This past December I was in Massachusetts for a long weekend and there was no way I was going to travel across the country and not see a Boston Bruins hockey game. Now that I am home, what is there to say about Bostonians and their love affair with ice hockey? It’s intense. Even walking in Boston Commons before the game I passed a family with skates tied at the laces and thrown over their shoulders, on their way to the outdoor ice rink.
I’ll put it in perspective for you: my nosebleed seats at Boston’s TD Garden cost me almost as much as my first row seats behind the bench at the Duck’s Honda Center. But that didn’t mean we missed out on any aspect of the game! Behind our seats was a group of big, burly guys that commentated the whole game, Boston accent and all! Now that’s full cultural immersion.
Being mid-way through December the game was very Christmas oriented, right down to the snowflakes projected on the ice and Trans-Siberian Orchestra’s Carol of the Bells playing for the Bruins grand entrance. Who knew a Christmas carol could be such a good, crowd-amping song?!
Another thing I loved was just as the Anaheim Ducks do at their home games, the Bruins have a “Six Spoke Salute” to honor a nominated person of the U.S. Armed Forces.
Since they are one of the “Original Six” teams in the NHL, it makes sense that the Bruins fans go HARD. During a review of a call the DJ played Dropkick Murphy’s Shipping Out To Boston and the crowd went nuts! The referee and players actually held off at the face off circle to watch the crowd who couldn’t get enough of the song with their city’s name! The passion these people have is crazy!
The Bruins ended up beating the Florida Panthers 3-1, and after every Boston goal the announcer let out a joyful “Woo!” only to be echoed by the whole crowd. I guess it’s an inside joke they have, just like the Sharks have a shark chomp when they have a power play, but we caught on and joined in on the cheer quickly!
TD Garden is definitely a must-do if you’re a hockey fan– there is so much character and history it’s hard not to have fun!
3 down, 27 to go!
World Watching 