Arena Gardens opened on October 7, 1912, on Mutual Street in downtown Toronto, billed at the time as the largest indoor arena in Canada. Built with an early mechanically frozen ice surface, just the third of its kind in the country, the rink quickly became the city’s premier home for hockey, hosting its first professional game that December.
For nearly two decades, Arena Gardens served as the proving ground for Toronto’s pro hockey ambitions, hosting NHA and early NHL clubs through multiple name changes before the franchise that became the Maple Leafs moved out in 1931. Later renamed Mutual Street Arena and then The Terrace, the building hosted boxing, boat shows, and touring big bands before it was finally torn down in 1989.
- Toronto Maple Leafs played here 1917–1931. See every Maple Leafs arena →
Stats at a Glance
- Team(s): Toronto Blueshirts, Toronto Arenas, Toronto St. Patricks, Toronto Maple Leafs
- Location: 68-88 Mutual Street, Toronto, Ontario
- Opened: October 7, 1912
- Demolished: 1989
- Capacity: about 7,500 standing for hockey (6,000 seated)
- Notable fact: Site of the first NHL hockey radio broadcast, February 1923
The Birthplace of Toronto Pro Hockey
Arena Gardens hosted Toronto’s earliest professional hockey clubs, starting with the NHA’s Blueshirts in 1912 and continuing through the Tecumsehs, Ontarios, and Shamrocks before the NHL itself arrived in 1917 with the Toronto Arenas. The building went on to host the St. Patricks and, from 1927, the newly renamed Maple Leafs, who called it home until Maple Leaf Gardens opened in 1931.
The rink’s early artificial ice plant, only the third of its kind in Canada, let games run reliably through Toronto winters regardless of outdoor temperature, a key advantage that helped the venue attract Stanley Cup Finals in 1914, 1918, 1920, and 1922.
From Hockey Shrine to Demolition
After the Leafs left for their new namesake Gardens in 1931, the building was renamed Mutual Street Arena and shifted toward boxing cards, home and boat shows, and touring entertainers, including Glenn Miller’s band in 1942 and Frank Sinatra in 1949. A 1962 renovation rebranded it as The Terrace, focused on curling and public skating.
Rising downtown property values eventually caught up with the aging rink, and its owners sold the site in the late 1980s. The building was demolished in 1989, and the land is now occupied by the Cathedral Square residential development and a small municipal park that still carries the Arena Gardens name.
Explore more: Explore more historic stadiums.
Bleachers for three hours, but with back support. Folds flat and clips to the bench.
For upper-deck seats. Watch line play at the stadium, or the far side of the park from the top of a lift hill.
Sherpa-lined and windproof, with a waterproof back for wet bleachers. Folds into its own pouch.
Arena Gardens FAQs
What was Arena Gardens originally called?
The venue opened in 1912 under the name Arena Gardens, which is how it’s remembered today, before later being renamed Mutual Street Arena and then The Terrace.
Which NHL team played at Arena Gardens?
The Toronto Arenas, St. Patricks, and Maple Leafs all played there before the franchise moved to Maple Leaf Gardens in 1931.
When was Arena Gardens demolished?
The building was torn down in 1989 after being sold as downtown Toronto property values rose.
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Photo: Alexandra Studios / Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.