By Mariana Ionova
News Editor
Construction workers at the site of Maple Leaf Gardens (MLG) uncovered a time capsule buried beneath the historic hockey arena during its 1931 construction.
Bricklayers found the time capsule on Oct. 14, under a ceremonial stone at the entrance to the building while they were removing some of the flooring.
Officials from Loblaws have not announced exactly what was inside and told CBC in an email that the items are currently being assessed and validated.
Ryerson President Sheldon Levy said the time capsule contained 10 to 20 items, including an NHL rulebook, an Ontario Hockey Association guidebook, the newspaper of the day and a copy of the way the shares of the original MLG were handled. Levy said that the memorabilia was inside something that looked like a cement box.
“It was pretty routine stuff. It wasn’t anything that I would have said, ‘oh my goodness, we found a treasure.’ Maybe someone’s definition of treasure — not mine,” Levy said.
“I thought it would be more exciting, to be honest,” he added. “I thought … we’ll find the real story of Conn Smythe or something. But there was, unfortunately, nothing of that type.” Smythe who was the builder of MLG and general manager of the Leafs from 1927 to 1961.
Loblaw and MLSE are currently in discussions to determine whether to leave the items in MLG or to place them in the Hockey Hall of Fame.
“We hope we get something out of it,” said Kelly Masse, media relations for the Hockey Hall of Fame. “We don’t know who owns it now or how we would get it.”
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