The open nature of Maple Leaf Gardens

[checkerdome]

I’ve only ever seen Maple Leaf Gardens on TV.

A) Did fans actually walk behind the Leafs’ team bench regularly during games?

B) Did a controversial figure like Harold Ballard actually sit in his private box in the middle of the crowd with no apparent barrier between fans and him?

If so, this must be an illustration of a bygone era of civility.

I can’t imagine fans allowed behind a hockey team’s bench during a game today or an owner/superwealthy public figure leaving himself open to anyone with the price of a ticket

gracias

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[Big Phil]

Yeah it was different times. Ballard did have his bunker in there. In fact Bobby Hull hit him with a puck in practice which Ballard replied that he was honoured to be struck by a puck by Bobby. The fans were right behind the bench. They could literally tap the coach on the shoulder and there were aisles that extended all the way to the players bench. Fans couldnt exactly stand right there but the first row was directly behind the bench.

Speaking of the laneways there was a time when Don Cherry shouted off some obscenities during a game at the Garden and a little old lady told him he had a filthy mouth. While the game was going on Cherry walked up the aisle sat beside the lady on the staircase and apologized for his language. You couldnt do that at the ACC. But those were the old stadiums, they had more character. They didnt separate the fans from the players so much in those days.

 

[greatgazoo]

The Forum in Montreal was like that too where the fans could walk behind the bench. The one time I was there I got to sit on the Habs bench following the game and imagine what it would be like to be a player. It was awesome!

The Gardens also had the really low glass that the linesmen used to hang on to while allowing the puck to go under them.

 

[Murphy7]

Actually, all of the arenas of days gone by had the low glass. But few were like MLG and the Forum in the 70s, where they still did not have glass between the players and fans.