The last three months have flown by quickly.
I want to stop them, but time is running forward inexorably.
Recently, my friend said to me: “Have you noticed that time has started to run faster?”
“Yes!” I answered her and indeed, we are getting older faster, and time is running forward faster.
Ah……
I’ll be back in May and it’s time for the Door Open Toronto 2025.
I’ll tell you about my volunteer work in a beautiful building located in Toronto at 50 Carlton St.
The building not only has a very interesting history, but is also very interesting itself.
An escalator goes to the upper floors, which rises to enter the ….. ice field.
This ice field in the center of Toronto is the largest indoor ice hall, built in the 70s was the largest and most modern in North America.
It served as an arena for hockey and figure skating competitions, and hosted circus acrobatic groups.
There are many photographs that tell about the events of those years.
The largest concerts in terms of numbers took place here, where stars from all over the world performed in front of a huge number of spectators. Elvis Presley, Madona…
Built in 1933, it served as the largest arena and was called Maple Leaf Gardens
Now this place stores historical photos of those years.
There is a wonderful conference hall where meetings and conferences are held.
And today hockey teams are training, just like many years ago. We also had the opportunity to skate if we brought skates with us.
There were many who wanted to.
Arena honors memory of its famous Toronto Maple Leafs hockey players and the founders of the Arena.
Conn Smythe,founder and owner of the Toronto Maple Leafs,secretly buried a time-capsule in a cornersrone when the Maple Leaf Gardens were built in 1931.
The capsule would remain buried for 80 years until its accidental discovery by a construction worker during building renovations in 2011.
The capsule was housed in a copper box handmade by Millard Breuls Campbell,a draftsman working at the Gardens during its construction.Campbell left an inscription located on the inner lid that reads,,M.B.Campbell124 Lindsay Ave 2119131″
The capsule held mementos from the time including-newspapers,official hocey rulebooks,a stock prospectus from Maple Leaf Gardens,a red onsign flag,an ivory carved elephant and a four-page letter detalling the design and construction of the arena.
The Toronto Maple Leafs win 11 Stanley cups and was host to some of the biggest stars of the time.
Traditions are maintained today, new athletes train in this arena.
On the second floor of the arena there is a wonderful modern fitness center.
Finally, I want to tell you about this photo.
Photo from Libraries and Archives Canada, Walter Curtin Foundation.
King Clancy(right) and Leafs captain Ted Kennedy.
Francis,,King” Clancy (1903-1986) is a hockey legend,despite being one of the smallest defencemen of his era-just 5 feet,7 inches and 155 pounds.
In 1930 Conn Smythe traded two players to the Ottawa Senators and paid an unprecedented $35,000 to acquire the rights to Clancy.
During the following season,the feisty,rushing defencemen helped the leafs win their first Stanley Cup.He was a versatile player,once playing all six positions in a single game,including goal.
He retiered as a player in 1936,became a NHL referee for eleven years,and later returned to coach the Leafs from 1953 to 1956.
King Clancy was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1958,and remained connected with the team until his death in 1986.
As I was leaving Arena, I felt a little sad.
After all, time flies quickly, and we can’t keep up with it.
Or is it just me?