Boston is losing a major landmark that has stood for 115 years.
Matthews Arena opened two years before Fenway Park and 18 years before the old Boston Garden.
“Every time you step on this ice, walk in this building, it’s a privilege,” said Vinny Borgesi, captain of the men’s hockey team at Northeastern University. “There’s so much history behind it.”
Originally the Boston Arena, the building opened in 1910, quickly becoming the spot for high school and college hockey.
“I’ve been in and out of that building for 60 years or so, and that’s what made it special on Monday,” said Joe Bertagna, the former Hockey East commissioner who grew up in Arlington, Massachusetts.
He and others college legends took part in a final skate Monday. Bertagna recalled playing at an exhibition game against Czechoslovakia at the arena while skating for Harvard University.
“I also lost my last high school game in double overtime to Melrose High, one of our rivals,” he said.
The Celtics and Bruins started playing in building, and it attracted countless politicians and entertainers, as well.
Northeastern has owned the aging arena since 1980 and considered whether it should be renovated or replaced.
“There’s some nostalgia. There’s some sadness,” said Jim Madigan, the school’s athletic director. “But at the same time, we can’t get in the way of progress, and so you look to what the future will bring.”
A state-of-the art venue is now set to replace the old one. It won’t open until 2028, requiring the school’s teams to play all their games on the road for two years.
“Yeah, it’s a little bit of difficulty, but I also think that it’s something we can rally around, a little bit of an underdog mentality,” said Dylan Hryckowian, an assistant captain with the men’s hockey team.
The last game will be Saturday night, when Northeastern’s men’s hockey team takes on rival Boston University.
Northeastern says demolition will get underway this winter.