Traveling With JaredHigh Culture & Pop Culture in Travel

Boston Garden: Bruins and Celtics Fans, Welcome!

"Welcome to the Boston Garden!"
“Welcome to the Boston Garden!”

Boston is, without a doubt, one of the most sports crazy cities in the USA, if not the world.  Not to mention they have some of the most loyal and rowdy sports fans this side of a European soccer riot!  In the neighborhood of North Boston, two of the most celebrated franchises in professional sports play their home games in front of thousands of raving Bostonians.

"Let's Go Bruins!"
“Let’s Go Bruins!”

 

"Go Celtics (I mean, Knicks)!
“Go Celtics (I mean, Knicks)!
The Bruins Faithful
The Bruins Faithful

 

The TD Garden, formerly known by locals as just the Boston Garden, is the home stadium of both the Boston Bruins NHL team and the Boston Celtics NBA team.  It is located right above Boston’s North Station, but the fans don’t come for a commute to Gloucester or Portland.  They come for some of the loudest and most exciting hockey and basketball games in America. On game day, you’re likely to see hundreds, if not thousands of fans pouring out of the North Station T stop.  A flood of fans in yellow and black or green and white pour out of the subway, and race up to the surface.  And if the subway is too crowded, they will come from miles away on foot!  Once, I was headed to a Celtics game at the Garden.  No, I’m not a Celtics fan, but I came to Boston from New York because the Knicks were playing there that night.  Since the subways were running too slow, I hoofed it from Scollay Square.  Not that far, right?  Except, it was a frigid 14 degrees F that night!  Brrrr!  It was a fifteen minute walk, but it felt like an hour long, not to mention I lost all feeling in my legs.  It was almost like Mother Nature was punishing me for being a New Yorker in Boston on game night!

"He Shoots...
“He Shoots…
"...And He Scores!"
“…And He Scores!”

Outside the arena, there is marvelous bronze sculpture of Bobby Orr, one of the greatest hockey players of all time, not to mention a hero to all those who wear the black and yellow with pride.  Whether you are a tourist or a local, you can count on everyone getting their picture taken in front of a jubilant Orr.

"All right, all right, we get it Boston.  You've won a lot a championships!"
“All right, all right, we get it Boston. You’ve won a lot a championships!”

Inside the Garden, championship banners hang from the rafters.  On one side, a sky of green and white deck the ceiling with pride.  The Boston Celtics have won more championships than any other NBA team in history, not to mention winning 8 straight championships from 1959 through 1966!  And when you’re team’s historic repertoire includes the gigantic Larry Bird, legendary coach Red Auerbach, Bill Russell, and NBA superstar Paul Pierce, bragging rights definitely go with it!  On the other side of the rafters, banners of black and gold hang proudly.  Recently, Boston brought the cup back to Beantown in 2011.

Although I may be a proud New Yorker (Go Knicks and Rangers!), I must say I do like the Boston Garden.  The ambiance, the wonderfully vintage parkay floors during Celtics games, and the roughness of Bruins games are all reasons to visit this place.  Of course, the main reason I like this place: it’s the one place in Boston you can go and enjoy sports, and not hear the annoying rancor of “Yankees Suck!” (unless New York comes to play).  But a quick word of adivce: DO NOT WEAR A NEW YORK JERSEY!  Same rule applies to Red Sox games.  But if you do not own a Bruins or Celtics jersey, a vintage Hartford Whalers jersey will pass muster with the Boston faithful.

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