Maple Leaf Gardens plaque revealed Nov. 14: free skate

Dennis Hanagan –

A Heritage Toronto plaque will be unveiled Nov. 14 at Ryerson’s Mattamy Athletic Centre, 60 Carlton St., to commemorate Maple Leafs Gardens.

One of the most renowned arenas in the history of hockey, Maple Leaf Gardens hosted cultural, political, and religious events of importance to the history of Toronto and Canada.

Elvis Presley played the Gardens in his first concert outside of the United States. Conn Smythe, owner of the Toronto Maple Leafs during the period the Gardens were built, actually wanted the building to be on the waterfront but he couldn’t find the property. The Gardens opened on Nov. 12, 1931.

This October, the building won a Heritage Toronto Award of Merit for its restoration and adaptive reuse project to house a grocery store and an athletic centre, which was commissioned by Loblaw Companies Limited and Ryerson University. One of the most eye-catching parts of the restoration was the replication of the original Carlton St. marquee following the original design.

The unveiling will take place at 2 p.m. and is followed by a free public skate from 3 to 4 p.m. Email plaques@heritagetoronto.org before Nov. 6 to attend.