The Boston Arena, which had served as a home for several college ice hockey programs, began hosting a tournament held between Christmas and new year's starting in 1953.
Boston University, which then played its home games at the Arena, served as the host for the tournament.
After a few years, Northeastern, who also played its home games at the Boston Arena, joined in on the tournament and served as co-host for the remainder of its existence.
Two more teams were added for the third event while the fourth edition reverted to a more common 8-team tournament format.
The tournament was last held in December 1970, after which, Boston University moved into the Walter Brown Arena.