With the Toronto Maple Leafs hard at work for training camp out at the MasterCard Centre for Hockey Excellence in Toronto’s west end, it’s worth taking a slap shot at the pro wrestling history in the rink that preceded it: Lakeshore Arena.
Now, the arenas were not based in the exact same spot in the area known as Long Branch, but very close — and they were both operated by the fraternal organization, the Lions Club.
The Lakeshore Lions Arena (also called the Lakeshore Lions Memorial Centre) was at 300 Birmingham Street, at 21st Street, in what was then called New Toronto (which merged with the Borough of Etobicoke in 1967 and then into the City of Toronto in 1998).
The MasterCard Centre’s official address is 400 Kipling Avenue, on the eastern side of the same city block. As far as I know, there’s never been anything pro wrestling related at the MasterCard Centre, other than me going down there often to research at the D.K. (Doc) Seaman Hockey Resource Centre. It’s a constantly busy facility year-round, though, and home to the Etobicoke Sports Hall of Fame (which does not have any wrestlers, amateur or pro, oddly).
But the Lakeshore Arena does have some wrestling history, just not in the heavyweight category.
Lakeshore Arena in a 1953 drawing
The two-storey rink opened in 1951, and closed as a rink in 2010, taken over by Humber College. It became the practice facility for the Toronto Maple Leafs, which is a big reason so many Leaf players lived in the west end of the city.
The Etobicoke Press wrote about the arena in 1953: “A $375,000 sports arena is an ambitious undertaking and there were those back in 1947 when the project was started who were pessimistic about the possibilities but the Lions were determined to provide a War Memorial from which future generations of community youngsters might derive benefit.”
Of note, three towns — New Toronto, Mimico and Long Branch — all added a mill to their tax rates to raise some of the funding.
A terrazzo floor wasn’t available when the arena opened on February 14, 1951, less than a year after ground was broken in April 1950. But that floor coming along by 1953 allowed for wrestling, and other indoor activities, to move in. Initially, it sat 1,200 fans for hockey and was unheated, though it was eventually expanded.
The Etobicoke Press was supportive from the get-go, noting that shows were scheduled in the summer of 1953 every Tuesday night, “with Red Garner as the matchmaker. Those lighter fellows put on quite a show.”
Garner is an important figure in the history of pro wrestling in and around southern Ontario — and often overlooked. Of note, he trained with the likes of Wally Sieber — the future Waldo Von Erich — and Dave “Bearman” McKigney, so his roots ran deep. Andrew Calvert over at MapleLeafWrestling.com has a great piece on Garner and his life and times. So the early shows listed below, made up of non-heavyweights, were Garner shows, but then, as you’ll see, it changes.
Did I capture all the shows held at the Lakeshore Arena? Hardly. The Toronto newspapers that are online usually focused on Maple Leaf Gardens and the shows put on by Frank Tunney, so I could only find but a few actual results.
1953
Not long after the arena got the boards to put over the ice, pro wrestling moved in during the summer.
Tuesday, April 28, 1953
New Toronto, Ontario * Lakeshore Arena
“Tonight-8:30 & Every Tuesday”
NOTES: Spoiler alert … it didn’t stay on Tuesday nights.
Tuesday, May 5, 1953
New Toronto, Ontario * Lakeshore Arena
Ed Mangotich vs Baron Von Sieber
NOTES: Baron Von Sieber was, of course, Waldo Von Erich. Ed Mangotich had a brother, Gori, who wrestled as well; again, Andrew Calvert has a great piece on them both.
Lakeshore Arena card May 20, 1953
Wednesday, May 20, 1953
New Toronto, Ontario * Lakeshore Arena
(as a part of Lake Shore Industrial Exhibition, May 20-23)
Monday, May 25, 1953
New Toronto, Ontario * Lakeshore Arena
Ed Mangotich & Al Orlando vs Red Garner & Joe Greenfield
Monday, June 1, 1953
New Toronto, Ontario * Lakeshore Arena
Ed Mangotich vs Al Orlando “A Fight to a Finish!”
Monday, June 15, 1953
New Toronto, Ontario * Lakeshore Arena
Tarzan Lopez & Bull Penchoff vs Ed Mangotich & Baron Von Seiber
Monday, June 22, 1953
New Toronto, Ontario * Lakeshore Arena
Red Garner vs Jim McArthur
Killer Mangotich & Al Orlando vs Hassan Bey & Jack Flicker
Joe Greenfield & Stoney Brooks vs Tom Sullivan & Tony Rocci
Dan Mahoney vs Jean Val Jean
Monday, June 29, 1953
New Toronto, Ontario * Lakeshore Arena
Red Garner & Hassan Bey vs Killer Mangotich & Al Orlando
Harry & Bobby Woods vs Hann Brothers
Ted McKinley vs Tom Sullivan
Don George vs Parisi
Promoter Red Garner
1954
Like most arenas in Canada, hockey ruled and wrestling could rarely gain a foothold during the hockey season … which was in all but in the height of summer.
Lakeshore Arena card May 11, 1954
Tuesday, May 4, 1954
New Toronto, Ontario * Lakeshore Arena
Baron Von Sieber vs Al Orlando
Jacques Du Bois vs Tony Rocci
The Black Panther vs Joe Greenfield
Red Garner vs Al Wallace
NOTES: Jacques Du Bois, and various spellings, was Dave McKigney, pre-bear ownership. Joe Greenfield also promoted shows in later years, and it’s a fair guess that if he was the referee on the show and not wrestling, that he was running it. Not sure who this The Black Panther was.
Tuesday, May 11, 1954
New Toronto, Ontario * Lakeshore Arena
Baron Von Sieber beat Jacques Du Bois in two straight falls
Killer Mangotich beat Wildcat Osborne
Black Panther beat Kurt Von Sieber (the Baron’s valet)
Red Garner vs beat Dennis Winn
Garner Jr. beat Black Jack Parisi
NOTES: Killer was Ed Mangotich. Black Jack Parisi was not Tony Parisi. Red Garner Jr. was one of many, many second-generation wrestlers.
Tuesday, May 18, 1954
New Toronto, Ontario * Lakeshore Arena
Baron Von Sieber vs Killer Mangotich
Red Garner vs Tony Rocci
Black Panther vs Ron Heffner
Al Orlando vs Wildcat Osborne
Tuesday, June 1, 1954
New Toronto, Ontario * Lakeshore Arena
Baron Von Sieber & Dr. Kurt Von Sieber vs Killer Mangotich & Black Panther
Red Garner vs Jacques Dubois
Jim Krotcher vs Jean Val Jean
Dennis Winn vs Jack Flicker
Lakeshore Arena card June 8, 1954
Tuesday, June 8, 1954
New Toronto, Ontario * Lakeshore Arena
Killer Mangotich (Canadian Open Middleweight champion) vs Red Garner
Al Orlando vs Jacques Dubois
Tuesday, June 15, 1954
New Toronto, Ontario * Lakeshore Arena
Team Match Elimination for John Labatt Trophy
Red Garner & Baron Von Sieber vs Al Orlando & Killer Mangotich
NOTES: The John Labatt Trophy for tag team action was often defended on cards promoted up in northern Ontario by Larry Kasaboski.
Lakeshore Arena card June 22, 1954
Tuesday, June 22, 1954
New Toronto, Ontario * Lakeshore Arena
Killer Mangotich & Al Orlando vs Hassan Bey & Jack Flicker
Tom Sullivan & Stoney Brooks vs Joe Greenfield & Tony Rocci
Red Garner vs Jim McArthur
Dan Mahoney vs Jean Val Jean
NOTES: As I explained in a bit long feature, Ali Bey (George Stefanidies) was not Hassan Bey.
Lakeshore Arena card June 29, 1954
Tuesday, June 29, 1954
New Toronto, Ontario * Lakeshore Arena
Labatt Trophy Tournament
Red Garner & Hassan Bey vs Al Orlando & Killer Mangotich
Woods Bros. vs Hamm Bros.
Ted McKinley vs Tom Sullivan
John Parisi vs Don George
NOTES: Let’s assume that John Parisi was also known as Black Jack Parisi.
Lakeshore Arena card July 6, 1954
Tuesday, July 6, 1954
New Toronto, Ontario * Lakeshore Arena
Red Garner (Canadian Middleweight champion) vs Ted McKinley
Al Orlando & Killer Mangotich vs Tom Sullivan & Hassan Bey
Tony Rocci vs Ron Osborne
Jim Krotcher vs Ron Heffner
1955
New Toronto, Ontario * Lakeshore Arena
Baron von Sieber beat Irish Jack Phelan
Calvin Cosburn beat Benedetto Lima
Jack Dennis beat Hassan Bey
Wildcat Osborne beat Hal Van Dyke
NOTES: Benedetto Lima is better known as Benny Lima, who ended up being a trainer of many wrestlers to come out of “The Factory” of Hamilton, Ontario.
Lakeshore Arena card May 10, 1955
Tuesday, July 10, 1955
New Toronto, Ontario * Lakeshore Arena
Baron Von Sieber vs Cal Cosburn
Benedetto Lima vs Jack Dennis
Ron Osborne vs Stoney Brooks
Al Orlando vs Hassan Bey
NOTES: This is the first photo I ever found of Hassan Bey, finally, once and for all, proving that he was not Ali Bey.
Lakeshore Arena card June 14, 1955
Tuesday, June 14 1955
New Toronto, Ontario * Lakeshore Arena
Hassan Bey vs Tommy Tucker & Big Inch (Handicap match)
Baron von Sieber & Red Garner vs Al Orlando & Cal Cosburn
Tuesday, July 10, 1955
New Toronto, Ontario * Lakeshore Arena
Baron Von Sieber vs Cal Cosburn
Benedetto Lima vs Jack Dennis
Ron Osborne vs Stoney Brooks
Al Orlando vs Hassan Bey
The Etobicoke Press
Thu, May 12, 1955
Wrestling every Tuesday night at the Lakeshore Arena. Come and enjoy the fun.
NOTES: Further proof that there are more cards that I couldn’t find!
Frank Tunney show in Long Branch, July 12, 1955
Tuesday, July 12, 1955
Long Branch (Toronto), Ontario * Long Branch Lacrosse Bowl
Prince Maiava vs Dirty Dick Raines
Supporting card featuring Frank Tunney’s heavyweight wrestlers from Maple Leaf Gardens.
NOTES: This one is fascinating as Frank Tunney was apparently worried enough about the Red Garner shows running for a third straight summer that he set up a competing show nearby. All that was listed in the ad was this match.
1957
Oddly, I could find no shows in 1956. Given the history, maybe there were improvements being made to the arena in the summer which meant not being able to run there.
Wednesday, May 1, 1957
New Toronto, Ontario * Lakeshore Arena
Midgets
(card unknown)
Lakeshore Arena card May 22, 1957
Wednesday, May 22, 1957
New Toronto, Ontario * Lakeshore Arena
Jennings Bros. vs. Sullivan & Foster
1960s to 1980s
And then wrestling seems to dry up at the Lakeshore Arena, showing up once a decade, from what I could find. Now, there were sometimes shows nearby at the Mimico Arena, or in nearby Weston or even further down the highway to Oakville, so that’s partly understandable, as more and more people had vehicles and therefore a means to get to the shows further afield.
The three shows below all appear to be McKigney shows, which we can deduce because there’s a bear! Or, in the case of the 1981 show, the company had started using Big Bear Promotions.
Lakeshore Arena card June 16, 1969
Wednesday, July 16, 1969
Etobicoke (Toronto), Ontario * Lakeshore Arena
Chris Tolos vs Chief White Wolfe
Bulldog Brower vs Waldo Von Erich
Little Darling Dagmar vs Diamond Lil (midgets)
Ivan Kossloff vs Mr. Wrestler
Terrible Ted wrestling bear
Promoter: Dave McKigney
Lakeshore Arena card May 17, 1974
Friday, May 17, 1974
Etobicoke (Toronto), Ontario * Lakeshore Arena
Archie Gouldie vs Angelo Mosca
Wildman Dave McKigney vs wrestling bear
The Beast
Bulldog Brower
Luis Martinez
Promoter: Dave McKigney
Lakeshore Arena card July 17, 1974
Friday, July 17, 1981
Etobicoke (Toronto), Ontario * Lakeshore Arena
The Sheik vs Whipper Watson Jr. (steel cage)
Luis Martinez vs Bulldog Don Kent
Kelly Twins vs Wildman Dave McKigney & Chris Tolos
midgets
Promoter: Dave McKigney
What I love about doing up these very specific looks at a smaller arena is that it often opens up more questions than get answered, which is okay with me. Pro wrestling is a decidedly undocumented (and somewhat unregulated) industry and it’s up to historians to try to sort it out. Challenge accepted.