While the Gardens earned much praise in its early days, the place was outdated by the 1920s. About 15,000 fans could be comfortably seated in Madison Square Garden, Boston Garden, and Montreal Forum. Not even half that number could squeeze into the Gardens. Around this time, the ice-making operation at the Garden was antiquated. In November 1927, the "Toronto Star" reported that the Pirates had to train at a local gym instead of the Garden, since the Garden's ice machine had broken down. However, while celebrating its 40th anniversary, the Garden still boasted as having one of the highest-regarded ice surfaces in North America, still drawing hockey players from Canada.