BOSTON —When they finalize the details of the playing area for the next place at Northeastern, they should listen to how Vinny Borgesi talks about what it felt like in Matthews Arena.
“It’s got a lot of character. You have no idea what kind of history you’re stepping into each and every day. It’s a privilege to step on that ice. I’m happy to say, I’ve never taken a second for granted out there,” he said. “A lot of memories in this building. I’ll cherish them forever.”
Hopefully, the architects were in the old barn on Saturday night for the final game in North America’s oldest hockey rink. To see it. To hear it. To feel it.
The plans are already in place for Northeastern’s new facility, which is expected to open for the 2028-29 season, but final details are always a little fluid as the building progresses.
The goal should be to bottle as much of the atmosphere from Matthews Arena as they can and release it when the Building to Be Named Later opens in three years.
Saturday night’s Farewell to Matthews was a reminder that it won’t be easy. The final game was special. The Northeastern athletic department did a nice job with the tribute ceremony. Modeling it after Montreal’s Farewell to the Forum, athletic director and Quebec native Jim Madigan oversaw a night that was nostalgic without overdoing it.
Northeastern, which could have made the night 100 percent about Husky history in the building, honored its rivalry with Boston University, which was fittingly their final-night opponent. Legendary Terrier coach Jack Parker joined Northeastern icon David Poile for the ceremonial puck drop between two Hall of Famers.
Northeastern and Boston University prepare to play the final game at Matthews Arena.Matt Vautour
Final exams were scheduled to end on campus at Northeastern on Sunday, but a large chunk of students chose to forgo studying to create a memory.
They filled the arena’s second-deck “Dog House” section one more time. They chanted, they sang “Stacy’s Mom” at high volume and tried to get as many R-rated, anti-BU chants in while they still had a chance before the vagabond Huskies are temporarily rehomed to foster rinks around Eastern Massachusetts during the demolition and construction, until the new joint opens in 2028.
The fans were pretty happy for most of the night until BU scored twice in the final two minutes to stun NU, 4-3, leaving the Husky players stunned.
But Borgesi, the Husky captain, wouldn’t let his teammates hang their heads during the ceremony.
“I told our guys, ‘Put a smile on your face and get back out there.’ It’s a lot bigger than just what we have in that locker room,” he said.
The fans stayed after the game to watch the final ceremony. After a series of videos, Northeastern brought representatives back from every era of hockey in the building.
Johnny Bucyk obviously isn’t old enough to have played in Boston Arena in the NHL, but the Bruins legend represented the early era when Boston played there from 1924-28.
After that, Northeastern had a player or representative of the team from each decade from the 1950s to the present. After being introduced, Madigan brought out a ceremonial torch that was passed from player to player ending with current Bruins defenseman Jordan Harris handing it to Borgesi, who’ll lead Northeastern into the post-Matthews Arena era.
“In four years here, this building means a lot to me,” Borgesi said. “To see all those guys from past years, it’s a lot bigger than just our team.”
Northeastern’s plans for the next building are ambitious. They want the building to host not only basketball and hockey, but also graduations and academic events.
Ambitious is good as long as the arena itself still has character and doesn’t feel like a multi-purpose, shiny, mid-major civic center. Those exist all over North America. They’re serviceable and soulless.
Newness wears off. The next place needs to be a little quirky. Special. That’s not an easy task. But it’s not supposed to be.
Northeastern’s Matthews Arena, formerly Boston Arena is the oldest hockey rink in the United States.Matt Vautour
A visitor didn’t have to know the history of Matthews Arena to appreciate that it was special. They didn’t have to know that as Boston Arena it hosted the early days of the Bruins and Celtics and campaign speeches by both Presidents Roosevelt.
Being at a game at Matthews was memorable even to fans who didn’t realize they were sitting in the same spot where someone watched Marvin Hagler fight or Jim Morrison drunkenly record the Doors “Live in Boston” album.
The curved roof with wooden ceiling and the old columns that have been painted and repainted over and over made it feel like stepping into the colorized version of a grainy old photo.
Madigan said the entrance arch and balcony seating will be replicated in the new building as a nod to what made Matthews unique.
“Then it’s an opportunity to create new unique moments and traditions,” he said. “This is going to be a signature building of the university.”
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS – NOVEMBER 10: General view of Matthews Arena before a college basketball game between the Princeton Tigers and the Northeastern Huskies on November 10, 2024 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images)Getty Images
If Northeastern is wise, the place will display some of those old photos and honor its heritage even better than Matthews did. The old barn, which barely had enough usable space for concessions, souvenirs and bathrooms, didn’t showcase enough of the history that took place on this very real estate.
Whether it’s a mural or an oversized display case, the next 115 years of fans should be able to know all of hockey, basketball, boxing, wrestling, politics and history that came before on the same corner of St. Botolph Street and Mass. Ave. where they’re standing.
They should see images of Reggie Lewis and Jim Calhoun. Johnny Cash and John F. Kennedy. Eddie Shore and Kendall Coyne.
And Vinny Borgesi taking a torch from Jordan Harris to move the Huskies into the future.
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