Ryerson University is in need of a new sports facility. Located in downtown Toronto, space is limited for the 30,000+ student facility, but President Sheldon Levy believes he may have found the solution in the existing – and very much vacant, Maple Leaf Gardens, former home to Toronto’s NHL team. Levy and the university have introduced plans to retrofit the arena and turn it into the “Ryerson University Sports and Recreation Centre at Maple Leaf Gardens.”

The plans include a 5,000-seat arena on the third floor and will keep the “feel” of Maple Leaf Gardens alive. The ice itself can be covered to accommodate other events, and the centre will be on par with other national varsity athletic complexes. The building will also include basketball and volleyball courts, gyms, workout spaces, and lounges. A Loblaws grocery story will be included on the first floor. The money for the operation have come from a wide range of places, including $20 million from student fees, $5 million from Loblaws, $20 from the federal government, and $15 million more by way of fundraising.

Among the Original Six NHL teams, only Toronto and Montreal’s original arenas still stand. The Detroit Olympia was torn down in 1987, Chicago Stadium was demolished in 1995, and Boston Garden lasted until 1997. Madison Square Garden, the home of the Rangers, is technically the fourth incarnation of the famed arena. The third building was the original home to the Rangers, but was closed in 1968. The Montreal Forum (now Pepsi Forum) housed the Canadiens until 1996. It is now an entertainment centre, including a movie theatre.

The project isn’t going to be easy for the university to complete. They have a completion deadline of 12 months and are hoping to be ready to introduce the building to the public in the summer prior to the beginning of the 2011 school year. Regardless of what they come up with, Ryerson University is giving Maple Leaf Gardens a chance to continue living on, mixing the storied past with the uncertain future and unlike the other Original Six cities, Toronto is finally doing something right.