Maple Leaf Stadium

From BR Bullpen

1961 Home Opener at the Park.

Maple Leaf Stadium was home of the Toronto Maple Leafs for 42 years. It was located at the foot of Bathurst Street at Lake Shore Boulevard, until it was demolished in 1968.

In October 1925, the Toronto Globe reported tht the construction site was being prepared, and that Leafs president Lol Solman intended the new park to accommodate 31,000 spectators.[1] The playing surface had already been graded and sodded before construction of the park's steel skeleton commenced in December 1925, continuing throughout the winter of 1925-26. Maple Leaf Stadium's designing engineer was Prof. T.H. Loudon of the University of Toronto.[2] The contractor was the T.A. Russell Construction Company.[3]

By mid-April 1926, a seating capacity of 23,500 was being advertised, and a downtown tailor shop, Roth Eaton, ran a contest ("Open to Men Only!") inviting fans to guess the attendance on opening day. First prize consisted of a suit and topcoat.[4]

Opening day was slated for April 28, 1926, but was delayed a day by rain. On April 29, despite "steady drizzle" and temperatures of 33 degrees Fahrenheit (1 degree Celsius), a crowd of between 14,000[5] and 18,000[6] watched the Maple Leafs rebound from a 5-0 deficit with a five-run rally in the bottom of the ninth and a run-scoring bunt by Del Capes in the bottom of the 10th to defeat the Reading Keystones, 6-5. The game was broadcast over Toronto radio stations CFCA (owned by the Toronto Star) and CKCL (later CKEY)[7].

The city's first Sunday pro sporting event took place at the Stadium on May 7, 1950 when almost 18,000 fans braved the wintry conditions to watch the Maple Leafs take the field. Prior to that date, sporting events were not allowed on Sundays under the "Lord's Day Act"; a municipal plebiscite overturned the law. Despite the large crowd, the Leafs lost both games of a double header against the Jersey City Giants, losing 9-5 in the first game and 4-1 in the second game. The second game was reduced to five innings to avoid breaking the 6 pm Sunday curfew still in effect at that time.

Sources[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ↑ Wilson, Frederick. "Scanning the Sport Field." The Globe [Toronto, Ontario] 6 Oct. 1925: 8. Print.
  2. ↑ Hewitt, W.A. "Sporting Views and Reviews." Toronto Daily Star [Toronto, Ontario] 28 Apr. 1926: 8. Print.
  3. ↑ Dorward, Jane Finnan. "The Fleet Street Flats." Dominionball: Baseball Above the 49th. Cleveland, OH: SABR, 2005. 63-68. Print.
  4. ↑ Toronto Daily Star [Toronto, Ontario] 14 Apr. 1926: 10. Print.
  5. ↑ Wilson, Frederick. "14,000 Cheering Fans See Leafs Win Victory in Ten-Inning Battle." The Globe [Toronto, Ontario] 30 Apr. 1926: 1. Print.
  6. ↑ "Fans Approve New Maple Leaf Stadium." Toronto Daily Star [Toronto, Ontario] 30 Apr. 1926: 3. Print.
  7. ↑ "In the Air To-Night." Toronto Daily Star [Toronto, Ontario] 29 Apr. 1926: 19. Print.

Related Sites[edit]

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