We continue on the theme of arenas in Timmins, in our weekly feature on local history.
One that’s still standing and very much alive is, of course, the McIntyre Community Centre and Arena. Timmins Museum director-curator Karen Bachmann says it was built by the nearby McIntyre Mine.
“State of the art for the 30s, built, sort of the inspiration of Maple Leaf Gardens,” she says, “because there were people who were on the board of Maple Leaf Gardens who were running the McIntyre Mine.”
The Maple Leafs often practiced at the Mac, and even had a few games there.
Bachmann points out that it was also the home of the internationally known Schumacher Summer Skating School.
“The only other ice surface during the summer was in Salt Lake City. So if you wanted to do your skating in the summer and you were practicing and you were serious about the Olympics and the world championships, you came to Schumacher.”
Skating stars like Barbara Ann Scott and Donald Jackson trained and performed at the Mac. Next week: A skating star in her own right, from Timmins.