Ford Performance Centre
Practice facility for the Toronto Maple Leafs and Toronto Marlies.
The Ford Performance Centre sits at 400 Kipling Avenue in Toronto’s Etobicoke district, on land owned by the Toronto District School Board. Originally called the Mastercard Centre For Hockey Excellence, this four-rink facility serves as the official practice home for the NHL’s Toronto Maple Leafs and their AHL affiliate, the Toronto Marlies. Hockey Canada and the Hockey Hall of Fame maintain offices there, and it was once the home rink of the Toronto Furies of the Canadian Women’s Hockey League.
The arena opened in September 2009, replacing the nearby Lakeshore Lions Arena. It was a joint project of the Lakeshore Lions Club, the Toronto Maple Leafs, and the City of Toronto. Mastercard noted it was the first community ice facility built in the Toronto area in 25 years. Initial cost estimates were $29 million, but expenses pushed the final price to CA$44 million. The Lions Club put up $40 million, and the city provided a $35.5 million loan guarantee. The school board leased the land to the Lakeshore Lions for 50 years. Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment (MLSE) spent an additional $5 million on training and medical spaces to make the building the practice rink for its two teams. MLSE pays $600,000 annually to rent the facility and receives half of any naming-rights revenue. Mastercard originally held the naming rights for $525,000 a year.
The Lakeshore Lions Club initially ran the arena, but by June 2011 it faced financial trouble—partly because planned restaurant and sporting goods tenants never materialized—and could not manage its growing debt. The city stepped in, creating the Lakeshore Arena Corporation on September 8, 2011, to take over management and assume the $43.4 million debt. The plan was to return the arena to private hands within two to three years. A councillor suggested MLSE, which already ran BMO Field and the CNE Coliseum for the city, would be a logical operator. MLSE said it was open to discussing management but not purchase. Bob Hunter, MLSE’s executive vice president of venues and entertainment, confirmed the company would bid for the operating contract.
With $19 million in loans maturing in 2014 and no private refinancing available, the city provided a short-term interest-only loan.
Quick Facts
- Nickname
- Lakeshore Arena
- Fullname
- Ford Performance Centre
- Address
- 400 Kipling Avenue / Toronto, Ontario / M8V 3L1
- Opened
- September 8, 2009
- Owner
- City of Toronto
- Operator
- Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment
- Cost
- $44 million
- Former Names
- Mastercard Centre for Hockey Excellence (2009–2019)
- Capacity
- Rink 1 - 1,000 / Rink 2,3,4 - 200
- Dimensions
- (1) 200' x 100' and (3) 200' x 85'
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
The Ford Performance Centre opened in September 2009, built as a joint venture between the Lakeshore Lions Club, the Toronto Maple Leafs, and the City of Toronto government to replace the nearby Lakeshore Lions Arena. According to Mastercard, the arena is 'the first community ice facility to be built in the Toronto-area in the last 25 years.' Originally planned to cost $29 million, rising expenses resulted in the final cost being CA$44 million. The Lions Club contributed $40 million to the project, with the city providing a $35.5 million loan guarantee. The Toronto District School Board leased the land for the arena to the Lakeshore Lions for a 50-year term. Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment (MLSE) spent a further $5 million on training and medical facilities to make the building the practice rink of their two hockey teams.
The arena was initially operated by the Lakeshore Lions Club. However in June 2011, with the arena facing financial difficulties due in part to not securing tenants for a planned restaurant and sporting goods store at the facility and unable to manage its rising debt, the City of Toronto decided to take control. On September 8, 2011 the city established the Lakeshore Arena Corporation, an arms-length corporation, to take over management of the arena and assume its $43.4 million debt. The city's intention was to return it to private management within 2–3 years. With $19 million in loans maturing in 2014, and unable to privately refinance them, the city decided to provide a short-term interest only loan directly to the arena. In November 2015, after concluding that the arena's debt was unsustainable, the city voted to convert $8.1 million of this loan into a capital contribution. In October 2017 Infrastructure Ontario (IO) provided the arena a $26.7 million loan to refinance its remaining outstanding private debt. As of December 31, 2025, $20.5 million was still outstanding on the IO loan, while the full $4 million of the city loan had not been repaid. In 2026, the city agreed to refinance its $4 million loan to the arena over a 17 year term.
Reader's Guide
The Ford Performance Centre is significant as the official practice facility for the Toronto Maple Leafs and Toronto Marlies, and as a multi-purpose community ice facility. It houses offices for Hockey Canada and the Hockey Hall of Fame, and was home to the Toronto Furies of the Canadian Women's Hockey League. The facility has four NHL-sized rinks, one of which can be expanded to Olympic dimensions with 1000 seats, along with extensive training facilities. It is used by numerous visiting National Hockey League teams and Hockey Canada for its national teams. The NHL Alumni Association is also based there. The rink is available for public ice rentals, and the Faustina Hockey Club offers community house league and Select Hockey programs. On Saturdays from September through June, Ford provides open, free ice skating for families. The venue hosted the CBC reality figure skating competition Battle of the Blades in 2011 and again in 2013, and hosted an international short track competition for the first time in November 2015. The Toronto Maple Leafs Hockey School is also held at the arena.
Did You Know?
- The arena was originally named Mastercard Centre For Hockey Excellence before Ford acquired naming rights in the first half of 2019.
- The land at 400 Kipling Avenue is owned by the Toronto District School Board.
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