When it comes to sports venues, not many are as legendary as the TD Garden, home of the Boston Celtics and Boston Bruins, and where most major national sporting events in the Boston area have taken place for decades. That’s why today, we’re going to let you know everything there is to know about one of the places you must visit if you’re planning on doing a sports trip to Boston.
Is Boston Garden the same as TD Garden?
No. In fact, the Boston Celtics used to play at the Boston Arena from 1946-65 before moving to the new Boston Garden. Then, they moved again to their new arena TD Garden in 1995 and have played there ever since. They share that arena with the Boston Bruins of the National Hockey League. The TD Garden is pretty close to the other venues, though.
Where was the old Boston Garden located?
The original Boston Garden basketball court was located at 150 Causeway Street. It was owned by the Boston and Maine Corporation from 1928 to 1965. Then, it was owned by Linnell & Cox from 1965-73, later by Storer Broadcasting from 197 to 1975, and finally by Delaware North from 1975 until it closed in 1998.
Now, Delaware North has plans to construct a multi-purpose 3 tower complex with a hotel there. Besides the hotel, it will also feature an office building on the east side of the podium and more access to the MTBA’s Orange Line and Green Line; as well as new access to North Station and the TD Garden.
Can you bring food into TD Garden?
If you want to watch a hockey game or any of the other sports events at the TD Garden, you must be aware of the fact that no outside food or beverage is allowed in this facility. Don’t worry, though, as the Garden features plenty of gastronomy options for its guests.
What part of Boston is TD Garden in?
The TD Banknorth Garden, the Boston Celtics Arena, is located at 100 Legends Way, Boston, MA. It’s located directly above the MBTA’s North Station, which is the main source of public transportation to the arena. Needless to say, the commuter rail is often full of people during game days. It opened its doors on September 30, 1995, with a total cost of $160 million ($272 million in 2020’s money) and is currently operated by Delaware North.
Throughout history, this arena has been called Shawmut Center, Fleet Center, and had 30 different names from February 10 to March 15 until it was eventually named TD Banknorth Garden.
That happened because before TD Bank bought the naming rights, operators held an auction on eBay. In fact, even a Yankees fan called Kerry Konrad won the bid to call it Derek Jeter Center. Gladly for local fans, that name didn’t stick.
At least, the net proceeds (around $150,633.22) were donated to local charities.
What does TD Garden stand for?
TD stands for Toronto-Dominion as in Toronto-Dominion Bank. As we previously mentioned, the TD Garden used to be called Shawmut Center and have the Shawmut logo all over the place. Multiple sponsors have acquired the naming rights through the years, with Maine-based bank TD Banknorth getting the naming rights in 2005, thus calling it TD Banknorth Garden.
How much are tickets for a Boston Celtics game?
Tickets for a Celtics game at the TD Garden have an average price of $201. Obviously, if you want to sit near the center or close to the court, those prices can go way up. If that’s a little bit too much or you’re not that into basketball, fans can always attend other sports events at this site, with the hockey season being one of the other main attractions.
TD Garden Capacity: How many people fill TD Garden?
This beautiful multi-purpose arena located directly above the North Station brings plenty of people from every single corner of Boston to their parquet floors. It can host up to 17,850 for hockey and lacrosse matchups, 19,156 for basketball, and 20,000 for concerts. The first game in this arena was a 101-100 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks on November 3, 1995.
How Many Rings Have The Boston Celtics won?
Throughout their long and successful history, the Boston Celtics have won 17 NBA championships. That’s tied with the Los Angeles Lakers for the most in NBA history, followed by the Golden State Warriors and Chicago Bulls (6 each), and San Antonio Spurs (5).
Boston Celtics: A Winning Tradition
The Boston Celtics are perhaps the most successful franchise in the history of the NBA, not only because of how many championships they’ve won but because of the fact that they’ve never left Massachusetts, unlike the Lakers who started off in Minneapolis before leaving their home arena. June 6 1946 marked the most iconic event in Massachusetts sports history. It was the day Boston Garden-Arena Corporation president Walter A. Brown founded the Celtics and got them into the Basketball Association of America.
However, they didn’t find much success until appointing Red Auerbach as their coach, scout, and jack of all trades. Under Auerbach, the Celtics drafted legendary guard Bob Cousy, paving the way for the start of a dynasty that would rule the NBA like no other.
Auerbach put together a nearly-perfect team for that time and the team started bringing people to the arena. After adding Cousy, he also drafted Tom Heisonh and was bold enough to trade Ed Macauley to the St. Louis Hawks for a draft pick that would turn out to be Bill Russell, perhaps the most franchise-defining event for them. The rest, as you may know by now, is history.
Russell and led the Celtics to 11 NBA championships in 13 years. He became the winningest player in the league and the city was the ultimate basketball hub in the nation. And that didn’t change even after Russell’s retirement.
The Celtics didn’t need a lot of time to go back to the top of the sports industry. Following their first losing season since 1950, they were able to land Dave Cowens, JoJo White, and Paul Silas; going back to their winning ways in no time.
Then, Larry Bird came along and led the last great era in Celtics basketball. Being one of the most dominant sports players of all time, Bird’s rare combination of size, shooting, and playmaking highlighted the 80s, as well as their rivalship with the Showtime Lakers, filling the arena night in and night out. The post-Bird era was tough for one of the biggest names in sports.
The Celtics couldn’t win another ring for the next 22 years until finally, Doc Rivers’ team featuring Rajon Rondo, Ray Allen, Kevin Garnett, and Paul Pierce snatched their 17th title by beating Kobe Bryant and their lifelong rivals Lakers in the 2008 Finals.
A New Era In Boston
The Celtics have been pretty solid and they are doing great in this year’s NBA Finals. Led by young stars Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum, they’ve been a perennial playoff team in the Eastern Conference and often bring thousands of people to their home games.
Even so, it’s still too early to pull the plug on that promising duo. They’ll take NBA arenas for assault for many, many years to come and it’s only a matter of time before they bring another joy to one of the biggest sports towns in the world.
So, if you’re planning to visit Boston, you definitely need to pull off the ultimate sports tour and do whatever it takes to attend a Red Sox, Bruins, and Celtics game. Don’t hesitate to visit the TD Garden, one of the most iconic arenas and perhaps the most legendary building in all of the town.
And if you can’t find any hockey, basketball, or even NFL game to attend, well, at least try your luck with some of the many concerts or upcoming events these building hosts. Just get down at the North Station and you’ll be all set.
