Loblaw Probing Mystery Elephant

TORONTO — Loblaw Cos. is seeking an answer to a mystery found beneath its new showplace store here. Officials of Loblaw and Ryerson University on Thursday revealed the contents of a time capsule found tucked behind the cornerstone at Maple Leaf Gardens, the downtown hockey arena that Loblaw refurbished and reopened as a supermarket and athletic facility late last year.

Among the items found in the capsule were documents about the arena’s construction, newspapers from Sept. 21, 1931, various hockey rulebooks and a small ivory elephant with fragments of a blue ribbon. Officials of Loblaw and Ryerson are asking for help in determining the significance of the last item. The items will be on display at the athletic center at the reopened facility.

"The historic Maple Leaf Gardens holds a special place in the hearts of many here in Canada and around the world.  With the opening of Loblaws at Maple Leaf Gardens we are happy to have the opportunity to breathe life back into this historic landmark," Jane Marshall, a Loblaw executive vice president, said in a statement. "We are curious to hear Canadians' ideas for the new time capsule."