Hockeytown USA (Melrose)

Hockeytown USA was a two sheet indoor hockey rink located in Melrose, Massachusetts. The arena was created from a converted public bus terminal in Franklin Square. The 1,200 seat arena opened as a single sheet rink in October of 1965. The other tenant in the building moved out in 1967 which allowed for the construction of a 3/4 sized sheet of ice which opened in 1967. The arena was being rented around the clock and made ownership look for an additional site for additional sheets of ice. A vacant lot in adjacent Saugus, Massachusetts was acquired along US Route 1. Three sheets would be open in October of 1972. The peak of the arena was in the early 1970's as the Big Bad Bruins teams of that era caused an explosion in the construction of arenas both public and private. With a slight decline in the need for ice time in the area the Melrose facility could not compete with publicly funded arenas opened all around the Boston area. It would close in 1978 as the Saugus facility would carry on.