Matthews Arena Closes After Over a Century

An era ended on Saturday night when Matthews Arena hosted its final hockey game ever after over a century of service.

Originally known as Boston Arena when it opened in April 1910 as the city's first indoor arena, it was rebuilt in 1921 following a fire. It was purchased in 1979 by Northeastern University and renamed in 1982, and was the longtime home of the NU Huskies men's and women's hockey teams and the NU men's basketball squad. It was the original indoor home of the hockey programs at Boston College, Boston University, and Harvard University, and the Boston Bruins and New England Whalers, along with the annual Beanpot Tournament and the NBA's Boston Celtics. It was also a mecca of prep school hockey in the Boston area for decades, and also hosted Northeastern's yearly graduation ceremonies, among many, many other events.

Structural integrity and ground stability issues that developed over the last few years necessitated the arena's closure and upcoming demolition, which is expected to be completed early next year. A new modern facility for NU hockey and basketball will be built on the same site on St. Botolph Street, and is slated to open in late 2028. 

The old barn closed for good on Dec. 13 after BU beat NU, 4-3, in men's hockey in the final event to be held at the arena. The final women's hockey game was contested there on Dec. 6, when NU topped BC, 4-2. Both Huskies hockey teams will now skate as road warriors for the rest of this season and the next two years, playing their home games at alternate venues such as Bentley Arena, BU's Walter Brown Arena, Harvard's Bright-Landry Hockey Center, and UMass Lowell's Tsongas Center.

With the closure of Matthews Arena, Princeton University's Hobey Baker Rink, now approaching its 103rd birthday, becomes the oldest operating arena in American and NCAA collegiate hockey.