Ryerson opens new athletic complex at former Maple Leaf Gardens

Ryerson University officially opened the doors to their Mattamy Athletic Centre, which is housed at the refurbished Maple Leafs Gardens.

“Today celebrates a tremendous partnership and shared vision which has resulted in the spectacular rebirth of a building that will be a centre for excellence and a lively community hub in the heart of our city,” said Ryerson President Sheldon Levy. “It is with great pride that all five partners; Ryerson University, our students, Loblaw Companies Limited, the Canadian government and entrepreneur Peter Gilgan, share a dream-realized as we light the rink for the first time today.”

The Mattamy Athletic Centre (MAC) offers a state of the art athletic and recreation centre for Ryerson students, varsity athletes and the local community while commemorating the building’s rich history.

“This building not only has a past, it also has a future,” says Adam Kahan, Vice President, University Advancement. “While we are honoured to house our athletics programs and teams under the hallowed dome of a great Canadian building, we look forward to generations of students and community members creating their own history within these walls.”

The project refurbished 220,000 square feet at the Maple Leaf Garden, which doubled the existed facilities at Ryerson.

“Our new facility has made a significant difference in the quality of student athlete that we have been able to recruit and also in the diversity of programs that we are able to offer to   our recreational students,” said Athletics Director Ivan Joseph. “We went from being the university with the smallest amount of space for athletics and recreation — where our teams were driving 45 minutes to a city arena — to having a home in one of the largest and most iconic university arenas in Canada.”