I could not, nor can I to this day, describe the ruckus. March 15, I wanted so badly to remove myself from the chaotic scene in the student section at Matthews Arena. Hat in hand, I leaned against the railing of the upper bowl after Northeastern’s Hockey East quarterfinal series-clinching win, trying to savor the celebration on the ice as my peers hugged and cheered beside me.
Great hockey, basketball and friends (great basketball and friends not guaranteed by Hockey East). That is what Matthews Arena has given me the last three years. That is what it has offered since 1910. Matthews Arena is the world’s oldest indoor hockey arena.
It has served as the home to the Boston Bruins, Boston Celtics, New England Whalers and a plethora of Boston’s college hockey programs, including our beloved Terriers of Boston University and Boston College Eagles.
Some sporting venues are more special than others, remarkable for the number of fans they have hosted and for the memorable moments they have witnessed.
They are sanctuaries, where many have come to honor a game they love, and to cheer the athletes who have made it a profession. For their patrons, there is nothing to share but their enthusiasm and unabashed reactions to the game events.
None of these venues are identical to another, but most are all alike in that they draw the fans’ attention to the game at hand and offer few other distractions.
On Monday, a plan to change Matthews Arena was revealed to the public. The locker room, weight room facilities and lobby will be renovated, and a new central digital scoreboard, press box, concession stand, sound system and seats will be installed.
The $12 to $14 million should also pay for television and video monitors in the lobby, newly constructed points of entry for disabled persons, and updated display cases to honor the achievements of Northeastern athletes.
Improved handicapped access is welcomed, as are upgraded locker rooms and a weight-lifting area that could serve nicely as a recruiting tool.
It is difficult to gauge the impact the new scoreboard, seats and sound system will have on the atmosphere at Matthews Arena, although Athletics Director Peter Roby did compare it to that which hangs above the ice at Boston University’s Agganis Arena, a facility lauded for its modern amenities and criticized for its lack of character.
According to Vice President of Student Affairs Ed Klotzbier, this project has been initiated to service the student-athletes and ‘to increase participation at Matthews events,’ he said in the April 6 edition of The News. Of course, nothing would increase participation quite like successful programs driven by quality student-athletes and coaches. But will it come at the cost of our charming, brick-laden home away from home?
It is ironic that the planned renovation of Matthews Arena has finally taught me what it is like to feel as most Northeastern fans do:’ I am hoping for the best while expecting to be disappointed.

‘- Jared Sugerman can be reached’
at [email protected].