December 15, 2025 • 39 mins
Northeastern University’s Matthews Arena, formerly known as Boston Arena, closed its doors after 115 years. The historic athletic hall was once home to the Boston Bruins and Boston Celtics before the construction of the old Boston Garden. Many iconic public figures, not just professional athletes, have graced the hall once upon a time; the likes of Teddy Roosevelt & JFK are just a few. The Northeastern-owned facility will be deconstructed for a new state-of-the-art facility, which is set to be ready in 2028. Dan spoke with a variety of sports figures who have either worked, played or had a connection to the historic arena.
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Speaker 1 (00:01):
It's Night Side with Dan Ray on WVS Boston's news radio.
Speaker 2 (00:07):
But my question is, how did the Pistons get so
good so fast? Years ago they were sellar dwellers, but
now they're they're like the team to beat in the NBA.
Oh well, what up? What's up? And down? What's down
is up? And what's coming down pretty soon is what's
called the Matthews Arena in downtown Boston, and it is
(00:29):
uh for many many years, was always owned and still
is in the minds of a lot of us as
Boston Arena with us is a member of Hockey Royalty.
He's a member of a royal hockey family, the Stewarts
of Boston. Bill Stewart a coach. No, no, it's only
going down here from here, Bill, trust me, No, only kidding.
(00:52):
A great guy, a great friend of many many years,
as they say, a coach and a referee, which and
he has the reason I say, Boston Royalty. You have
a lineage in your family going back to your grandfather,
who not only had pitched in the major leagues, but
had also umpired of the major leagues, took a few
(01:15):
years off to coach the Chicago Blackhawks and won a
Stanley Cup Championship long before Bobby Bobby Hell probably had
been born. Give us the quick genealogy of the Stewart
family yourself. You've got a couple of brothers who were
great athletes as well. I couldn't think of anybody more
(01:36):
who would be more verse that has spent more time.
You told me the other day, you've how you've did
how many games between baseball, football.
Speaker 3 (01:45):
Basketball, overhund football, hockey, baseball, softball.
Speaker 2 (01:51):
And you never made it wrong? If you've never made
a wrong call.
Speaker 3 (01:54):
Right, No, as I said, one of the great things
about America. And I've said this to people when I
say I had to remind them I got paid to
stank and they was taking for free.
Speaker 2 (02:05):
So a bad worthy. But that's okay. So tell us
about the family, the lineage of the Stewart family. Your
dad was a long time you know, coach at Boston English.
But before him, his dad just let people sit back
and let's hear about it, because I want to hear.
(02:26):
Then your your remembrances and your recollections of the Boston Arena.
I have some that they they are so slight in
importance compared to yours.
Speaker 3 (02:36):
Go right ahead, I remember when you played Avenue Lewis
past Wolfpack.
Speaker 2 (02:42):
Oh yeah, it's my nickname was. My nickname was red Light.
That's correct.
Speaker 3 (02:49):
Yeah, went on there to the Harvard University of Longwood
Avenue College of course.
Speaker 2 (02:56):
Of course, that's what they used to call Harvard, the
Boss State, the Boston State College of Cambridge. Yes, go ahead. No.
Speaker 3 (03:05):
First of all, thank you for having me on to
speak about a building that is will forever be near
and dear to my heart in our family's history. My granddad,
Bill Stewart Senior, actually son. He was hired by George B.
Brown after the arena burned down and was rebuilt between
(03:28):
nineteen nineteen nineteen twenty one. And my grandfather had hired
by George B. Brown nineteen twenty one to help him
run the building. He also picked up refereeing and skating
and playing. He hadn't played any high school hockey playing,
didn't have high school hockey back when he graduated in
nineteen fifteen, and they s if they did, they skate
(03:50):
on Jamaica Pond. He signed as a pro contract in
February of nineteen nineteen with Charles o'comiski for six one
hundred and fifty dollars to pitch for the Chicago White Sox.
Went to Mineral Springs, Texas, made the team, was up
for twenty five games, get sent down and never made
(04:10):
it back to the Bigs, which was fortunate because of
the obviously the scandal that followed the Vola.
Speaker 2 (04:18):
Black Sox scandal of nineteen nineteen. Yeah wow, yeah, which
all happened at the Buckschminster Hotel. We know here with
Ken most Quare because everything relates back to Boston.
Speaker 3 (04:28):
Go ahead, bilty, everything goes back, Yeah, it does. At
the same time he was doing that, he learned, he
learned how to referee, and he started refereeing in what
with the Foe run into the American Hockey League, the
cannam League in nineteen twenty four. Became so proficient proficient.
Then he was hired by the National Hockey League the
referee in the National Hockey League in nineteen twenty eight.
(04:49):
He was the first American bond referee in the National
Hockey League. At the same time he was doing that,
he was an umpire in the New York Penn League
and got hired in nineteen thirty three to the National
Baseball League. We're t Empire from thirty three to fifty
four four Wheel Series, five All Star Games, and was
at second base when Bobby Thompson hit the home run
out of the Polo Grounds.
Speaker 2 (05:11):
For Ralph Franca right, Oh.
Speaker 3 (05:13):
Yeah, who was absolute both of them, absolute gentlemen. My
wife met Bobby Thompson on a plane and she was
a flight attendant reason my dialing wife was a flight
attendant with Eastern Airlines. She met Bobby Thompson on a plane.
He signed a ball for me, so I have Bobby Thompson.
Ralph Franco autographed baseball his hockey career. He nineteen twenty eight,
(05:35):
as I said, in the National Hockey League, and he
did that up until thirty seven when he got hired
to coach the Blackhawks won the Stanley Cup in April
in nineteen thirty eight. In January thirty nine, he got
fired by Nathan McLaughlin. And at the same time he
was doing that, he was an umpire in the National
Baseball League, so he.
Speaker 2 (05:53):
Was in time for spring training.
Speaker 3 (05:55):
You know, that was good time, you know. Coincidentally, he
said that was the first time he got the spring
training in his career. He did four to five Stanley
Cup Finals. As an NHL referee, he did the longest
game ever played between the Montreal Maroons and Detroit Red Wings,
five over times. Back then you didn't have a zam
(06:17):
boni to scraped the ice, and then retired from the
National Baseball League in nineteen fifty four. My dad graduated
the Boston English Barnes Academy Notre Dame of forty three
higher than English High, in nineteen forty eight. Started coaching
hockey in nineteen forty eight and did so until nineteen
seventy two. At the same time he was doing that,
(06:37):
he was the football and baseball coach for thirty five
years at Boston English High School. And you know Dan
because he competed against them. His teams were always well prepared,
first class and very successful. At the same time he
was doing that, he was a three sports coach, football, hockey,
and baseball official, so he jumped from field rink, from
(07:00):
field to rink. And I was fortunate, being the oldest son,
just spent a lot of time traveling with him. So
by the time I was I was twelve, I had
been at every major campus on the East Coast watching
him officiate. Yale, have PM State, Et cetera.
Speaker 2 (07:15):
That was an education of itself.
Speaker 3 (07:19):
Well, you know what I was saying. I was telling
somebody that I was at the Green nine club football
dinner tonight. I was standing when I was fifteen. The
first game I aired for re f Reid, I was fifteen,
for a plate of beans and hot dogs between the
Quantt Marine football team and the Northfolk Prison colony down
at Northfolk. My father. My father used to volunteer his
time for the prison. He needed somebody, so I went
(07:40):
down with him. It was myself, my father and a
guy named John O'Toole at the time who happened to
be doing twenty years for mansquater. But so the next
week my dad did the Penn State Syracuse game at
Syracuse and Larry's I was a ball boy and Larry
Zunker ran me over on the sideline standing next to
(08:00):
Ben Schwatschwall. So I learned that had way Uh. My brother,
Paul Uh obviously had a great career as an NHL
referee sixteen years in the NHL.
Speaker 2 (08:11):
UH and an NHL player NHL.
Speaker 3 (08:15):
Player as well, yeah NHL and w h A. He
was Robbie for Taurrek's bodyguard in Cincinnati, and you know,
and then and now here's a kid that obviously he
graduated from Gratton School in the University of Pennsylvania. He
went to the NHL and became a fighter. During the summer,
when he was training, he had a in his garage.
(08:36):
He had a heavy bag and he would put plywood out.
He tape his hands up and put tape on his
skates and he punched the bag. That was his training
for the summer. And as I said to my dad
first night at the garden, you know when he had
three fights this first night at the garden. And I
said to my father, didn't you get his being your
bean for his educational dollars sending him to Gratton?
Speaker 2 (08:58):
And you oh god? Well, anyway, look, we're gonna we
gotta take a break here because I got it. We're
gonna be joined by a few guests along the way.
And I do want to talk about Matthews Arena. Dan Shaughnessy,
those who might have missed it, wrote a great piece
on December fifth in the Goal. But it's the end
of an era for Matthews Arena formerly Boston Arena, will
(09:21):
always be Boston Arenas to me, and other thoughts and
he talked, when you look at this building, I mean
Franklin Roosevelt, James Michael Curley, JFK. Jerry Lee Lewis all
played there. I didn't realize that Babe Ruth used to
play and pick up hockey games there, you know, over
one hundred years ago, on and on and all. General
(09:44):
David Dwight, David Eisenhower before we was president, spoke there.
And by the way, I played against the inmates at Walpole,
and I think it was sixty seven, so that was
a common occurrence back then. You can win and play
baseball against those guys. I don't think that happened these
days anyway.
Speaker 3 (10:03):
I saw Bobby Ginden, who play with my father's English.
Speaker 2 (10:07):
First basement in English. Yeah, sure, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 3 (10:10):
He signed one hundred thousand dollars contract with the Red
Sox in nineteen sixty. Hit a hit, A hit a baseball.
Lefty Gil Day, the bank robber.
Speaker 2 (10:17):
Bad against lefty Gil Day, I know, couldn't break a
paint of glass.
Speaker 3 (10:22):
I was his bad boy. I was my father's bad boy.
And Gin didn't hit the ball over the fence, And
of course all the prisoners volunteered to go get it.
Speaker 2 (10:32):
Oh, yeah. Left. He told me after the game, I said,
you can go out and you could coach and left.
He said to me, kid, when I go out, I'm
gonna get drunk and I'm gonna rob a bank. That's
exactly what he did. True story, true story. We'll take up.
And that is one that I will take the lie
detective test on. Trust me. I mean he he couldn't
break a paint of glass at that point, but he
was a big bonus boy with the Senators Clark Griffin
(10:54):
in the early fifties.
Speaker 3 (10:55):
You know, and you know I you know what my
grandfather was scouting for was the Washington Center.
Speaker 2 (11:00):
This, Yeah wow, how about that? How about that? Well
he probably could throw a little harder back then, but
it's like must have been like an Eddie lowpad. We'll
take a break, Bill Stewart and I. The only thing
that's going to stop is his breaks of phone calls.
If you want to ask Bill a question, share a memory,
We're gonna be talking in a moment with one of
three guests, Jimmy Conley, who's a US college hockey He
(11:23):
writes for US College hop Hockey Online. We'll talk a
little bit about that. We will get to the Arena,
I promise, and if you'd like to join with the
story of two six, one seven, two five, four thirty six,
one seven, nine, three, one, ten thirty Coming right back
on night Side.
Speaker 4 (11:38):
It's Night Side with Dan Ray, Boston's news radio.
Speaker 2 (11:43):
Where with us is Bill Stewart for the hour. I
think anyone who's ever been involved in sports in Boston
knows Bill Stewart. If you've missed the introduction, stay with us.
Jimmy Conley uh has been a writer for US College Hockey,
which is an online a presentation. Jimmy only welcome to
Night's Side. Say hello to our good friend Bill Stewart.
Speaker 1 (12:04):
Well, it's great to join you. Dan always listen to
this show for years in this station. It's great to
be on Besy and Stewie. Good good, great, great stories.
Speaker 3 (12:16):
You get to tell Jimmy good to talk with you.
Speaker 2 (12:21):
Jimmy, how long have you been writing? What drew you
to college hockey? I mean, college hockey is is a great, uh,
you know, sport, There's no doubt about that. And we
have some of the best college hockey teams here in
Boston playing at the Arena and at you know, various
college venues. How did you get involved in this in
(12:43):
the first place.
Speaker 1 (12:45):
You know, it's it's a long story, but it actually
ties back to Matthew's arena. I I went to Boston
Latin like the other people on this station, and my
godfather was the hockey coach there, Dave Coleman, that not
just Boston Latin as a teacher, but he's Northeastern Hall
of Fame hockey and baseball. And I think I was
(13:07):
a six y of Latin. And he said, you know what,
we need to get this kid and make him the
water boy for the hockey team so we can be
around the kids that are, you know, have a little
bit of a cooler vibe than he does. So give
him a little bit of a social life. Throw him
with the team. But I stayed with them all six years.
Loved the time I got to spend with that team.
(13:29):
And then when I went to college, I knew two things.
I knew music, I was a trumpet player, and I
knew hockey a little bit from being around the team.
And when I went to UMass Lowell to study music,
I ended up connecting with Bruce crowd Of the hockey
coach at ums. Loll became his equipment manager for four years,
and then somehow parlayed that into a career in hockey
(13:53):
and with usccho I've been there now for thirty three years,
which is crazy.
Speaker 2 (14:01):
I'll tell you had to cut of a lot of
orange slices in your career if you were the team manager.
That was the best part about about hockey games at
the arena. Behind the French fries which we could which
we would ingest between periods, I.
Speaker 3 (14:16):
Think, yeah, yeah, there was a staple twenty five hands
a box and you just greased but delicious.
Speaker 2 (14:26):
So so, Jim, what's your fondest memory of the arena?
I assumed that Boston Land School was still that was
a home rink for all the City League teams when
I was playing there, and when I was there much longer,
much before your time. I did not have the pleasure
of your dad as a coach. I had a guy
named Dick Thomas who went on to become the golf coach,
(14:48):
which I think was his first love at the University
of Miami. But it was a good hockey coach as well.
What's what's your best memories of the old Boston Arena?
Speaker 1 (14:58):
Yeah, well, I just made sure it was my godfather
who was the coach of Boston Latin, not my actual father, David.
Speaker 2 (15:06):
I I'm sorry, I no, that's okay.
Speaker 1 (15:09):
I just want to make sure I wasn't confusing too
many people out there. But you know, going back to
that building, and by the time I got to Latin
nineteen eighty six, the city had moved out of there
and Boston Latin was in there as the sole high
school team. So and I believe that was Dave Coleman's
connection with Northeastern to keep going back there. So I
(15:32):
think that when when the Northeastern actually bought the building,
that I think is when the city league formally moved out,
and that gave Boston Latin really the only rights to
the high school scene in there. So it was a
little bit different. It was you know, they didn't open
concession stands when we played games. We only had about
seventy five fans in the stands when we were there,
so it was a lot different. I so my memories
(15:54):
of the arena that I've only known as Matthews, it
was more of the underbelly, you know, knowing those corridors
in every room in that building, Uh, knowing worry you
could find the good tape in the back of the
Northeastern equipment room. If if somebody forgot one, Hey, CFC
is opening, you know where they hide it. You know,
go find the good stuff, you know. And even and
(16:17):
then even in my days at Low, you know, we
as a as an equipment you spend more time in
the corridors, in the locker rooms and sharpening skates and
picking up laundry and all of that stuff. And then
and then it was finally being on the opposite bench,
having been on Boston Latin's bench for so long. So
it's there's a lot of great games, and I think
(16:37):
as a journalist, some of the best have been some
of the worst. You know, I can I can remember
a nine to eight or an eight seven Sunday afternoon
lost Northeastern Providence. Both teams had missed the playoffs in
Hockey East when they used to cut out both teams,
and they played the stupidest best hockey game I ever saw.
It was goal scoring everywhere, and I think there might
(17:00):
have been seven goals in the final three minutes. It
was a legendary game.
Speaker 2 (17:06):
Wow, So did Latin School when when your godfather was
the coach, did they get their own designated locker room.
At Matthew's Arena.
Speaker 1 (17:16):
We you know what we we had a locker room
under there. It was not really designated. I think it
was one of the extra locker rooms. By the time
I was maybe a junior or a senior, I think
Wentworth had taken that room most of the time and
we were just kind of bouncing around rooms. I think
Wentworth had finally moved there their varsity team, and so
(17:37):
by the time you know, I got there, it did
feel like you had the same place every game. And
I'll tell you, when you think of where high school
hockey had moved to by the eighties and nineties, you
were in a lot of the MDC youth brinks and
not taking anything away from them because I grew up
in West Roxbury and in you know, High Park, Badgeco
Arena and all those remember, you know, those those buildings
(18:00):
that you know, Lars Anderson still is the one that
comes back in my mind. But you know, some of those,
you know arenas were not anywhere near as nice as Northeastian.
So I felt home games were such a luxury for
Boston Latin. You know, you felt like you were playing
in such a special place. And it was my father
who would tell me the stories of the old hockey games.
(18:21):
You know, he went to Brookline High and could tell
stories about going to the arenas and watching you know,
two games in the afternoon and you know two at
night or wherever it was. But he talked about the
crossovers and the six periods for two games and four
teams in the building. That just sounded so crazy to me.
But I've heard that story retold so many times now
(18:42):
that I've been in college hockey so long by like
legends like Dickey Million and Joe Britania and Jack Parker.
I love to see that those old stories that I learned,
you know, came came fruishing. It was all Matthews.
Speaker 2 (18:56):
Well, I'll tell you it was. It was a great
place because it was indoors. You could sit up in
the stands and watch the other teams do some scouting
in advance for me for for your game next week
in some in some instances, Jim, great, great to talk
with you. Congratulations on your career and thanks for joining
us tonight. Bill Stewart, you're gonna stay with us, and
(19:17):
if some folks would like to join and offer their thoughts.
They're welcome to do so. At six one, seven, five, four,
ten thirty. Jimmy Conley, thank you so much. Great to
great to make your acquaintance. I graduated a little bit
before you, uh, at Boston Lance. We're not going to
tell you when, but it was back in the it
was back in the pre Dave Coleman day, so you
could kind of figure out I did.
Speaker 1 (19:39):
I did know your alone, though, so that was it's
it's a real pleasure to be able to join your show.
I've listened to to BC going back to the days
of Larry Glick and Dave Maynor and you know, David
BRUDNOI so to join you guys, it's it's legendary. I
had a friend say, when you're on the show tonight,
say they tell them that Richie from Rosendale and Larry
(19:59):
Glicks that Hi. So for my buddy that knew I
was coming on.
Speaker 4 (20:03):
I hope you heard that one.
Speaker 2 (20:05):
Okay, that's okay. And more importantly, I was a hockey player,
so that's that's something that that I pride myself on
to have played at the arena. It's just when you
realize the real great hockey players who played there. We'll
be back with Bill Stewart, Jim Connelly. Thanks, and we're
going to be talking also with Gary Faye, who played
(20:27):
at Brookline High School, Boston University, and now I was
an assistant at Northeastern University. But back with Bill Stewart
and Gary Faye right after this break on Nightside.
Speaker 4 (20:38):
It's Night Side with Dan Ray on Boston's news radio.
Speaker 2 (20:43):
We're talking with Bill Stewart and some other hockey guests. Bill,
how many different teams have have you coached, both at
the high school level and at the college level.
Speaker 3 (20:52):
My first The first team I coached was Brock Academy
in nineteen seventy two. I was a senior at U
n H and I was fortunate they have on that
team a young kid from Winsor by the name of
Michael Risioni, who did pretty well on Leay to Life.
The next year I was the next year, I was
a teacher at Boston Latin School. You're Alma Mata, and
(21:14):
I was the assistant coach with Dave Coleman for a year.
We had a pretty good hockey player by the name
of Jack O'Callahan from Charlestown.
Speaker 2 (21:25):
The nineteen eighties Olympic team for anyone who might not remember.
Speaker 3 (21:29):
Oh yeah, uh, you know, straight out of Charlestown too.
Jack Jack is done extremely well for himself. Great guy,
great kid. You know. Of course Michael Risioni is one
of the all time best. I went to Wellesley High
for a year, Randolph of two. Then I became the
head coach of touts, the club team, and then from
Tops to Curry College for six years. And I had
(21:53):
great run of Curry and then went to UMass Boston
for free. But then my jobs, my family situation and
started a backup. The court got extremely busy. I was
a progation officer at Rochester Court and our case floads
were blowing up and the gang problem was expanding in
(22:13):
I gave up the head coaching job, became an assistant
coach at Noble and GREENO for ten years, and then
Roxby Latin for seven did one year at need Him
and since then it's been a sign referee in the
Bay State League for the Base State Boys and girls.
Speaker 2 (22:29):
Talk about a hockey life, Talk about a hockey life
with us as Gary Fay. Gary played at Brookline High School,
went on to do very well at Boston University, is
now an assistant at Northeastern. Gary Faye, Welcome to Nightside.
Bill Stewart is joining us tonight, and Dan Ray, how
are you? Dan?
Speaker 4 (22:46):
Very well and thanks for having me and Billy. I
can't believe all the stuff that you've been saying because
I've known your family all my life, and you know
you talk about Dave Coleman.
Speaker 3 (22:58):
You know, he's a good.
Speaker 4 (22:59):
Friend mine and his son wasn't all American at BU,
but you know, and your brother Jimmy was a manager
when I coached at Northeastern and Dan, by the way,
I'm not the assistant at Northeastern anymore. I was there
from seventy eight to eighty six, so I'm not there anymore.
Speaker 2 (23:20):
To do it better now, Yeah, okay, but you spent
a lot of time there. I assumed that that was
the time of Frony Flemon and Doug McKenny, Jac Kenny,
John McKinnon.
Speaker 4 (23:31):
So yeah, John McKenny. So you know you talk about
Matthews Arena. I was at the game Saturday night, I
believe it or not, had tears in my eyes at
the end. You know, I have the dual allegiances playing
at BU. I was on Jack I was fortunate enough
to be on Jack Parker's first team in nineteen seventy
(23:52):
three to seventy seven. And you talk about Arizione, he
was my roommate my freshman year and also played with
Jack O'Callahan, Dave Selk, and Jimmy Craig during my four
years at BU and then at seventy eight. In seventy eight,
I became an assistant coach at Northeastern til eighty six,
(24:16):
and you know, during that time it was sort of
like the renaissance of Northeastern, of both the arena and
the hockey team, because when Wayne Turner scored the winning
goal in overtime in the nineteen eighty Bean Pot when
the team was a seven and twenty two team, it
(24:39):
sort of opened up the pocketbooks of the Northeastern alums
and especially George Matthews to revitalize not only the program
but for the arena as well, because I played by
my high school hockey games you said at Brookline from
sixty nine to seventy three, and I remember fighting off
(25:01):
the wraps in the in the locker rooms.
Speaker 3 (25:05):
So we're doing them.
Speaker 4 (25:06):
And I have to say that the first when you
walked into the Arena. You know, you made Billy made
mention of this, but it was the popcorn and the
French fries. The French fries were the absolute best in
the world, absolute the best.
Speaker 2 (25:22):
And easily digestible.
Speaker 4 (25:26):
So I have to say when they took that Concessus
stand out, I saw it was underneath and I'm not
even going to say what I thought about it.
Speaker 2 (25:37):
That's why it was so digestible. Well anyway, yeah, yeah,
what is your I mean again, you spent a lot
of time there as well. When it's going to be
replaced by a greater facility for Northeastern. I was reading
today about what the plans are, and it's it's not
(26:00):
as if they're going to demolish it. They're going to
take it apart, carefully maintain I guess some of the
structure in some pieces in some form of fashion. Guess
they're going to keep the arch, the iconic arch at
the old Boston Arena.
Speaker 4 (26:16):
Yeah, so they found that by they found that by mistake.
By the way, when the Matthews Arena, when George Matthews
finally put the money in, they started shipping away at
the bricks and found that arch by mistake exactly right.
Speaker 2 (26:35):
Yeah, I do not remember that from playing there in
the nineteen sixties. Do not remember.
Speaker 3 (26:42):
People with Judge Matthews was also one of the founders
of the US football You're the Boston Breakers.
Speaker 2 (26:49):
Oh sure, Yeah, Well it's as you as you know Bill,
You know, you involved yourself in so many different sports
at so many different levels. He's he was a renaissance
man as well. Gary, what do you think the future
for Northeastern hockey is two years from now, in the
fall of twenty eight when they're.
Speaker 4 (27:11):
Helping up with the new arena, right, So that's that's
a great question, Dan, And you know again, I've got
duel of leegis instance here four years of bu in
eight years at Northeastern and at the game on Saturday
night afterwards. They were back in nineteen eighty two, fortunate
(27:34):
enough to be the assistant coach of the team that
won the ECAC Championship and made it to the final
of Frozen four as they call it now, and it's
the only time that Northeastern has ever done that. And
there were I would say three quarters of that eighty
two team was at the game the other night. A
(27:56):
lot of them came down from Canada, and we all
met for a few Coca Cola's at the Colonade Hotel afterwards,
and we were talking about that. And I have to
say that the coach, coach Keith, and especially the athletics
director Jimmy Madigan, who I recruited, by the way to
(28:17):
come to Northeast and from Henry Carr High School in Toronto.
Jimmy has done a great job not only coaching, but
now being an administrator. And I've seen the plans of
this new arena. It's going to be like forty five
hundred people for hockey and a little more for basketball,
(28:40):
but it's going to be almost like a full service facility,
just like buh has at againis arena not only for
the hockey and basketball teams, but for the students as well.
And I see once that happens the hockey team, you know,
(29:00):
people need to or you know, recruits want to come
to a great facility. And I think in the next
couple of years, once that's built, people will, you know,
recruits will flock to that place. And under the leadership
as I say a coach Keith and Jimmy Madigan, they're
(29:21):
going to do well. They're they're gonna They're gonna compete
just as hard against BU and b C and Harvard
as you know BU and b C have for for years.
Speaker 2 (29:34):
Well, it's a great story, and it's a story that
isn't ending this week or this past weekend. It's the
one door closes and another opens. Gary Faith, thanks so
much for your time, great perspective as a BU player
and as a Northeastern assistant coach. And again Bill Bill
Stewart has been listening very attentively. I think that's the
(29:54):
longest that I ever heard Bill Stewart not talk. By
the way, I was.
Speaker 3 (30:00):
More interested than what he had accomplished, because I know
some of the backstories too good. He was my brother's
roommate on the road.
Speaker 1 (30:06):
So story his.
Speaker 4 (30:10):
Brother, his brother, Jimmy Stewart was when I was a
assistant coach, and Jimmy Stewart was the manager of the
hockey team. And yes we were roommates on the road.
But we'll leave it at that.
Speaker 3 (30:26):
Help you no need to.
Speaker 2 (30:28):
Go any further. Thank you, Gerry appreciated. I mean, you
know I could have mirandized you there real quickly. Well,
Billy could have.
Speaker 5 (30:37):
Actually, Hey, damn, one thing I want to say, my
brother who my brother Billy who Billy knows former Boston
police officer and now quote officer.
Speaker 4 (30:50):
He listens to you all the time, and he has
some of your Dan Ray in nighttime t shirts, so
I know he's listening tonight.
Speaker 2 (30:58):
So his first shout out too much as first his
name is tr tr all right.
Speaker 4 (31:10):
And Billy right to see you and talk to you,
and happy holidays to everybody.
Speaker 2 (31:16):
Absolutely, thanks very much. Bill Steward coming up on the
other side, and Bill has arranged all of these interviews
for us, and he's got to get a producer credit
on this program. We're going to be talking with the
former owner of the New England Whalers who is now,
amongst other things, a Hollywood producer. Howard Baldon will join
us on the other side as we wrap up our
(31:36):
recollections of Matthew's Arena, but for those of us of
a certain vintage will always be Boston Arena. We will
be back on Night Side right after this quick break.
Speaker 4 (31:46):
You're on Night Side with Dan Ray on Boston's news radio.
Speaker 2 (31:51):
We're talking about the closing of the Matthews Arena, better
known to many of us of a certain vintages the
Boston Arena. Bill Stewart has helped set us up tonight
with his recollections. Also, he's brought to us, amongst others,
our next guest, Howard Baldwin for the former owner of
the New England Whalers, which played at the then Boston
(32:13):
Arena in the initial year of the the w h A.
And of course the New England Whalers became the Hartford Whalers,
which in turn now the Carolina Hurricanes. Howard, you started
something big and you were one of the four teams
that was that became part of the NHL back in
(32:33):
the day.
Speaker 3 (32:36):
Yep. Yeah, and thank you for having me on the show.
Speaker 2 (32:39):
Well, thank you. What's your what are your recollects? Say
hi to Bill Stewart, your old friend here.
Speaker 3 (32:45):
Hey there, Billy, how are you good evening? Howard's sure
nice to see it coming on.
Speaker 2 (32:52):
So, Howard, tell us about your earliest memories of the
Boston Arena back in the mid nineteen seventies when the
then when the Whalers were born.
Speaker 3 (33:04):
Yeah, well, the Whalers were born in seventy one actually,
and we knew, we knew. One of our biggest challenges
was finding a place to play and remember why would
you remember? But some may remember that the Boston Garden
had the Braves, the Celtics, and the Bruins.
Speaker 2 (33:23):
Well I remember that. Well trust me, Howard, don't worry.
Speaker 3 (33:26):
I'm okay.
Speaker 2 (33:27):
I'm on the wrong side of fifty two.
Speaker 3 (33:29):
So go right ahead, okay. So we fortunately had a
great attorney and friend helping us out, Phil David Fine
and Bob Caparelleorge. He said, we'll get you some dates
in the Garden, but you're going to need to get
dates somewhere else. And so we immediately looked at the arena.
(33:51):
Jack Kelly, who was our general manager and coach, had
a history of the arena and Jack one of the
things that Jack said to us, we were very young
at the time, was if you're going to play at
the arena, I have a right to reconsider my contract
because it was old back in nineteen seventy one. Believe me.
(34:14):
In fact, when we got the team and we announced
we're going to play part of the games in the arena,
my father, who was class of thirty three at Harvard,
he still holds some of the scoring records there at Harvard,
but he said, you're not playing there, are you? My God,
that building was old. In nineteen thirty three, we said
we're going to play there. They and it saved us.
(34:37):
We wouldn't have made it without the Boston Arena. And
so I love the place and I'm so sorry, but
I understand why it's changing, but I have a warm
spot in my heart for the Boston Arena.
Speaker 2 (34:50):
Well, you didn't have many many options if you wanted
as the New England Whalers to play and the hub
of New England or was we like to think of
it as the hub of the universe. And it's still
you still had that. I'm guessing a capacity there of
four or five thousand seats.
Speaker 3 (35:07):
No, we had more than that.
Speaker 2 (35:08):
We had six I think, okay.
Speaker 3 (35:11):
And the arena. The arena manager at the time was
a fellow named truck to me and I can only
tell you, guys, he was a fabulous guy. And we'll
make this work for you. We want you here. The building,
if you remember it, was you know this, Billy. The
(35:33):
rink itself was like an egg and it was yeah.
And they said the state would make it a regulation
rink and they'd make it good for us, and they did.
They did a fabulous job for us. He fixed up
the locker rooms, and we were lucky to have the
Boston Arena. We we we really, you know, we want
(35:55):
everything that first year and great creditors due to the
Boston Arena. They're having us play there now in the attendance.
If we played in a game, in the home game
in the arena, we would like to be drowsed thirty
five hundred and four thousand people, and in the garden
we draw min or ten thousand people. So Needa, I
say more.
Speaker 2 (36:17):
I played in the I played in the arena in
high school, Howard when it was that dimension, it was
there wasn't much room in the corners, that's for sure.
Speaker 3 (36:26):
So yeah, well there really wasn't a corner.
Speaker 2 (36:30):
I think you're right. Well, yeah, that's great, great memories.
And again you you were so instrumental in, uh, you know,
the expansion of the second big expansion of the NF
of the NHL with the Oilers and the Nordeaks and
I think it was the old Winnipeg Jets was was
the and you guys were the fourth team, correct, Yeah.
Speaker 3 (36:54):
When we were in Hartford, there were four teams that
got in.
Speaker 2 (36:56):
Yeah, and the Jets are now back in Winnipeg where
they belong.
Speaker 3 (37:00):
Yeah, yeah, you named them well, but let me tell
you there were a lot of teams in the interim,
a lot of stops on the road.
Speaker 2 (37:08):
Oh yeah, Howard, thanks so much for joining us tonight.
We didn't even mention that you have also had a
great career as a movie producer, including a Mystery Alaska
and the great movie about Ray Charles, which was simply
a name entitled Ray. So thanks for joining us tonight,
and somenight we'll probably get here and talk about where
(37:31):
the good movies have gone.
Speaker 3 (37:33):
I'll be happy to go on the show anytime with you.
And Billy is a great pal and I love him dearly,
and you guys are good guys.
Speaker 2 (37:41):
Thank thanks so much, Howid Baldwin, Hell Bill Stewart. I
can't thank you for putting this together for us tonight.
I hope that it prompted a lot of recollections in
a lot of people's mind. I could have done the
show with you alone, but I wanted to get some
other go ahead.
Speaker 3 (38:00):
The only thing I want to say is that I
hate to see the building go. And I know for
a fact that change only comes easy to babies with
wet diapers. But it is time for the building to go,
and when it goes, there's still like great memories you have.
I have generations of hockey players and fans in Boston
(38:21):
have it from the arena, so it'll never go away.
Speaker 2 (38:24):
Well, and Howard said the arena was old in nineteen
seventy one. Yeah, I felt old. It felt old in
the sixties, but it hadn't even reached I think it's
half life at that point, because it ended up one
hundred and fifteen years of service to Boston and to
Boston high school hockey players. And it certainly and anyone
(38:45):
who hasn't read Dan Shaughnessy's piece from December fifth about
the Boston Arena, if they've never been in the building,
never played in the building, they need to read that
piece to understand what a piece of historic legacy that
building represents. Bill Stewart, you and your family are a
great part of the legacy of hockey here in New
England as well and other sports as well. And as always,
(39:08):
thank you very much. And when I when I see
the Rat, I'll say hello for you.
Speaker 3 (39:11):
Okay, please do that the rat. Thank you Dan, Thanks
for putting us on.
Speaker 2 (39:16):
Thanks so much. Bill Stewart, Ladies and gentlemen, great, great guest.
He is an amazing individual and I'm so happy to
be able to have shared friendship with him. Tonight we
get back. We're going to talk about the conviction of
Brian Walsh. My only question what took the jury so long.
We'll be back on Night's side right after the ten
(39:38):
o'clock news
It's Night Side with Dan Ray on WVS Boston's news radio.
Speaker 2 (00:07):
But my question is, how did the Pistons get so
good so fast? Years ago they were sellar dwellers, but
now they're they're like the team to beat in the NBA.
Oh well, what up? What's up? And down? What's down
is up? And what's coming down pretty soon is what's
called the Matthews Arena in downtown Boston, and it is
(00:29):
uh for many many years, was always owned and still
is in the minds of a lot of us as
Boston Arena with us is a member of Hockey Royalty.
He's a member of a royal hockey family, the Stewarts
of Boston. Bill Stewart a coach. No, no, it's only
going down here from here, Bill, trust me, No, only kidding.
(00:52):
A great guy, a great friend of many many years,
as they say, a coach and a referee, which and
he has the reason I say, Boston Royalty. You have
a lineage in your family going back to your grandfather,
who not only had pitched in the major leagues, but
had also umpired of the major leagues, took a few
(01:15):
years off to coach the Chicago Blackhawks and won a
Stanley Cup Championship long before Bobby Bobby Hell probably had
been born. Give us the quick genealogy of the Stewart
family yourself. You've got a couple of brothers who were
great athletes as well. I couldn't think of anybody more
(01:36):
who would be more verse that has spent more time.
You told me the other day, you've how you've did
how many games between baseball, football.
Speaker 3 (01:45):
Basketball, overhund football, hockey, baseball, softball.
Speaker 2 (01:51):
And you never made it wrong? If you've never made
a wrong call.
Speaker 3 (01:54):
Right, No, as I said, one of the great things
about America. And I've said this to people when I
say I had to remind them I got paid to
stank and they was taking for free.
Speaker 2 (02:05):
So a bad worthy. But that's okay. So tell us
about the family, the lineage of the Stewart family. Your
dad was a long time you know, coach at Boston English.
But before him, his dad just let people sit back
and let's hear about it, because I want to hear.
(02:26):
Then your your remembrances and your recollections of the Boston Arena.
I have some that they they are so slight in
importance compared to yours.
Speaker 3 (02:36):
Go right ahead, I remember when you played Avenue Lewis
past Wolfpack.
Speaker 2 (02:42):
Oh yeah, it's my nickname was. My nickname was red Light.
That's correct.
Speaker 3 (02:49):
Yeah, went on there to the Harvard University of Longwood
Avenue College of course.
Speaker 2 (02:56):
Of course, that's what they used to call Harvard, the
Boss State, the Boston State College of Cambridge. Yes, go ahead. No.
Speaker 3 (03:05):
First of all, thank you for having me on to
speak about a building that is will forever be near
and dear to my heart in our family's history. My granddad,
Bill Stewart Senior, actually son. He was hired by George B.
Brown after the arena burned down and was rebuilt between
(03:28):
nineteen nineteen nineteen twenty one. And my grandfather had hired
by George B. Brown nineteen twenty one to help him
run the building. He also picked up refereeing and skating
and playing. He hadn't played any high school hockey playing,
didn't have high school hockey back when he graduated in
nineteen fifteen, and they s if they did, they skate
(03:50):
on Jamaica Pond. He signed as a pro contract in
February of nineteen nineteen with Charles o'comiski for six one
hundred and fifty dollars to pitch for the Chicago White Sox.
Went to Mineral Springs, Texas, made the team, was up
for twenty five games, get sent down and never made
(04:10):
it back to the Bigs, which was fortunate because of
the obviously the scandal that followed the Vola.
Speaker 2 (04:18):
Black Sox scandal of nineteen nineteen. Yeah wow, yeah, which
all happened at the Buckschminster Hotel. We know here with
Ken most Quare because everything relates back to Boston.
Speaker 3 (04:28):
Go ahead, bilty, everything goes back, Yeah, it does. At
the same time he was doing that, he learned, he
learned how to referee, and he started refereeing in what
with the Foe run into the American Hockey League, the
cannam League in nineteen twenty four. Became so proficient proficient.
Then he was hired by the National Hockey League the
referee in the National Hockey League in nineteen twenty eight.
(04:49):
He was the first American bond referee in the National
Hockey League. At the same time he was doing that,
he was an umpire in the New York Penn League
and got hired in nineteen thirty three to the National
Baseball League. We're t Empire from thirty three to fifty
four four Wheel Series, five All Star Games, and was
at second base when Bobby Thompson hit the home run
out of the Polo Grounds.
Speaker 2 (05:11):
For Ralph Franca right, Oh.
Speaker 3 (05:13):
Yeah, who was absolute both of them, absolute gentlemen. My
wife met Bobby Thompson on a plane and she was
a flight attendant reason my dialing wife was a flight
attendant with Eastern Airlines. She met Bobby Thompson on a plane.
He signed a ball for me, so I have Bobby Thompson.
Ralph Franco autographed baseball his hockey career. He nineteen twenty eight,
(05:35):
as I said, in the National Hockey League, and he
did that up until thirty seven when he got hired
to coach the Blackhawks won the Stanley Cup in April
in nineteen thirty eight. In January thirty nine, he got
fired by Nathan McLaughlin. And at the same time he
was doing that, he was an umpire in the National
Baseball League, so he.
Speaker 2 (05:53):
Was in time for spring training.
Speaker 3 (05:55):
You know, that was good time, you know. Coincidentally, he
said that was the first time he got the spring
training in his career. He did four to five Stanley
Cup Finals. As an NHL referee, he did the longest
game ever played between the Montreal Maroons and Detroit Red Wings,
five over times. Back then you didn't have a zam
(06:17):
boni to scraped the ice, and then retired from the
National Baseball League in nineteen fifty four. My dad graduated
the Boston English Barnes Academy Notre Dame of forty three
higher than English High, in nineteen forty eight. Started coaching
hockey in nineteen forty eight and did so until nineteen
seventy two. At the same time he was doing that,
(06:37):
he was the football and baseball coach for thirty five
years at Boston English High School. And you know Dan
because he competed against them. His teams were always well prepared,
first class and very successful. At the same time he
was doing that, he was a three sports coach, football, hockey,
and baseball official, so he jumped from field rink, from
(07:00):
field to rink. And I was fortunate, being the oldest son,
just spent a lot of time traveling with him. So
by the time I was I was twelve, I had
been at every major campus on the East Coast watching
him officiate. Yale, have PM State, Et cetera.
Speaker 2 (07:15):
That was an education of itself.
Speaker 3 (07:19):
Well, you know what I was saying. I was telling
somebody that I was at the Green nine club football
dinner tonight. I was standing when I was fifteen. The
first game I aired for re f Reid, I was fifteen,
for a plate of beans and hot dogs between the
Quantt Marine football team and the Northfolk Prison colony down
at Northfolk. My father. My father used to volunteer his
time for the prison. He needed somebody, so I went
(07:40):
down with him. It was myself, my father and a
guy named John O'Toole at the time who happened to
be doing twenty years for mansquater. But so the next
week my dad did the Penn State Syracuse game at
Syracuse and Larry's I was a ball boy and Larry
Zunker ran me over on the sideline standing next to
(08:00):
Ben Schwatschwall. So I learned that had way Uh. My brother,
Paul Uh obviously had a great career as an NHL
referee sixteen years in the NHL.
Speaker 2 (08:11):
UH and an NHL player NHL.
Speaker 3 (08:15):
Player as well, yeah NHL and w h A. He
was Robbie for Taurrek's bodyguard in Cincinnati, and you know,
and then and now here's a kid that obviously he
graduated from Gratton School in the University of Pennsylvania. He
went to the NHL and became a fighter. During the summer,
when he was training, he had a in his garage.
(08:36):
He had a heavy bag and he would put plywood out.
He tape his hands up and put tape on his
skates and he punched the bag. That was his training
for the summer. And as I said to my dad
first night at the garden, you know when he had
three fights this first night at the garden. And I
said to my father, didn't you get his being your
bean for his educational dollars sending him to Gratton?
Speaker 2 (08:58):
And you oh god? Well, anyway, look, we're gonna we
gotta take a break here because I got it. We're
gonna be joined by a few guests along the way.
And I do want to talk about Matthews Arena. Dan Shaughnessy,
those who might have missed it, wrote a great piece
on December fifth in the Goal. But it's the end
of an era for Matthews Arena formerly Boston Arena, will
(09:21):
always be Boston Arenas to me, and other thoughts and
he talked, when you look at this building, I mean
Franklin Roosevelt, James Michael Curley, JFK. Jerry Lee Lewis all
played there. I didn't realize that Babe Ruth used to
play and pick up hockey games there, you know, over
one hundred years ago, on and on and all. General
(09:44):
David Dwight, David Eisenhower before we was president, spoke there.
And by the way, I played against the inmates at Walpole,
and I think it was sixty seven, so that was
a common occurrence back then. You can win and play
baseball against those guys. I don't think that happened these
days anyway.
Speaker 3 (10:03):
I saw Bobby Ginden, who play with my father's English.
Speaker 2 (10:07):
First basement in English. Yeah, sure, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 3 (10:10):
He signed one hundred thousand dollars contract with the Red
Sox in nineteen sixty. Hit a hit, A hit a baseball.
Lefty Gil Day, the bank robber.
Speaker 2 (10:17):
Bad against lefty Gil Day, I know, couldn't break a
paint of glass.
Speaker 3 (10:22):
I was his bad boy. I was my father's bad boy.
And Gin didn't hit the ball over the fence, And
of course all the prisoners volunteered to go get it.
Speaker 2 (10:32):
Oh, yeah. Left. He told me after the game, I said,
you can go out and you could coach and left.
He said to me, kid, when I go out, I'm
gonna get drunk and I'm gonna rob a bank. That's
exactly what he did. True story, true story. We'll take up.
And that is one that I will take the lie
detective test on. Trust me. I mean he he couldn't
break a paint of glass at that point, but he
was a big bonus boy with the Senators Clark Griffin
(10:54):
in the early fifties.
Speaker 3 (10:55):
You know, and you know I you know what my
grandfather was scouting for was the Washington Center.
Speaker 2 (11:00):
This, Yeah wow, how about that? How about that? Well
he probably could throw a little harder back then, but
it's like must have been like an Eddie lowpad. We'll
take a break, Bill Stewart and I. The only thing
that's going to stop is his breaks of phone calls.
If you want to ask Bill a question, share a memory,
We're gonna be talking in a moment with one of
three guests, Jimmy Conley, who's a US college hockey He
(11:23):
writes for US College hop Hockey Online. We'll talk a
little bit about that. We will get to the Arena,
I promise, and if you'd like to join with the
story of two six, one seven, two five, four thirty six,
one seven, nine, three, one, ten thirty Coming right back
on night Side.
Speaker 4 (11:38):
It's Night Side with Dan Ray, Boston's news radio.
Speaker 2 (11:43):
Where with us is Bill Stewart for the hour. I
think anyone who's ever been involved in sports in Boston
knows Bill Stewart. If you've missed the introduction, stay with us.
Jimmy Conley uh has been a writer for US College Hockey,
which is an online a presentation. Jimmy only welcome to
Night's Side. Say hello to our good friend Bill Stewart.
Speaker 1 (12:04):
Well, it's great to join you. Dan always listen to
this show for years in this station. It's great to
be on Besy and Stewie. Good good, great, great stories.
Speaker 3 (12:16):
You get to tell Jimmy good to talk with you.
Speaker 2 (12:21):
Jimmy, how long have you been writing? What drew you
to college hockey? I mean, college hockey is is a great, uh,
you know, sport, There's no doubt about that. And we
have some of the best college hockey teams here in
Boston playing at the Arena and at you know, various
college venues. How did you get involved in this in
(12:43):
the first place.
Speaker 1 (12:45):
You know, it's it's a long story, but it actually
ties back to Matthew's arena. I I went to Boston
Latin like the other people on this station, and my
godfather was the hockey coach there, Dave Coleman, that not
just Boston Latin as a teacher, but he's Northeastern Hall
of Fame hockey and baseball. And I think I was
(13:07):
a six y of Latin. And he said, you know what,
we need to get this kid and make him the
water boy for the hockey team so we can be
around the kids that are, you know, have a little
bit of a cooler vibe than he does. So give
him a little bit of a social life. Throw him
with the team. But I stayed with them all six years.
Loved the time I got to spend with that team.
(13:29):
And then when I went to college, I knew two things.
I knew music, I was a trumpet player, and I
knew hockey a little bit from being around the team.
And when I went to UMass Lowell to study music,
I ended up connecting with Bruce crowd Of the hockey
coach at ums. Loll became his equipment manager for four years,
and then somehow parlayed that into a career in hockey
(13:53):
and with usccho I've been there now for thirty three years,
which is crazy.
Speaker 2 (14:01):
I'll tell you had to cut of a lot of
orange slices in your career if you were the team manager.
That was the best part about about hockey games at
the arena. Behind the French fries which we could which
we would ingest between periods, I.
Speaker 3 (14:16):
Think, yeah, yeah, there was a staple twenty five hands
a box and you just greased but delicious.
Speaker 2 (14:26):
So so, Jim, what's your fondest memory of the arena?
I assumed that Boston Land School was still that was
a home rink for all the City League teams when
I was playing there, and when I was there much longer,
much before your time. I did not have the pleasure
of your dad as a coach. I had a guy
named Dick Thomas who went on to become the golf coach,
(14:48):
which I think was his first love at the University
of Miami. But it was a good hockey coach as well.
What's what's your best memories of the old Boston Arena?
Speaker 1 (14:58):
Yeah, well, I just made sure it was my godfather
who was the coach of Boston Latin, not my actual father, David.
Speaker 2 (15:06):
I I'm sorry, I no, that's okay.
Speaker 1 (15:09):
I just want to make sure I wasn't confusing too
many people out there. But you know, going back to
that building, and by the time I got to Latin
nineteen eighty six, the city had moved out of there
and Boston Latin was in there as the sole high
school team. So and I believe that was Dave Coleman's
connection with Northeastern to keep going back there. So I
(15:32):
think that when when the Northeastern actually bought the building,
that I think is when the city league formally moved out,
and that gave Boston Latin really the only rights to
the high school scene in there. So it was a
little bit different. It was you know, they didn't open
concession stands when we played games. We only had about
seventy five fans in the stands when we were there,
so it was a lot different. I so my memories
(15:54):
of the arena that I've only known as Matthews, it
was more of the underbelly, you know, knowing those corridors
in every room in that building, Uh, knowing worry you
could find the good tape in the back of the
Northeastern equipment room. If if somebody forgot one, Hey, CFC
is opening, you know where they hide it. You know,
go find the good stuff, you know. And even and
(16:17):
then even in my days at Low, you know, we
as a as an equipment you spend more time in
the corridors, in the locker rooms and sharpening skates and
picking up laundry and all of that stuff. And then
and then it was finally being on the opposite bench,
having been on Boston Latin's bench for so long. So
it's there's a lot of great games, and I think
(16:37):
as a journalist, some of the best have been some
of the worst. You know, I can I can remember
a nine to eight or an eight seven Sunday afternoon
lost Northeastern Providence. Both teams had missed the playoffs in
Hockey East when they used to cut out both teams,
and they played the stupidest best hockey game I ever saw.
It was goal scoring everywhere, and I think there might
(17:00):
have been seven goals in the final three minutes. It
was a legendary game.
Speaker 2 (17:06):
Wow, So did Latin School when when your godfather was
the coach, did they get their own designated locker room.
At Matthew's Arena.
Speaker 1 (17:16):
We you know what we we had a locker room
under there. It was not really designated. I think it
was one of the extra locker rooms. By the time
I was maybe a junior or a senior, I think
Wentworth had taken that room most of the time and
we were just kind of bouncing around rooms. I think
Wentworth had finally moved there their varsity team, and so
(17:37):
by the time you know, I got there, it did
feel like you had the same place every game. And
I'll tell you, when you think of where high school
hockey had moved to by the eighties and nineties, you
were in a lot of the MDC youth brinks and
not taking anything away from them because I grew up
in West Roxbury and in you know, High Park, Badgeco
Arena and all those remember, you know, those those buildings
(18:00):
that you know, Lars Anderson still is the one that
comes back in my mind. But you know, some of those,
you know arenas were not anywhere near as nice as Northeastian.
So I felt home games were such a luxury for
Boston Latin. You know, you felt like you were playing
in such a special place. And it was my father
who would tell me the stories of the old hockey games.
(18:21):
You know, he went to Brookline High and could tell
stories about going to the arenas and watching you know,
two games in the afternoon and you know two at
night or wherever it was. But he talked about the
crossovers and the six periods for two games and four
teams in the building. That just sounded so crazy to me.
But I've heard that story retold so many times now
(18:42):
that I've been in college hockey so long by like
legends like Dickey Million and Joe Britania and Jack Parker.
I love to see that those old stories that I learned,
you know, came came fruishing. It was all Matthews.
Speaker 2 (18:56):
Well, I'll tell you it was. It was a great
place because it was indoors. You could sit up in
the stands and watch the other teams do some scouting
in advance for me for for your game next week
in some in some instances, Jim, great, great to talk
with you. Congratulations on your career and thanks for joining
us tonight. Bill Stewart, you're gonna stay with us, and
(19:17):
if some folks would like to join and offer their thoughts.
They're welcome to do so. At six one, seven, five, four,
ten thirty. Jimmy Conley, thank you so much. Great to
great to make your acquaintance. I graduated a little bit
before you, uh, at Boston Lance. We're not going to
tell you when, but it was back in the it
was back in the pre Dave Coleman day, so you
could kind of figure out I did.
Speaker 1 (19:39):
I did know your alone, though, so that was it's
it's a real pleasure to be able to join your show.
I've listened to to BC going back to the days
of Larry Glick and Dave Maynor and you know, David
BRUDNOI so to join you guys, it's it's legendary. I
had a friend say, when you're on the show tonight,
say they tell them that Richie from Rosendale and Larry
(19:59):
Glicks that Hi. So for my buddy that knew I
was coming on.
Speaker 4 (20:03):
I hope you heard that one.
Speaker 2 (20:05):
Okay, that's okay. And more importantly, I was a hockey player,
so that's that's something that that I pride myself on
to have played at the arena. It's just when you
realize the real great hockey players who played there. We'll
be back with Bill Stewart, Jim Connelly. Thanks, and we're
going to be talking also with Gary Faye, who played
(20:27):
at Brookline High School, Boston University, and now I was
an assistant at Northeastern University. But back with Bill Stewart
and Gary Faye right after this break on Nightside.
Speaker 4 (20:38):
It's Night Side with Dan Ray on Boston's news radio.
Speaker 2 (20:43):
We're talking with Bill Stewart and some other hockey guests. Bill,
how many different teams have have you coached, both at
the high school level and at the college level.
Speaker 3 (20:52):
My first The first team I coached was Brock Academy
in nineteen seventy two. I was a senior at U
n H and I was fortunate they have on that
team a young kid from Winsor by the name of
Michael Risioni, who did pretty well on Leay to Life.
The next year I was the next year, I was
a teacher at Boston Latin School. You're Alma Mata, and
(21:14):
I was the assistant coach with Dave Coleman for a year.
We had a pretty good hockey player by the name
of Jack O'Callahan from Charlestown.
Speaker 2 (21:25):
The nineteen eighties Olympic team for anyone who might not remember.
Speaker 3 (21:29):
Oh yeah, uh, you know, straight out of Charlestown too.
Jack Jack is done extremely well for himself. Great guy,
great kid. You know. Of course Michael Risioni is one
of the all time best. I went to Wellesley High
for a year, Randolph of two. Then I became the
head coach of touts, the club team, and then from
Tops to Curry College for six years. And I had
(21:53):
great run of Curry and then went to UMass Boston
for free. But then my jobs, my family situation and
started a backup. The court got extremely busy. I was
a progation officer at Rochester Court and our case floads
were blowing up and the gang problem was expanding in
(22:13):
I gave up the head coaching job, became an assistant
coach at Noble and GREENO for ten years, and then
Roxby Latin for seven did one year at need Him
and since then it's been a sign referee in the
Bay State League for the Base State Boys and girls.
Speaker 2 (22:29):
Talk about a hockey life, Talk about a hockey life
with us as Gary Fay. Gary played at Brookline High School,
went on to do very well at Boston University, is
now an assistant at Northeastern. Gary Faye, Welcome to Nightside.
Bill Stewart is joining us tonight, and Dan Ray, how
are you? Dan?
Speaker 4 (22:46):
Very well and thanks for having me and Billy. I
can't believe all the stuff that you've been saying because
I've known your family all my life, and you know
you talk about Dave Coleman.
Speaker 3 (22:58):
You know, he's a good.
Speaker 4 (22:59):
Friend mine and his son wasn't all American at BU,
but you know, and your brother Jimmy was a manager
when I coached at Northeastern and Dan, by the way,
I'm not the assistant at Northeastern anymore. I was there
from seventy eight to eighty six, so I'm not there anymore.
Speaker 2 (23:20):
To do it better now, Yeah, okay, but you spent
a lot of time there. I assumed that that was
the time of Frony Flemon and Doug McKenny, Jac Kenny,
John McKinnon.
Speaker 4 (23:31):
So yeah, John McKenny. So you know you talk about
Matthews Arena. I was at the game Saturday night, I
believe it or not, had tears in my eyes at
the end. You know, I have the dual allegiances playing
at BU. I was on Jack I was fortunate enough
to be on Jack Parker's first team in nineteen seventy
(23:52):
three to seventy seven. And you talk about Arizione, he
was my roommate my freshman year and also played with
Jack O'Callahan, Dave Selk, and Jimmy Craig during my four
years at BU and then at seventy eight. In seventy eight,
I became an assistant coach at Northeastern til eighty six,
(24:16):
and you know, during that time it was sort of
like the renaissance of Northeastern, of both the arena and
the hockey team, because when Wayne Turner scored the winning
goal in overtime in the nineteen eighty Bean Pot when
the team was a seven and twenty two team, it
(24:39):
sort of opened up the pocketbooks of the Northeastern alums
and especially George Matthews to revitalize not only the program
but for the arena as well, because I played by
my high school hockey games you said at Brookline from
sixty nine to seventy three, and I remember fighting off
(25:01):
the wraps in the in the locker rooms.
Speaker 3 (25:05):
So we're doing them.
Speaker 4 (25:06):
And I have to say that the first when you
walked into the Arena. You know, you made Billy made
mention of this, but it was the popcorn and the
French fries. The French fries were the absolute best in
the world, absolute the best.
Speaker 2 (25:22):
And easily digestible.
Speaker 4 (25:26):
So I have to say when they took that Concessus
stand out, I saw it was underneath and I'm not
even going to say what I thought about it.
Speaker 2 (25:37):
That's why it was so digestible. Well anyway, yeah, yeah,
what is your I mean again, you spent a lot
of time there as well. When it's going to be
replaced by a greater facility for Northeastern. I was reading
today about what the plans are, and it's it's not
(26:00):
as if they're going to demolish it. They're going to
take it apart, carefully maintain I guess some of the
structure in some pieces in some form of fashion. Guess
they're going to keep the arch, the iconic arch at
the old Boston Arena.
Speaker 4 (26:16):
Yeah, so they found that by they found that by mistake.
By the way, when the Matthews Arena, when George Matthews
finally put the money in, they started shipping away at
the bricks and found that arch by mistake exactly right.
Speaker 2 (26:35):
Yeah, I do not remember that from playing there in
the nineteen sixties. Do not remember.
Speaker 3 (26:42):
People with Judge Matthews was also one of the founders
of the US football You're the Boston Breakers.
Speaker 2 (26:49):
Oh sure, Yeah, Well it's as you as you know Bill,
You know, you involved yourself in so many different sports
at so many different levels. He's he was a renaissance
man as well. Gary, what do you think the future
for Northeastern hockey is two years from now, in the
fall of twenty eight when they're.
Speaker 4 (27:11):
Helping up with the new arena, right, So that's that's
a great question, Dan, And you know again, I've got
duel of leegis instance here four years of bu in
eight years at Northeastern and at the game on Saturday
night afterwards. They were back in nineteen eighty two, fortunate
(27:34):
enough to be the assistant coach of the team that
won the ECAC Championship and made it to the final
of Frozen four as they call it now, and it's
the only time that Northeastern has ever done that. And
there were I would say three quarters of that eighty
two team was at the game the other night. A
(27:56):
lot of them came down from Canada, and we all
met for a few Coca Cola's at the Colonade Hotel afterwards,
and we were talking about that. And I have to
say that the coach, coach Keith, and especially the athletics
director Jimmy Madigan, who I recruited, by the way to
(28:17):
come to Northeast and from Henry Carr High School in Toronto.
Jimmy has done a great job not only coaching, but
now being an administrator. And I've seen the plans of
this new arena. It's going to be like forty five
hundred people for hockey and a little more for basketball,
(28:40):
but it's going to be almost like a full service facility,
just like buh has at againis arena not only for
the hockey and basketball teams, but for the students as well.
And I see once that happens the hockey team, you know,
(29:00):
people need to or you know, recruits want to come
to a great facility. And I think in the next
couple of years, once that's built, people will, you know,
recruits will flock to that place. And under the leadership
as I say a coach Keith and Jimmy Madigan, they're
(29:21):
going to do well. They're they're gonna They're gonna compete
just as hard against BU and b C and Harvard
as you know BU and b C have for for years.
Speaker 2 (29:34):
Well, it's a great story, and it's a story that
isn't ending this week or this past weekend. It's the
one door closes and another opens. Gary Faith, thanks so
much for your time, great perspective as a BU player
and as a Northeastern assistant coach. And again Bill Bill
Stewart has been listening very attentively. I think that's the
(29:54):
longest that I ever heard Bill Stewart not talk. By
the way, I was.
Speaker 3 (30:00):
More interested than what he had accomplished, because I know
some of the backstories too good. He was my brother's
roommate on the road.
Speaker 1 (30:06):
So story his.
Speaker 4 (30:10):
Brother, his brother, Jimmy Stewart was when I was a
assistant coach, and Jimmy Stewart was the manager of the
hockey team. And yes we were roommates on the road.
But we'll leave it at that.
Speaker 3 (30:26):
Help you no need to.
Speaker 2 (30:28):
Go any further. Thank you, Gerry appreciated. I mean, you
know I could have mirandized you there real quickly. Well,
Billy could have.
Speaker 5 (30:37):
Actually, Hey, damn, one thing I want to say, my
brother who my brother Billy who Billy knows former Boston
police officer and now quote officer.
Speaker 4 (30:50):
He listens to you all the time, and he has
some of your Dan Ray in nighttime t shirts, so
I know he's listening tonight.
Speaker 2 (30:58):
So his first shout out too much as first his
name is tr tr all right.
Speaker 4 (31:10):
And Billy right to see you and talk to you,
and happy holidays to everybody.
Speaker 2 (31:16):
Absolutely, thanks very much. Bill Steward coming up on the
other side, and Bill has arranged all of these interviews
for us, and he's got to get a producer credit
on this program. We're going to be talking with the
former owner of the New England Whalers who is now,
amongst other things, a Hollywood producer. Howard Baldon will join
us on the other side as we wrap up our
(31:36):
recollections of Matthew's Arena, but for those of us of
a certain vintage will always be Boston Arena. We will
be back on Night Side right after this quick break.
Speaker 4 (31:46):
You're on Night Side with Dan Ray on Boston's news radio.
Speaker 2 (31:51):
We're talking about the closing of the Matthews Arena, better
known to many of us of a certain vintages the
Boston Arena. Bill Stewart has helped set us up tonight
with his recollections. Also, he's brought to us, amongst others,
our next guest, Howard Baldwin for the former owner of
the New England Whalers, which played at the then Boston
(32:13):
Arena in the initial year of the the w h A.
And of course the New England Whalers became the Hartford Whalers,
which in turn now the Carolina Hurricanes. Howard, you started
something big and you were one of the four teams
that was that became part of the NHL back in
(32:33):
the day.
Speaker 3 (32:36):
Yep. Yeah, and thank you for having me on the show.
Speaker 2 (32:39):
Well, thank you. What's your what are your recollects? Say
hi to Bill Stewart, your old friend here.
Speaker 3 (32:45):
Hey there, Billy, how are you good evening? Howard's sure
nice to see it coming on.
Speaker 2 (32:52):
So, Howard, tell us about your earliest memories of the
Boston Arena back in the mid nineteen seventies when the
then when the Whalers were born.
Speaker 3 (33:04):
Yeah, well, the Whalers were born in seventy one actually,
and we knew, we knew. One of our biggest challenges
was finding a place to play and remember why would
you remember? But some may remember that the Boston Garden
had the Braves, the Celtics, and the Bruins.
Speaker 2 (33:23):
Well I remember that. Well trust me, Howard, don't worry.
Speaker 3 (33:26):
I'm okay.
Speaker 2 (33:27):
I'm on the wrong side of fifty two.
Speaker 3 (33:29):
So go right ahead, okay. So we fortunately had a
great attorney and friend helping us out, Phil David Fine
and Bob Caparelleorge. He said, we'll get you some dates
in the Garden, but you're going to need to get
dates somewhere else. And so we immediately looked at the arena.
(33:51):
Jack Kelly, who was our general manager and coach, had
a history of the arena and Jack one of the
things that Jack said to us, we were very young
at the time, was if you're going to play at
the arena, I have a right to reconsider my contract
because it was old back in nineteen seventy one. Believe me.
(34:14):
In fact, when we got the team and we announced
we're going to play part of the games in the arena,
my father, who was class of thirty three at Harvard,
he still holds some of the scoring records there at Harvard,
but he said, you're not playing there, are you? My God,
that building was old. In nineteen thirty three, we said
we're going to play there. They and it saved us.
(34:37):
We wouldn't have made it without the Boston Arena. And
so I love the place and I'm so sorry, but
I understand why it's changing, but I have a warm
spot in my heart for the Boston Arena.
Speaker 2 (34:50):
Well, you didn't have many many options if you wanted
as the New England Whalers to play and the hub
of New England or was we like to think of
it as the hub of the universe. And it's still
you still had that. I'm guessing a capacity there of
four or five thousand seats.
Speaker 3 (35:07):
No, we had more than that.
Speaker 2 (35:08):
We had six I think, okay.
Speaker 3 (35:11):
And the arena. The arena manager at the time was
a fellow named truck to me and I can only
tell you, guys, he was a fabulous guy. And we'll
make this work for you. We want you here. The building,
if you remember it, was you know this, Billy. The
(35:33):
rink itself was like an egg and it was yeah.
And they said the state would make it a regulation
rink and they'd make it good for us, and they did.
They did a fabulous job for us. He fixed up
the locker rooms, and we were lucky to have the
Boston Arena. We we we really, you know, we want
(35:55):
everything that first year and great creditors due to the
Boston Arena. They're having us play there now in the attendance.
If we played in a game, in the home game
in the arena, we would like to be drowsed thirty
five hundred and four thousand people, and in the garden
we draw min or ten thousand people. So Needa, I
say more.
Speaker 2 (36:17):
I played in the I played in the arena in
high school, Howard when it was that dimension, it was
there wasn't much room in the corners, that's for sure.
Speaker 3 (36:26):
So yeah, well there really wasn't a corner.
Speaker 2 (36:30):
I think you're right. Well, yeah, that's great, great memories.
And again you you were so instrumental in, uh, you know,
the expansion of the second big expansion of the NF
of the NHL with the Oilers and the Nordeaks and
I think it was the old Winnipeg Jets was was
the and you guys were the fourth team, correct, Yeah.
Speaker 3 (36:54):
When we were in Hartford, there were four teams that
got in.
Speaker 2 (36:56):
Yeah, and the Jets are now back in Winnipeg where
they belong.
Speaker 3 (37:00):
Yeah, yeah, you named them well, but let me tell
you there were a lot of teams in the interim,
a lot of stops on the road.
Speaker 2 (37:08):
Oh yeah, Howard, thanks so much for joining us tonight.
We didn't even mention that you have also had a
great career as a movie producer, including a Mystery Alaska
and the great movie about Ray Charles, which was simply
a name entitled Ray. So thanks for joining us tonight,
and somenight we'll probably get here and talk about where
(37:31):
the good movies have gone.
Speaker 3 (37:33):
I'll be happy to go on the show anytime with you.
And Billy is a great pal and I love him dearly,
and you guys are good guys.
Speaker 2 (37:41):
Thank thanks so much, Howid Baldwin, Hell Bill Stewart. I
can't thank you for putting this together for us tonight.
I hope that it prompted a lot of recollections in
a lot of people's mind. I could have done the
show with you alone, but I wanted to get some
other go ahead.
Speaker 3 (38:00):
The only thing I want to say is that I
hate to see the building go. And I know for
a fact that change only comes easy to babies with
wet diapers. But it is time for the building to go,
and when it goes, there's still like great memories you have.
I have generations of hockey players and fans in Boston
(38:21):
have it from the arena, so it'll never go away.
Speaker 2 (38:24):
Well, and Howard said the arena was old in nineteen
seventy one. Yeah, I felt old. It felt old in
the sixties, but it hadn't even reached I think it's
half life at that point, because it ended up one
hundred and fifteen years of service to Boston and to
Boston high school hockey players. And it certainly and anyone
(38:45):
who hasn't read Dan Shaughnessy's piece from December fifth about
the Boston Arena, if they've never been in the building,
never played in the building, they need to read that
piece to understand what a piece of historic legacy that
building represents. Bill Stewart, you and your family are a
great part of the legacy of hockey here in New
England as well and other sports as well. And as always,
(39:08):
thank you very much. And when I when I see
the Rat, I'll say hello for you.
Speaker 3 (39:11):
Okay, please do that the rat. Thank you Dan, Thanks
for putting us on.
Speaker 2 (39:16):
Thanks so much. Bill Stewart, Ladies and gentlemen, great, great guest.
He is an amazing individual and I'm so happy to
be able to have shared friendship with him. Tonight we
get back. We're going to talk about the conviction of
Brian Walsh. My only question what took the jury so long.
We'll be back on Night's side right after the ten
(39:38):
o'clock news
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