Old Arena Images & Beginnings

[James Laverance]

^^^
The Uline Arena photo wasn't actually a Hockey game it was an Ice Capades Show featuring Sonja Henie in early 1941 that drew a crowd of 4,000.

 

[James Laverance]

The Miami Gables Coliseum opened on November 10, 1927 and added the "Metropolitan Ice Palace" in 1938 holding a four team Hockey League called the "Tropical Hockey League" from 1938-39.
Teams were named the Miami Clippers, Miami Beach Pirates, Coral Gables Seminoles and Havana Tropicals.It held 4,400 spectators.

An exterior of the Coliseum.

An interior image.

A photo of the Miami Clippers.

Another interior image in 1957 during renovation.

 

[tarheelhockey]

Have some arena information/pictures of old arenas of what is now Thunder Bay (Fort William/Port Arthur then).
Some of it is posted in my mostly abandoned blog. Posting started off about the Sportimer clock but disintegrated into ramblings on other semi-related topics including local (to me) arenas of the past.

HOCKEY JERSEYS DIY & OTHERWISE, etc: Sportimer

I'm sure you already know this, but it's worth mentioning that there was a time when the duo of Fort William and Port Arthur were absolutely dominant in senior amateur hockey. During the 1920s and 1930s, there was a run of about 15 years when one or the other of those teams was in the Allan Cup finals almost every single year -- and they had to go through each other to get there, so their rivalry was one of the very best things going in the hockey world.

And particularly in the early part of that timeframe, senior amateur hockey really mattered. The Allan Cup was a much bigger deal than the Memorial Cup, and got about as much publicity nationally as the Stanley Cup. It was roughly equivalent to a modern NCAA national championship.

For 2020 context: take the Duke/Carolina college basketball rivalry, except the teams play in neighboring towns of maybe 15000, the teams are made up strictly of town residents, and there's effectively zero competition for local attention. The atmosphere in those rinks must have been pure magic.

 

[James Laverance]

The Roof Skating Rink in 1910 NYC.

The Pomona Progress
Pomona, California
01 Feb 1910, Tue • Page 1

 

[James Laverance]

The San Francisco New Dreamland Auditorium was buiit in 1928 and reopened as the Winterland Ice Rink in 1939 holding 5,400 spectators.
It was also the home to the San Francisco Shamrocks Hockey Team of the PCHL from 1944-50.

 

[James Laverance]

The "Iceland Rink" atop MSG in 1942 built in 1927-69.

 

[James Laverance]

In 1925 the California Amateur Hockey Association was founded by Tex Rickard.
The League turned Professional in 1926-33 including several teams from the Bay Area.
These teams were the San Francisco Tigers(1928-33), the San Francisco Black Hawks(1930-31),
The San Francisco Rangers(1931-33), the Oakland Sheiks(1928-33), and the Oakland Checkers(1930-1931).
They Played out of the New Iceland Rink in San Francisco 1928-33 and the Oakland Ice Arena built in 1929 closing in the 1950's.

The San Francisco Examiner
San Francisco, California
Sat, Nov 17, 1928 · Page 6

The San Francisco Examiner
San Francisco, California
Tue, Dec 04, 1928 · Page 17

Oakland Tribune
Oakland, California
Sun, Nov 24, 1929 · Page 70

Oakland Tribune
Oakland, California
Sat, Nov 30, 1929 · Page 10

Oakland Tribune
Oakland, California
Fri, Apr 25, 1930 · Page 37

 

[tarheelhockey]

In 1925 the California Amateur Hockey Association was founded by Tex Rickard.
The League turned Professional in 1926-33 including several teams from the Bay Area.
These teams were the San Francisco Tigers(1928-33), the San Francisco Black Hawks(1930-31),
The San Francisco Rangers(1931-33), the Oakland Sheiks(1928-33), and the Oakland Checkers(1930-1931).
They Played out of the New Iceland Rink in San Francisco 1928-33 and the Oakland Ice Arena built in 1929 closing in the 1950's.
View attachment 339885
The San Francisco Examiner
San Francisco, California
Sat, Nov 17, 1928 · Page 6
View attachment 339886
The San Francisco Examiner
San Francisco, California
Tue, Dec 04, 1928 · Page 17
View attachment 339887
View attachment 339891
Oakland Tribune
Oakland, California
Sun, Nov 24, 1929 · Page 70
View attachment 339888
Oakland Tribune
Oakland, California
Sat, Nov 30, 1929 · Page 10
View attachment 339889
Oakland Tribune
Oakland, California
Fri, Apr 25, 1930 · Page 37
View attachment 339890

This is great stuff. The California league was basically the ECHL of its era, a place for lower-end pros to start and for has-beens to glide into sunny retirement. Some west-coast HOFers like Moose Johnson and Tommy Dunderdale played in that league!

 

[James Laverance]

The Rideau Skating Rink in Ottawa opened on February 1st, 1889 housing the Ottawa Hockey Team of the AHA in 1895-96 while the second Dey's Rink was under construction.
Organized ice hockey activities began with a game on February 14, 1889, played between members of the Ottawa and Rideau social clubs. James Creighton captained the Rideau team and P. D. Ross captained the Ottawa team. The next day Ross and Creighton would officiate at a match between civilian and military teams.

 

[James Laverance]

An exterior of the old Ottawa Auditorium on Argyle Street.

 

[James Laverance]

An exterior of Queens University " Richardson Rink" that was built in 1890 and served as the home to the University Hockey team from 1890-21.
Queens played a Cup Challenge in 1899(Montreal Shamrocks), and in 1906 against the Ottawa Silver Seven and lost both.

The team is pictures her in 1892-93.

Also an interior of their temporary "Drill Hall Rink" in 1896.

 

[James Laverance]

The North Bay Arena Rink built in 1907.

 

[James Laverance]

The Ice-A-torium Rink in Soo, Michigan built in 1902 housing the Soo Indians of the IPHL from 1904-07.

 

[James Laverance]

The Toronto Mutual Street Rink built in 1875 and home to the Marlboros of the OHA who challenged
the Silver Seven Team in 1904.
Also home to the Toronto Wellingtons of OHA who played the Winnpeg Victorias in 1902 and the Toronto Professionals of OPHL who challenged the Montreap Wanderers in 1908.

 

[James Laverance]

The Schreiber Skating Rink built in C.1910 home to the Schreiber Colts team that played in the
New Ontario Hockey League from 1910-12.

A team photo from that period.

An Interior of the Schreiber Citizen's Rink built in 1936.

 

[c9777666]

Old Chicago Stadium during the iconic national anthem before the 1991 All Star Game

 

[James Laverance]

The Halifax Crescents Hockey Team were a team that played in the Maritime Amateur Hockey League from 1898-1910 challenging for the Cup against The Montreal Shamrocks in 1900.
They played in the "South End Exhibition Skating Rink built in 1880.

 

[James Laverance]

The Chicoutimi Arena home to the "Sagueneens" Hockey Team where George Vezina first played
before turning professional with the Montreal Canadiens in 1910.

 

[James Laverance]

The Minto Arena built in the early 1900's was home to the Prince Albert Mintos of the Saskatchewan Professional Hockey League from 1909-11.
The Mintos went to Winnipeg in 1911 and played off against Port Arthur, winners of the New Ontario Hockey League. They fell in defeat in straight games. Port Arthur would go on to lose a challenge series for the Stanley Cup to the Ottawa Senators of the National Hockey Association.

 

[James Laverance]

The Dundas Curling and Skating Rink was built in 1860 with the original purpose of a foundry - Dundas Foundry and Machine Shop.It was converted to a Curling/Skating rink in 1880's housing the Dundas Hockey Team in 1890's that played in the Southern Ontario Hockey Association.
The building still stands today as a brewery company.

 

[James Laverance]

The Adelaide Street Skating Rink in Toronto was built in 1877 shown here in 1878 and 1879.

 

[James Laverance]

The Portage La Prairie Arena Skating Rink built around 1902 was home to the Portage La Prairie Plains team that played in the Manitoba and Northwestern Hockey Association from 1902-04.
It was also the Home to the Portage La Prairie Cities team playing in the Manitoba Hockey Association from 1904-06 and in the MPHL from 1906-08.

 

[James Laverance]

The Strathcona(Edmonton) Shamrocks Ladies Team inside the South Side Rink that was built in 1904 and also housed the Shamrocks Men's Team of the Alberta Professional Hockey League in 1907-08.

The exterior of the South Side Rink around 1910.

 

[James Laverance]

The Schreiber Skating Rink built around 1910 where the Colts of New Ontario Hockey League played from 1910-12.The Rink burned down in 1918.
Also some team photo's from that period.

 

[James Laverance]

The history of Hockey in Woodstock, Ontario dates back to the 1890's when they had a Senior Team in in Ontario Hockey Association that played out of the Woodstock Skating Rink built around that time.Then the Woodstock "Perry street arena" that was built and opened on January 6th,1914.
It housed the OHA team shown below who started the left and right defensive names which apparently was invented as a pairing in 1911 when the names were called point and cover point at Harvard University for a better way to prevent The Great" Hobey Baker" of Princton from scoring.