St. Michael's College School Arena - St. Michael's Buzzers
- Dave Cottenie
- 3 days ago
- 6 min read
Updated: 18 hours ago
Photos by Dave Cottenie, Stadium Journey
Stadium Info FANFARE Score: 3.43
St. Michael’s College School Arena
1515 Bathurst St
York, ON M5P 3H4
Year Opened: 1956
Capacity: 1,600
A Buzzing Hockey Cathedral
The oldest franchise in the Junior A level Ontario Junior Hockey League is the St. Michael’s Buzzers. Established in 1917, the Buzzers are affiliated and owned by the prestigious Toronto private Catholic school, St. Michael’s College. The Buzzers began at the Junior B level, side by side with the highly decorated St. Michael’s Majors, who were once the affiliate of the Toronto Maple Leafs.
As a Junior B team, the Buzzers won the first-ever Sutherland Cup in 1934 and followed that up with five more. In 1962, St. Michael’s College shut down the Majors, with only the Buzzers continuing to ice a team at the Junior level. In 1995, the Buzzers moved up to the Junior A level and the OPJHL. However, two years later, the Buzzers suspended operations with the return of the Majors to the OHL. In 1999, the Buzzers returned and remained in the OJHL at the Junior A level, long after the move of the Majors to Mississauga and eventually to Brampton as the current Brampton Steelheads.
The Buzzers have enjoyed success on the ice in the OJHL, culminating in the 2005, 2006, and 2013 Buckland Cups. Buzzers alumni is a who’s who of hockey royalty, including Sean Burk, Andrew Cogliano, Kevin Dineen, Peter Mahovlich, Mitch Marner, Tony Tanti, Rich Tocchet and Kevin Weekes. St. Michael’s also boasts fifteen members of the Hockey Hall of Fame as Alumni, including Frank Mahovlich, Dave Keon, Bobby Bauer, Father David Bauer, Gerry Cheevers, Dick Duff, Murray Costello, Ted Lindsay, Red Kelly, Tim Horton, Reg Noble, Frank Rankin, Joe Primeau, Eric Lindros, and Jim Gregory.
The home of the Buzzers is an absolute hockey cathedral. Located on St. Michael’s Campus, St. Michael’s College School Arena was built in 1956 and also served as a home for the most recent iteration of the Majors after the closing of Maple Leaf Gardens in 2000. St. Michael’s College School Arena has a capacity of 1,600, but also acts as a museum to hockey history at St. Michael’s.
Food & Beverage 2
St. Michael’s Arena has a small snack bar at ice level for concessions. Hot dogs, nachos, pretzels, popcorn, chocolate bars, and chips are all available. Coca-Cola products, coffee, tea, hot chocolate, juice, water and slushies are the beverage options. Cash and cards are accepted for payment.
Atmosphere 5
St. Michael’s College School Arena is a hockey cathedral. Built in 1956, it shows its age but not its wrinkles. The exterior is tastefully painted with the school colours of double blue and white. There is no surprise as to what is binding inside, as the half-barrel domed roof is obvious from the exterior, with an added lobby to the south side, which is the main entry.
The box office is in the vestibule upon entry, and the trip through history begins right away. There are a number of photos of NHL players, all of who attended St. Michael’s College, on the walls. The photos encircle a large directory with engraved plates of every NHL player to play for St. Mike’s in one way or another.
The Hockey Hall of Fame emblem is on the plates of the appropriate members. Entering the main arena, fans quickly discover that the NHL portraits are really the overflow of the St. Michael’s and NHL Wall of Fame, which begins on the south wall with classy wood paneling. To the right of the beginning of the Wall of Fame is a glass enshrinement for the members of the Hockey Hall of Fame.
Hall of Fame-like sketches are framed and posted on wood paneling behind floor-to-ceiling glass panes. The ice is south-north oriented, with the best spot for a centre ice logo picture on the east side. St. Michael’s College School Arena has a rounded, half-barrel ceiling made of wood, a design that has been lost to time.
Unfortunately, but understandably functional, the hardwood ceiling is covered by silver insulation. A simple hockey score clock, still with Majors markings, hangs over centre ice. The majority of seating is found on the east and west sides, with seven rows of covered benches on each side. Both the north and south ends have a row or two of traditional, plastic arena seats. The absolute legends of St. Michael’s have banners that hang from south to north over the ice.
These include Frank Rankin, Red Noble, Joe Primeau, Ted Lindsay, Red Kelly, Tim Horton, Gerry Cheevers, Dave Keon, Father David Bauer, Bobby Bauer, Murray Costello, and Dick Duff. On the east side, above the seating area, are the modern championship banners, including the 2005, 2006, and 2013 Buckland Cups as OJHL Champions.
Classic championship banners hang above the west seating and include both Majors and Buzzers Championships. The Majors won the Memorial Cup in 1934, 1945, 1947, and 1961. The Buzzers won the Sutherland Cup as Junior B Champions in 1934, 1936, 1945, 1948, 1961, 1982, and 1989.
The gameday production at a Buzzers game is very simple. There are no promotions, mascots, or anything like that. The speaker system in St. Michael’s Arena is pretty good, and the PA announcer does a decent job, making announcements easy to understand.
Neighbourhood 4
St. Michael’s College School Arena is located in the Forest Hill South neighbourhood of Toronto. It is a fairly residential area, but there are some spots for pre- and post-game food and drink in the immediate area. JABS, Sea Witch Fish & Chips, Pura Vida Restaurant, Camsine and Kiryo.
There are a number of international options with some chains. There are a ton of other sports options in the area. The campus is just 3 km from the University of Toronto, which fields a full complement of athletic programs, including football, hockey, and basketball. Toronto Metropolitan University has taken over the iconic Maple Leaf Gardens, where Bold hockey and basketball are found. Of course, fans will also find the Maple Leafs, Raptors, Blue Jays, Argonauts, Toronto FC, Marlies, and Sceptres not too far away.
As for the nearly uncountable other tourist options, St. Michael’s is only 1 km from Casa Loma. Toronto’s Harbourfront and CN Tower also headline a plethora of other options. Fans wishing to stay in the area will head out of the neighbourhood, where there are a ton of other options to either the south or north.
Fans 2
Assessing fans in the OJHL can be difficult, and the St. Michael’s Buzzers are part of that category. The Buzzers have sporadic attendance reporting throughout the season. They tend to average less than 100 fans per game. The game that was attended had only 63 fans in attendance, so a friends and family crowd. With so many sports options in Toronto, the challenges in getting to the arena and the normal Tuesday evening games, it is difficult to see a surge in fan attendance at St. Michael’s
Access 3
St. Michael’s College School Arena is located in the Forest Hill South neighbourhood of Toronto. It is at the northeast corner of St. Clair and Bathurst, 5 ½ km south of Highway 401 and north of the Gardiner Expressway. This is the heart of Toronto, and driving to the arena will take a while, especially just before the game, during rush hour.
There is limited parking at the arena, and construction in 2025 in the surrounding area has limited parking even more. For fans wishing to take public transit to the game, there are streetcars that run along St. Clair and buses that run along Bathurst. The St. Clair West subway station is close by and may be the best method of getting to the arena.
Fans should consult the TTC website for fares, schedules, and maps. Getting around the arena is a bit tight and it does show its age in this regard. The majority of seating is benches with no back support, which is not the most comfortable. The washrooms are adequate for the number of fans in attendance.
Return on Investment 5
Tickets for the St. Michael’s Buzzers are available at the door with cash. Adults can get in for $18 with discounts for students and seniors. Kids 11 and under are free. This is a bit on the high side for this league; however, the opportunity to explore a hockey cathedral like this offsets the cost. Concession prices are good and parking is free. The level of hockey on the ice is very good, and fans will no doubt enjoy their time at the game.
Extras 3
An extra two marks for the over 100 years of history of the St. Michael’s programs and the displays at St. Michael’s College School Arena.
An extra mark for the quirkiness of the affiliate situation between St. Michael’s and the Toronto Maple Leafs. During Conn Smythe’s ownership of the Leafs, in the Original Six era, he believed that Catholics and Protestants should be separated. Therefore, Catholic prospects played for St. Michael’s while the Protestant prospects played for the Toronto Marlies.
Final Thoughts
St. Michael’s College School Arena is a trip back through time, a journey in hockey history. They just don’t build them like this anymore. Taking in a St. Michael’s Buzzers game will allow fans to see a solid hockey product on the ice, in a true hidden gem of a hockey cathedral.
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