Grand National Rink

Last updated
Grand National Rink
Grand National Rink
Address153 Brock Avenue
LocationToronto, Ontario
Coordinates 43°38′47.1654″N79°26′3.4106″W / 43.646434833°N 79.434280722°W / 43.646434833; -79.434280722
OwnerAndrew Wheeler Green
Opened1896
Closed1902

The Grand National Rink was an outdoor skating rink located in the Brockton Village neighbourhood of Toronto, Ontario, Canada from 1896 [1] to 1902. [2] At the time, it was the largest open-air rink in the city. [1] [3] Its location is now the site of the McCormick Playground Arena at McCormick Park in the Little Portugal neighbourhood. 

Contents

History

Business merchant Andrew Wheeler Green [4] owned the Grand National Rink [4] [5] at 153 Brock Avenue, [6] south of Dundas Street. Opened in December 1896, [1] the north side of the grounds featured the ice rink and a heated bandstand. [7] Expansion plans began in March 1897 to add new amenities. [8] By May 1900, a new bandstand was constructed and the grounds featured a large fountain surrounded by evergreen trees. [9] A basketball court was added along with a race track for sprinting and distance running and an athletic field for jumping and vaulting. [10] One corner had a summertime outdoor roller skating rink [9] [10] and an open-air hockey rink for the winter. [11]

Skating carnivals were held at the Grand National Rink [12] [13] [14] along with speed skating races that attracted crowds of up to 1,000 spectators. [15] [16] In January 1902, the rink was awarded the bid by the Amateur Skating Association of Canada to hold the Ontario racing championships during the first week of February. [17] Event organizers expected the tournament to attract a wide array of speed skaters from across the country [17] and Green anticipated large attendance numbers. [18] However, its location was too distant from the city’s downtown to draw a big crowd [2] and the gathering became a local sporting event with a provincial name. [19] Green's incurred financial losses forced the closure of the Grand National Rink in 1902. [2]

Reopenings

The grounds of the Grand National Rink remained vacant until the end of 1907, [20] which was then followed by two brief reopenings.  

Royal Alexandra Rink

The north end of the Grand National Rink became the Royal Alexandra Rink, reopened as an outdoor hockey rink in January 1908 [21] at 189 Brock Avenue. [22] Its secretary was Thomas Bert Andrew, [23] a hockey player with the Bank of Toronto Hockey Club in 1904 [24] [25] [26] whose brother, William Herbert Andrew, [27] attended the coronation of King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra in 1902. [27] The last scheduled hockey game at the Royal Alexandra Rink was held in March 1908. [28] By April, the rink and its adjoining property became the grounds for a three-acre (1.2 ha) baseball field [29] with a large bleacher-seating area. [30]

Brock Avenue Rink

Toronto Marlboros treasurer Arthur Hillyard Birmingham [31] and his brother, team captain Herbert Frederick Birmingham, [31] organized a consortium of hockey players to bring the Toronto Professional Hockey Club, a predecessor of the Toronto Maple Leafs, over to the Eastern Canada Hockey Association (ECHA) [32] [33] [34] in response to the hockey club's withdrawal from the Ontario Professional Hockey League on November 19, 1909. [35] The Birmingham brothers telegraphed a proposal to the ECHA on November 24 [33] [34] [36] about their plan to erect a large canvas roof over the site of the former Grand National Rink [36] [37] [38] and install wooden sideboards for a hockey rink by the end of 1909. [36] The cost to build the temporary structure with a seating capacity for 4,000 people [36] was CA$2,000. [36] Construction of a permanent hockey arena for the professional team was scheduled for the following year on the grounds of the baseball field. [34] [36] The ECHA, which then became the Canadian Hockey Association (CHA), accepted the proposal on the condition that the new indoor arena had to be ready to house the Toronto club by the next summer. [39]

The former Royal Alexandra Rink became the Brock Avenue Rink, reopened in December 1909 [40] at 189 Brock Avenue. [41] The ice rink featured amateur hockey games, [42] skating carnivals [43] [44] and speed skating races. [45] When the CHA dissolved on January 15, 1910, [46] [47] its hockey teams were transferred over to the National Hockey Association [46] [47] and its agreement with the Birmingham brothers came to an end. [39] The last known skating event at the Brock Avenue Rink was held in March 1910 [45] and the Mutual Street Arena in downtown Toronto became the first home arena of the Toronto Hockey Club and, subsequently, the Toronto Maple Leafs. [48]  

McCormick Park

The city of Toronto purchased the property of the former Grand National Rink for CA$34,000 in December 1910 [49] [50] for the purpose of establishing a playground. [49] The parcel of land became the McCormick Playground in 1911, [51] named in recognition of Mary Virginia McCormick, the daughter of American inventor Cyrus Hall McCormick [52] [53] who lived in Toronto in 1908 [54] and donated to the Toronto Playgrounds Association in 1910. [55] [56] [57] The McCormick Recreation Centre opened at the north end of the property in 1912 [58] [59] at 163 Brock Avenue. [60]

By 1963, the outdoor playground became known as McCormick Park. [61] A new McCormick Recreation Centre was opened in 1964 [62] [63] at 66 Sheridan Avenue, [64] located immediately east of the original building which itself became the site for the McCormick Playground Arena in 1972, [65] an indoor skating arena at 179 Brock Avenue. [65] [66]

List of notable speed skaters

Notable athletes who skated at the Grand National Rink include the following:

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Montreal Wanderers</span> Ice hockey team

The Montreal Wanderers were an amateur, and later professional, ice hockey team based in Montreal. The team played in the Federal Amateur Hockey League (FAHL), the Eastern Canada Amateur Hockey Association (ECAHA), the National Hockey Association (NHA) and briefly the National Hockey League (NHL). The Wanderers were four-time Stanley Cup winners. Prior to the formation of the NHL, the "Redbands" were one of the most successful teams in hockey.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mutual Street Arena</span> Arena

Mutual Street Arena, initially called Arena Gardens or just the Arena, was an ice hockey arena and sports and entertainment venue in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. From 1912 until 1931, with the opening of Maple Leaf Gardens, it was the premier site of ice hockey in Toronto, being home to teams from the National Hockey Association (NHA), the National Hockey League (NHL), the Ontario Hockey Association (OHA) and the International Hockey League (IHL). It was the first home of the Toronto Maple Leafs, who played at the arena under various names for their first 13½ seasons. The Arena Gardens was the third rink in Canada to feature a mechanically frozen or 'artificial' ice surface, and for eleven years was the only such facility in eastern Canada. In 1923, it was the site of the first radio broadcast of an ice hockey game, the first radio broadcast of an NHL game, and the first broadcast of an ice hockey game by long-time broadcaster Foster Hewitt.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Matthews Arena</span> Multi-purpose arena in Boston, Massachusetts

Matthews Arena is a multi-purpose arena in Boston, Massachusetts. It is the world's oldest multi-purpose athletic building still in use, as well as the oldest arena in use for ice hockey.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Winnipeg Victorias</span> Amateur ice hockey team in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada

The Winnipeg Victorias were a former amateur senior-level men's amateur ice hockey team in Winnipeg, Manitoba, organized in 1889. They played in the Manitoba Hockey Association (MHA) in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The Victorias won the Stanley Cup in February 1896, 1901 and January 1902 while losing the Cup in December 1896, February 1899, February 1900, March 1902, and February 1903. After the Stanley Cup became the professional championship, the Victorias continued in senior-level amateur play, winning the Allan Cup in 1911 and 1912.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bruce Stuart</span> Ice hockey player

Charles Bruce Stuart was a Canadian amateur and professional ice hockey forward who played for the Quebec Bulldogs, Ottawa Senators, Montreal Wanderers, Portage Lakes Hockey Club, Pittsburgh Victorias and Pittsburgh Professionals from 1899 to 1911. Stuart is considered to be an early version of a power forward, a forward who combines size and physical play with scoring ability, in hockey history. Stuart won the Stanley Cup with both the Ottawa Senators and the Montreal Wanderers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jubilee Arena</span>

The Jubilee Arena also known as Jubilee Rink and l'Aréna Jubilee was an indoor arena located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It was located at the area bounded by rue Alphonse-D. Roy Street and rue Ste. Catherine Est. It was used for games of the Montreal Canadiens hockey club of the National Hockey Association (NHA) and National Hockey League (NHL) from 1909 to 1910 and again in 1919, and it was home of the Montreal Wanderers NHA club from 1910. It was originally built in 1908 and held seating for 3,200 spectators.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ottawa Senators (original)</span> Canadian ice hockey club from 1883 to 1954

The Ottawa Senators were an ice hockey team based in Ottawa, which existed from 1883 to 1954. The club was the first hockey club in Ontario, a founding member of the National Hockey League (NHL) and played in the NHL from 1917 until 1934. The club, which was officially the Ottawa Hockey Club, was known by several nicknames, including the Generals in the 1890s, the Silver Seven from 1903 to 1907 and the Senators dating from 1908.

Dey's Arena, also known as Dey Brothers Rink, Dey's Skating Rink and The Arena, were a series of ice rinks and arenas located in Ottawa, Ontario, that hold importance in the early development of the organized sport of ice hockey in Canada. It was the home arena of the Ottawa Hockey Club, variously known as the Generals, the Silver Seven and the Senators from the 1890s until 1923, although it is known that games were also played at the Rideau Skating Rink in the 1890s and the Aberdeen Pavilion in 1904. The rink and arenas were built by two generations of the Dey family, who were prominent in Ottawa at the time, with a thriving boat works business serving the lumber business. The Dey family also played hockey.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shea's Amphitheatre</span> Former indoor arena in Manitoba, Canada

Shea's Amphitheatre, also known as the Winnipeg Amphitheatre, was an indoor arena located in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. It seated 6,000 spectators.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Victoria Skating Rink</span> Former indoor ice skating rink in Montreal

The Victoria Skating Rink was an indoor ice skating rink located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Opened in 1862, it was described at the start of the twentieth century to be "one of the finest covered rinks in the world". The building was used during winter seasons for pleasure skating, ice hockey and skating sports on a natural ice rink. In summer months, the building was used for various events, including musical performances and horticultural shows. It was the first building in Canada to be electrified.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Montreal Hockey Club</span> Canadian ice hockey club

The Montreal Hockey Club of Montreal, Quebec, Canada was a senior-level men's amateur ice hockey club, organized in 1884. They were affiliated with the Montreal Amateur Athletic Association (MAAA) and used the MAAA 'winged wheel' logo. The team was the first to win the Stanley Cup, in 1893, and subsequently refused the cup over a dispute with the Montreal Amateur Athletic Association. The club is variously known as 'Montreals', 'Montreal AAA' and 'Winged wheel' in literature.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Toronto Professional Hockey Club</span> Ice hockey team in Ontario, Canada

The Toronto Professional Hockey Club was a professional ice hockey team in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was Toronto's first professional ice hockey team, founded in 1906. The team played the 1906–07 season in exhibition games against other professional teams. In 1908, the team was one of the founders of the Ontario Professional Hockey League (OPHL). The club operated for two seasons in the OPHL, 1908 and 1909, before disbanding. The club challenged unsuccessfully for the Stanley Cup in 1908. They were usually referred to as the Toronto Argonauts.

The Western Pennsylvania Hockey League (WPHL) was an originally amateur and later professional ice hockey league founded in 1896 and existing through 1909. Based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, the league became the pre-eminent ice hockey league in the United States. It was the first league to openly hire and trade players.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Arena (Ottawa)</span> Ice hockey arena in Ontario, Canada

The Arena, also known as Dey's Arena was an arena for ice hockey located in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. It was the home of the Ottawa Hockey Club from 1908 to 1923. It was the third in a series of ice hockey venues built by the Dey family of Ottawa. At the time of its building, it was Canada's largest arena.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St. Nicholas Rink</span> Former arena in Manhattan, New York

The St. Nicholas Rink, also called the St. Nicholas Arena, was an indoor ice rink, and later a boxing arena in New York City from 1896 until 1962. The rink was one of the earliest indoor ice rinks made of mechanically frozen ice in North America, enabling a longer season for skating sports. It was demolished in the 1980s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mutual Street Rink</span> Sports arena

The Mutual Street Rink also known as the Caledonian Rink was a curling and skating rink located on Mutual Street in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was the primary site of the sport of ice hockey in Toronto from the 1880s until 1912 when it was replaced by the Arena Gardens. In the 1880s, it was considered Toronto's largest auditorium.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ford Performance Centre</span>

The Ford Performance Centre, formerly Mastercard Centre For Hockey Excellence, is a hockey facility located in the Etobicoke district of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It has four ice pads and is the official practice facility of the Toronto Maple Leafs NHL hockey team, and their AHL affiliate the Toronto Marlies. The building also houses offices for Hockey Canada and the Hockey Hall of Fame and was home to the Toronto Furies of the Canadian Women's Hockey League. The land is owned by the Toronto District School Board as 400 Kipling Avenue.

The Toronto Amateur Athletic Club (TAAC) or Torontos was an athletics organization in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The club fielded teams in various sports, including ice hockey and rugby football. The Toronto Amateur Athletic Club also had a gymnasium on Ossington Avenue and a boxing club.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mary Virginia McCormick</span> American philanthropist

Mary Virginia McCormick was a wealthy American philanthropist who donated to humanitarian causes in the United States and Canada in the early twentieth century. She was a member of the McCormick family who had schizophrenia and a reclusive lifestyle.

McCormick Park is a municipal park and recreational area at 66 Sheridan Avenue in the Brockton Village neighbourhood enclave of Little Portugal in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Opened in 1911 as the McCormick Playground on the property of the former Grand National Rink and changed later to its current name in 1963, McCormick Park is located in the vicinity of Dufferin Street and Dundas Street. It is bounded by Brock Avenue on the west, by Sheridan Avenue on the east, by Frankish Avenue on the north and by Middleton Street on the south.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "The Rinks". Toronto Evening Star . 22 December 1896. p. 2.
  2. 1 2 3 "Comment on Current Sporting Topics". Toronto Daily Star . 13 December 1902. p. 15.
  3. 1 2 3 "Skating Races New Year's Day". Toronto Daily Star. 28 December 1901. p. 6.
  4. 1 2 "Obituary". Milton Canadian Champion. 25 September 1930. p. 1.
  5. ↑ "A.W. Green Buried". Toronto Daily Star. 13 September 1930. p. 2.
  6. ↑ Toronto City Directory, 1898 (PDF). Toronto: Might Directory Company, Limited. 1898. pp. 110, 1462. Retrieved 31 August 2021.
  7. ↑ "Grand National". Toronto Evening Star. 11 December 1897. p. 7.
  8. ↑ "Beyond the Subway". Toronto Evening Star. 30 March 1897. p. 2.
  9. 1 2 "Roller Polo in Toronto". Toronto Daily Star. 10 May 1900. p. 8.
  10. 1 2 "Grand National Sports". Toronto Daily Star. 30 May 1900. p. 8.
  11. 1 2 "Toronto Speed Skaters". Toronto Daily Star. 14 December 1900. p. 8.
  12. ↑ "By the Way". Toronto Globe . 4 February 1897. p. 10.
  13. ↑ "Cycle Chat". Toronto Globe. 22 December 1898. p. 10.
  14. ↑ "Vanity Fair on Ice". Toronto Daily Star. 30 January 1901. p. 2.
  15. ↑ "Fast Skaters, Hot Races". Toronto Evening Star. 20 January 1899. p. 4.
  16. ↑ "Champion Robson Was Beaten Twice". Toronto Daily Star. 2 January 1901. p. 8.
  17. 1 2 "Skating Races Here in February". Toronto Daily Star. 13 January 1902. p. 3.
  18. ↑ "To-Night's Championships". Toronto Daily Star. 6 February 1902. p. 8.
  19. ↑ "The News of Sport". Toronto Globe. 10 February 1902. p. 8.
  20. ↑ Toronto City Directory, 1907 (PDF). Toronto: Might Directories, Limited. 1907. p. 118. Retrieved 31 August 2021.
  21. ↑ "Hockey on Open-Air Rinks". Toronto Daily Star. 8 January 1908. p. 10.
  22. ↑ Toronto City Directory, 1910. Toronto: Might Directories, Limited. 1910. pp. 99, 1066, 1425. Retrieved 31 August 2021.
  23. ↑ "Hockey Doings". Toronto Daily Star. 21 February 1908. p. 13.
  24. ↑ Toombs, Frederick R., ed. (January 1907). Spalding's Official Ice Hockey Guide 1907. New York: American Sports Publishing Company. p. 40.
  25. ↑ "Big Surprise in the Bank League". Toronto Daily Star. 10 February 1904. p. 10.
  26. ↑ "Torontos Again Champions". Toronto Globe. 10 February 1904. p. 12.
  27. 1 2 "Retired Druggist Served in QOR". Globe and Mail . 2 March 1951. p. 5.
  28. ↑ "Woodgreen Ahead". Toronto Daily Star. 6 March 1908. p. 11.
  29. ↑ "A Twenty-One Game Schedule for C.A.L.". Toronto Daily Star. 28 March 1908. p. 20.
  30. ↑ "New Grounds for Amateur League". Toronto Daily Star. 16 March 1908. p. 9.
  31. 1 2 Farrell, Arthur, ed. (January 1906). Spalding's Official Ice Hockey Guide 1906. New York: American Sports Publishing Company. p. 114.
  32. ↑ Harper, Stephen J. (2013). A Great Game: The Forgotten Leafs and the Rise of Professional Hockey . Toronto: Simon & Schuster Canada. p. 208. ISBN   978-1-4767-1653-4.
  33. 1 2 "Ottawa Hears of It". Toronto Daily Star. 24 November 1909. p. 12.
  34. 1 2 3 "That Arena Again". Toronto Globe. 24 November 1909. p. 9.
  35. ↑ "Toronto Out of the Pro. League". Toronto Daily Star. 20 November 1909. p. 25.
  36. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "A Hockey Rink Under Canvas". Toronto Daily Star. 24 November 1909. p. 12.
  37. ↑ "A Rink in a Tent". Toronto Globe. 25 November 1909. p. 9.
  38. ↑ "The News of Sport". Toronto Globe. 25 November 1909. p. 9.
  39. 1 2 Harper 2013, p. 209.
  40. ↑ "Brock Avenue". Toronto Daily Star. 16 December 1909. p. 14.
  41. ↑ Toronto City Directory, 1911 (PDF). Toronto: Might Directories, Limited. 1911. pp. 96, 431, 1434. Retrieved 31 August 2021.
  42. ↑ "Boys' Union Hockey League". Toronto Daily Star. 11 January 1910. p. 13.
  43. ↑ "Brock Ave". Toronto Daily Star. 10 January 1910. p. 5.
  44. ↑ "Brock Avenue". Toronto Daily Star. 24 January 1910. p. 5.
  45. 1 2 "Jacobson Is a Good One". Toronto Daily Star. 5 March 1910. p. 25.
  46. 1 2 "New Pro. League Formed". Toronto Daily Star. 17 January 1910. p. 11.
  47. 1 2 "New Seven-Club League". Toronto Globe. 17 January 1910. p. 8.
  48. ↑ Harper 2013, p. 9.
  49. 1 2 "Want $34,000 for Ground". Toronto Daily Star. 8 December 1910. p. 7.
  50. ↑ "May Buy Brock Ave. Site". Toronto Daily Star. 16 December 1910. p. 7.
  51. ↑ "New Playgrounds Opened". Toronto Globe. 3 July 1911. p. 8.
  52. ↑ "Miss McCormick, 80, of 'Oaklands,' Dies". Globe and Mail. 27 May 1941. p. 4.
  53. ↑ "Once Had Oaklands; Reaper Heiress Dies". Toronto Daily Star. 27 May 1941. p. 10.
  54. ↑ "Background Report: De La Salle College 'Oaklands' 131 Farnham Avenue" (PDF). City of Toronto. July 2015. p. 4. Retrieved 31 August 2021.
  55. ↑ "For Children's Playground". Toronto Globe. 15 August 1910. p. 7.
  56. ↑ "A Check for $10,000 for Big Playground". Toronto Daily Star. 7 September 1910. p. 3.
  57. ↑ "The M'Cormick Playground". Toronto Globe. 4 March 1911. p. 9.
  58. ↑ "Came From Chicago to Give Playgrounds". Toronto Globe. 23 September 1912. p. 9.
  59. ↑ "Children Get New Playplace". Toronto World . 23 September 1912. p. 9.
  60. ↑ Toronto City Directory, 1914 (PDF). Toronto: Might Directories, Limited. 1914. pp. 119, 1083, 1826. Retrieved 31 August 2021.
  61. ↑ Greater Toronto City Directory, 1963. Toronto: Might Directories, Limited. 1963. p. 78. Retrieved 31 August 2021.
  62. ↑ "2 Reporters Evicted From Union Meeting". Globe and Mail. 30 October 1964. p. 5.
  63. ↑ "Busy Children Take Over $750,000 Recreation Centre". Globe and Mail. 30 October 1964. p. 39.
  64. ↑ Greater Toronto City Directory, 1965. Toronto: Might Directories, Limited. 1965. p. 78.
  65. 1 2 "McCormick Arena". McCormick Playground Arena Board of Management. Archived from the original on 26 August 2019. Retrieved 31 August 2021.
  66. ↑ "Toronto Municipal Code, Community and Recreation Centres" (PDF). City of Toronto. January 2019. p. 24. Retrieved 31 August 2021.
  67. 1 2 "Champion Team of Toronto Skaters". Toronto Daily Star. 16 February 1900. p. 6.
  68. 1 2 "Speediest Lady Skater". Toronto Daily Star. 7 February 1901. p. 8.
  69. 1 2 "Toronto, 1902, Part 1 (Ontario Marriage Registrations, 1800-1927)". Ontario Vital Statistics Project. Archives of Ontario Microfilm MS 932, Reel 106, Volume A, 1902. Marriage Registration No. 002686-02, Toronto, 17 September 1902. Archived from the original on 27 November 2023.
  70. ↑ "World's Records Go by the Board at Montreal". Toronto Evening Star. 4 February 1895. p. 4.
  71. ↑ "New Records at Montreal". Toronto Globe. 4 February 1895. p. 6.
  72. 1 2 "Odds and Ends". Toronto Daily Star. 16 February 1901. p. 6.
  73. 1 2 "Skating Notes". Toronto Daily Star. 18 February 1901. p. 8.
  74. ↑ "Record Smashed". Toronto Evening Star. 6 February 1897. p. 2.
  75. ↑ "The Championship Meeting". Toronto Daily Star. 5 February 1900. p. 6.
  76. 1 2 "Toronto Skaters Came Home To-Day". Toronto Daily Star. 18 February 1901. p. 8.
  77. 1 2 "The Speed Championships". Toronto Globe. 18 February 1901. p. 8.
  78. 1 2 "Toronto Skaters Have No Excuses". Toronto Daily Star. 3 February 1902. p. 8.
  79. ↑ "Larry Piper". Toronto Daily Star. 24 February 1908. p. 11.
  80. ↑ "Toronto Man Won the 220 Yd. Championship". Toronto Daily Star. 5 February 1900. p. 6.
  81. ↑ "Champion Robson Returns". Toronto Globe. 5 February 1900. p. 10.
  82. ↑ "World's Record at Skating". New York Times . 6 February 1904. p. 7.
  83. ↑ "Two New Skating Records". New York Times. 1 February 1911. p. 9.
  84. ↑ "Robson Skated in Excellent Form". Toronto Daily Star. 8 February 1902. p. 9.
  85. ↑ "Roe Skating Champion". New York Times. 30 January 1910. p. 1.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.