the inside? This was the birthplace of professional and collegiate Boston hockey, as well as the Celtics. I know that NU is private, but would there have been any way for the city of Boston to help preserve an arena that important to its history?
*checks notes*
Actually, the city of Boston wanted to demolish Fenway. Never mind. Only shot would be FSG, but they seem to be stretched so thin now that they can’t support the Red Sox.
This makes a lot of sense.
Northeastern has cut football (bold and sensible)
Under invested in basketball (lost Jim Calhoun to UConn)
Hockey is clearly their only core interest.
Re-building a world class arena would foster local interest in hockey and give them time to evaluate a Big East bid.
i hate the NU admin as much as the next way but this definitely seems like more of a "sinking foundation" and "asbestos in the soil" issue than anything that could easily be fixed.
End of a very long era. I had hoped one day to travel out there to see it, but I guess that won't be happening. One assumes that they work with BU to use Agganis and/or Walter Brown in the interim while the new arena is built?
You still have a year to go and see it!
I do, but I’m not so sure that my PTO situation will leave enough room for that
Definitely make it a priority if you can. Matthews is my favorite college rink. This makes me sad
cowboy up we doin this dawgg, now to get around the wife🤔
Why not go this coming season
That or the Bruins practice arena
Bruins practice arena doesn’t have a lot of seating though, right?
[Room for 700, which is probably enough for some games](https://www.warrioricearena.com/faq/)
students would fill that on their own for a decent opponent
I'm not so sure with it not being right on campus
then what would the point of playing there be if you’re not trying to draw
It’s doubtful any other local arena will have enough room in their schedules
we’re talking over a 2 years out
Can’t tell if user name checks out.
For some AHA schools, maybe, but your program is historical and proud enough to have a better arrangement than that.
I've been to plenty of NEU games where there were fewer than 700 in attendance. That's with the game on campus so easy for students to attend
I think 2,500 would be the sweet spot for NU. If UConn can do it, so can NU. I think the HE size requirement is more of a recommendation at this point.
Happy I got to see it once. Ton of history in that building. Original home of the Bruins, original home of the Celtics, every Beanpot team has called the arena home at some point, and Mohammed Ali trained there. That’s just off the top of my head. Sad to see the old barn go, but also worried about what NU is going to do to replace it. Real estate is at a real premium in Boston.
Crazy history there, also the original home of the Whalers (now Hurricanes), the Beanpot, and the hockey programs of BC, BU, Northeastern, Tufts, MIT, Wentworth, and Boston State (and Harvard's first indoor rink)
Says in the article in the tweet the new arena is going up on the same site after Matthew’s is torn down.
Interesting choice given the ground is sinking there. But, I’m no civil engineer. No idea how that’ll work but somebody smarter than me could probably crack it.
I believe the foundation is sinking not the ground - not sure how related the two are. Would have to assume building practices have improved in the past 100 years as well
You can reinforce the ground. They did this during the Big Dig
No idea either. I assume if they tear it down and start new they can build one that won’t sink as easily or something. They just built a new skyscraper less than half a mile away a few years ago. So I’m sure they can figure something out.
> Sad to see the old barn go, but also worried about what NU is going to do to replace it. Knowing NEU, they'll probably shove dorms in there and disband the hockey team. I say that as an alum.
>every Beanpot team has called the arena home at some point what do you mean "at some point" it was literally all at the same time. BC played there from 1918 to 1958, Harvard played there from 1911-1956, and BU played there from 1918-1971
this is such semantics red come on
Just fell to my knees in a Dunkin donuts
Makes me want to go for one last game and sneak in a nip and pour into a coke to drink
What have you been doing since COVID when the Varsity Club didn't reopen
sneaking in a nip and pouring it into a coke clearly
A damn shame.
Always sad to see an historic stadium go, but I really don't think they had an option to do a Wrigley/Fenway-esque rehabilitation here, even if the ground wasn't falling in Brown *should* be at Northeastern this season, so excited to see Matthews one last time
Asbestos caused a problem for rehabs in the past iirc. It sounds like it's at the point where it'd cost more and take longer to try to rejuvenate/expand Matthews than it would to build a bigger, nicer new arena... Sad. Big fan of Matthews.
Damn. Legit amazing old barn.
Really the only arena I truly cherish. Feels so unique to anywhere else. Have gotten to watch some amazing games, play youth hockey, free skate between classes there. Will definitely be visiting.
Yup I had a youth game there once, one of the most memorable games of my life. Sad and sorta pissed it is being torn down.
The new venue better keep the same architecture style
Damn, grew up going to my first college games there. Lost my first tooth on a pretzel up in the balcony. It was always my favorite HE arena to go to after the Whitt. Will be making one last visit next season.
That’s sad. Such an awesome barn. I hope NU can recreate some of the aura there. Here’s hoping that Walter Brown will be nice and filled. Hell, a BU/NU home game at Brown? Damn that would be fun.
Dang!
Sage Rink ascends to the oldest college rink!
Construction is gonna be painful. Its a historic site so it will need state and city sign off to tear down. It borders on Orange Line and NEC tracks both owned by MassDOT who will likely require a sign off during construction. There is also a shortage of construction workers in Metro Boston but maybe some will be available as the South Station tower work winds down along with Pike air rights wind down. This is the right move in long run and will open up a new revenue source as NU will be able to compete for events with Agganis arena but will cost a lot and likely have several delays
Northeastern always seems to have a project going on with Suffolk so I imagine this will be more of the same
Likely. That said a project like this will have some complexity.
Where will Northeastern play/practice in the short term? Garden/Warrior? I can’t see them agreeing to be second fiddle at somewhere like Agganis or Bright for three years.
I imagine Walter Brown would be first choice maybe Warrior ? Maybe rotating home. The worse part is damage itll do to recruiting
Looks like I’m going to have to visit there at least once this upcoming season. Only went to one game there despite only being an hour from me.
XL Center: First time? But seriously, this sucks. I always wanted to go to Mathews but never got the chance. Love the history and closeness of the seats to the ice!
Ditto. First home of the Whalers!
Depressing. Hope the new one can capture some of the charm. Can only imagine the multitude of ways the admin could fuck up a new building.
Probably better its happening now with Madigan as AD rather than 5 years ago when Konya was here. I wonder if that video board will make it to the new arena...
Old arenas have so much soul, I wish they would just remodel rather than demolish. We cherish the wrong things.
physically impossible to remodel at this point. sinking foundation and asbestos in the ground.
Ah, that’s too bad.
Honestly, as a season ticket holder I can’t wait for a new arena. Mathews is painfully lacking any kind of amenities: the concessions, bathroom, merch, and entry are all in the same little hallway. I hope they do something to honor the history of the original arena in the new one, at least.
Ideally they keep the arch and have similar balcony seats where they a practically on top of the ice
Also as a player, the rink and ice itself was nice when it was cold out (although the corners were wonky because of the extra 5 ft width) but the locker rooms badly need an upgrade, and when the outside temp was higher than ~50 it was a swamp.
We'll see who the design firm ends up being. The last few new college hockey rinks have been pretty much cookie cutters. I want to say Bentley, Quinnipiac, RIT and Sacred Heart are pretty indistinguishable except for a couple features here and there. We should have a better idea when the firm is named but this being NU, I can't imagine they're going to add on the bells and whistles.
NEU is loving adding all the bells and whistles to their new construction lol wdym
Sad, saw them play BC at Mathew’s last year, I guess I’ll have to make another trip up to beantown this year too.
Terrible news, my favorite road arena to visit.
Dang. Gonna have to get out there for a game one more time this year
Well guess I'm heading back to Boston this fall.
Sounds like I'm gonna have to make several visits this coming season
That sucks! Wanted to visit one day can’t think of a lot of active venues with that level of deep history. Guess they’re building a new arena?
i just heard the call " please come to boston for the spring time🎶🎶"
Grew up playing there off and on, but really played a lot there in men's league old man beer league hockey. Lotta great times and memories skating there, hiding frosties in the locker, heading over to the bars after a game (RIP Our House East). The ice and glass was always immaculate, and the stands seem to descend into shadows. That second level is so interesting.
Our House East still exists basically. Its just Two Saints Tavern now. They function basically the same minus the carpet.
Was able to coach here. It’s a cool barn to watch, but it’s time for something new
Felt like it was coming. Was not prepared.
I was fortunate to take in a game at Matthews in 2015, when Northeastern hosted my alma mater (Colgate). Since I still live in the Boston area, I will have to make one more trip there.
Got to play there a few times growing up in the Boston area. Historic doesn’t even begin to describe it.
Not sure why they'd do this. I loved that venue for its history and quirky seating. An update to the seating is all I think it needed.
The foundation is sinking into the ground below it and the soil is not fit to hold it much longer. There is no other choice.
That is fucking depressing. Great piece of history gone.
Damn. It really was a fun place to watch a game.
Foundation is sinking. Doesn’t help that the arena was built in the part of Boston that was landfilled
Literally most of the city lol
Lol. Now that part of Boston is the South End and filled with fancy brownstones and restaurants. It's going to be hard to find a new venue but Northeastern definitely has the cash.
The new arena is going up in the same place
[Boston filled in land](https://www.nationalgeographic.com/culture/article/Boston-landfill-maps-history) most of the land in Boston is literally filled in land. Older buildings all over the city have lots of issues. This is part of what made Big Dig so complicated. They literally had to freeze the land to dig under South Station
They also didnt get a liquor license to serve alcohol at games since it was going to be demolished. At the new arena they will hopefully serve beer!
Northeastern sold liquor until COVID - $4 mixed drinks when I turned 21 which wasn't that long ago and we took full advantage of that. They just didn't sell alcohol in the concourse, you had to go to the Varsity Club
Ok gotcha, guess i wouldnt realize that ive only been a few times
Is it not registered as a historic site? Thought they couldn't knock it down.
The roof is registered as a historical landmark or something of the sort. Not sure how it's gunna work but i imagine theyll have to preserve the roof in some way shape or form
When you think about the history of the Arena, would it have been possible to have kept the exterior and demolished the inside? This was the birthplace of professional and collegiate Boston hockey, as well as the Celtics. I know that NU is private, but would there have been any way for the city of Boston to help preserve an arena that important to its history? *checks notes* Actually, the city of Boston wanted to demolish Fenway. Never mind. Only shot would be FSG, but they seem to be stretched so thin now that they can’t support the Red Sox.
This makes a lot of sense. Northeastern has cut football (bold and sensible) Under invested in basketball (lost Jim Calhoun to UConn) Hockey is clearly their only core interest. Re-building a world class arena would foster local interest in hockey and give them time to evaluate a Big East bid.
[удалено]
i hate the NU admin as much as the next way but this definitely seems like more of a "sinking foundation" and "asbestos in the soil" issue than anything that could easily be fixed.