The Lakeshore Lions Arena (Lakeshore Lions Memorial Centre) is a former ice hockey facility in
Toronto
Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the anch ...
,
Ontario
Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central C ...
, Canada. It was operated in the
Long Branch neighbourhood of
Etobicoke
Etobicoke (, ) is an administrative district of, and one of six municipalities amalgamated into, the city of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Comprising the city's west-end, Etobicoke was first settled by Europeans in the 1790s, and the municipalit ...
by the
Lakeshore Lions Club. It is the former practice facility for the
Toronto Maple Leafs
The Toronto Maple Leafs (officially the Toronto Maple Leaf Hockey Club and often referred to as the Leafs) are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Div ...
NHL hockey team, and the
Toronto Marlies
The Toronto Marlies are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto. They compete in the American Hockey League (AHL) as a member of the North Division of the Eastern Conference. The Marlies is owned by Maple Leafs Sports & Entertainment, a c ...
AHL farm team.
The old arena was a two-storey rink built in 1951 at 300 Birmingham Street. In 2010, it was repurposed as the
Humber College
The Humber College Institute of Technology & Advanced Learning, commonly known as Humber College, is a public College of Applied Arts and Technology in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Founded in 1967, Humber has two main campuses: the Humber North c ...
Arts and Media Studio.
The Lions opened a new facility, called the
MasterCard Centre for Hockey Excellence, to replace the old arena in fall 2009, located northeast of the original rink, at 400 Kipling Avenue. The club spent three years on negotiations, and on planning.
[Olga Eremeeva, "Lakeshore to play host to Leafs and Marlies", ''Humber EtCetera'', Toronto: Humber College Journalism program, 26 January 2006.]
Brian Hoskins, vice-chairman of the arena board told the ''Humber EtCetera'', "This is a sports facility operated by a not-for-profit service club. All the profits go back to the community. We have to have professional tenants to make it work. Our primary time is occupied here by youth hockey. The Leafs are here from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. when we don't have a lot of use of it. That is why it is such a good marriage for us."
References
External links
Lakeshore Lions Arena
Defunct indoor arenas in Canada
Defunct sports venues in Canada
Defunct indoor ice hockey venues in Canada
Toronto Maple Leafs
Defunct sports venues in Toronto
Lions Clubs International
Etobicoke
1951 establishments in Ontario
Sports venues completed in 1951
2010 disestablishments in Ontario
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