Hickey on hockey: Incomparable Discussion board was a shrine like no different

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When the Canadiens moved out of the Montreal Discussion board 25 years in the past, it was the oldest of the buildings that housed the so-called Unique Six NHL groups.

It was additionally one of the best of these arenas to observe hockey, to immerse your self not solely within the second however within the historical past of the sport.

It was a shrine to hockey, a spot the place you underwent an expertise that appeared to transcend watching a sporting occasion. For many of its historical past, it was populated by groups that have been thrilling — and profitable. It was residence to 24 Stanley Cup-winning groups. The Discussion board was constructed for the Montreal Maroons, the crew that gained two of these Cups; the opposite 22 have been claimed by the Canadiens.

Going to a Canadiens sport was an occasion. You might see followers dressed within the newest fashions as they paraded by way of the ice-level passageway, the legendary Discussion board hotdogs in a single hand and a beer within the different.

One secret to the constructing’s success was that the house owners weren’t content material to let the Discussion board age gracefully. Intensive renovations in 1949 and 1968 elevated capability, but in addition added improved concessions, escalators and air-con.

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By the Nineteen Nineties, there was the belief the Discussion board had outlived its usefulness in an age demanding bigger buildings and luxurious bins.

I visited every of the opposite Unique Six rinks, both as a fan or as a author, and none of them may evaluate to the Discussion board.

The closest was Madison Sq. Backyard in New York, the place I noticed my first reside NHL sport as a youngster, sitting within the higher deck. The Backyard was the truly the third constructing with that identify and the primary was positioned at Madison Sq. in Manhattan’s Flatiron District. The Backyard was residence to the Rangers, the NBA’s Knicks, school basketball and boxing, however many of the character got here from the followers who have been loud and partisan. It was a far cry from the most recent incarnation with its Broadway glitz and emphasis on the fan expertise.

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The opposite buildings all had flaws.

Chicago Stadium boasted a pipe organ and the biggest and loudest crowds. For years, the official capability was 16,666, however the area featured standing room and, with a wink and a nod to the hearth commissioner, the crowds commonly approached 20,000. The world’s location was the issue as a result of it bordered on one of many metropolis’s most harmful neighbourhoods.

The United Centre is in the identical location, however the ‘hood has undergone a gentrification spurred by Oprah Winfrey’s resolution to find her Harpo Productions studio close by.

Location was additionally an issue for the Olympia in Detroit. The Huge Pink Barn was in a neighbourhood that by no means recovered from riots in 1963. I used to be instructing within the space within the 12 months earlier than the constructing closed in 1979 and I attended fairly a couple of video games, however I discovered there was security in numbers and I by no means wasted time getting out after a sport.

Boston Backyard and Toronto’s Maple Leaf Gardens have been merely outdated and run down. The distinction was that the rats in Toronto seldom frequented the seating areas. The seats at Maple Leaf Gardens have been the smallest within the NHL and crew proprietor Harold Ballard supplied staff a $50 bonus if they might recommend the place to cram in one other seat. He revelled within the nickname Millhaven Fat after his concentrate on cash led to a jail time period for fraud and tax evasion.

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Over time, the Discussion board produced among the most memorable moments of my life. I first set foot within the constructing in 1965, once I spent a couple of {dollars} for a standing room ticket and, six years later, I used to be writing a front-page story for the Montreal Star after Jean Béliveau scored his five hundredth purpose.

I watched the best junior crew ever win back-to-back Memorial Cups in 1969 and 1970 with gamers like Gilbert Perreault, Rick Martin, Marc Tardif, Réjean Houle, Ian Turnbull and André Dupont. The Junior Canadiens set the report for the biggest hockey crowd on the Discussion board and it had little to do with the wealth of expertise. The most well-liked video games have been in opposition to the Toronto Marlboros and so they featured battles between Alan Globensky and the Marlies’ Steve Durbano.

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The Discussion board supplied my greatest reminiscences of the 1976 Olympics. I wasn’t there for Nadia Comaneci’s historic 10s in gymnastics, however I coated america males’s basketball win and Jack Donohue’s debut as Canada’s most profitable basketball coach. And I watched the U.S. boxing crew led by future world champions Sugar Ray Leonard and Leon and Michael Spinks.

However the reminiscences at all times come again to hockey. My favorite Cup wins have been in 1971 and 1986, when rookie goalies Ken Dryden and Patrick Roy, respectively, emerged as stars after which there was the unbelievable run in 1993.

These have been the great ol’ days.

phickey@postmedia.com

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