A TRIP TO SOME OLD STOMPING GROUNDS...AND THINGS ARE SURE NOT WHAT THEY USED TO BE
I now know the true meaning of the statement " you can never go home again". The essence of the saying came to me loud and clear last Thursday as I attended the Boston Bruins Vs. Montreal Canadiens game at the TD BankNorth Garden. Having the day off and seeing as I have not attended a game in about two years ( this of my own choice, but more on that later) and looking for a bit of a change of pace, I decided to head into the Garden to pick up a ticket. For the purpose of my newly rediscovered writing hobby (thanks to this blog), I also decided to bring along a small notebook and jot down a few observations during my experience.
At this point I feel it is necessary to give a quick backgound on this story. I have been a huge hockey fan all of my life, it has been in my blood almost since birth. Boston Bruins games were the first sporting events that I recall watching as a little kid growing up (although we watched every sport that was in season in our house), and I have lived and died with the Black and Gold for most of my life. During the late 80's and early 90's, The Garden was the center of my sports universe. Many a memorable Thursday and Saturday night was spent watching the likes of Cam Neely, Ray Bourque, and Andy Moog bring the old 'barn' to life. A co-worker of mine and I shared season tickets for few years and we would plan our work schedules around the games.
These days the passion is, in the words of the late Red Sox announcer Ned Martin, "long gone and hard to find." Although my love of hockey will always be with me, I just cannot get excited about the Bruins the way I used to. The energy that would fill the old Boston Garden on most game nights is a thing of the past, having been replaced by the carnival atmosphere of the new arena. Of course, these changes are not news to anyone that follows Boston Sports. The Bruins have been on a downward spiral for the better part of 10 years now, and they are way past the point of irrelevancy( TOMMOROW'S ASSIGNMENT: ask a co-worker if he or she can name you four players on the current Bruins roster). Despite all of this I have not realized how bad things have gotten...until now.
I arrived at the entrance gate in the North Station concourse at about 6:35, ticket in hand, and ready for my "trip down memory lane". There I was, set for a Bruins/Canadiens matchup in early March. 15 years ago, the hockey world would have stopped for a meeting ofthese two Original Six rivals, but on this night it felt like just another contest, in just another mediocre season. Other than me I counted about 15 other people waiting to get in. There were still tickets to be had at the Box Office, which pretty much assured that the attendance would be low, atleast compared to the standards of the Bruins/ Canadiens rivalry. ( That morning I asked the person whom I bought the ticket from at the Box Office how the game had sold. He laughed and said "you can pick your seat tonight". I got 5 dollars of the price of my ticket because March 9th was a designated 'Family Discount Night', and I could have gotten the ticket discounted further if I had a college I.D. Draw your own conclusions from that evidence.)
At 6:42 the gates opened and we all made our way up the escalators towards the seating areas. As I am taking in all that is around me I have a line in my head from the Mighty Mighty Bosstones song "I Want My City Back", in which lead singer Dicky Barrett says "Things are not the same as how I left them, when I left them." The building is the same (other than the name), but something was missing, something did not seem right. Anyone that has been to a high school reunion probably knows what I am talking about. It is that feeling where you know that before the night is out you will probably see things and interact with people that will depress you to no end, but you paid for your ticket so the best you can do is try to enjoy yourself. That is how it felt. This feeling would be with me throughout the entire game.
I reached my seat about 6:50PM, and 6:55, a NESN add came on the Jumbotron. This is the one that we have all seen a hundred times this year, in which Dennis Leary gives his impassioned speech: "It is the spirit felt in the streets, and heard in the bars...it's about the Cup...Now get to work!". Very good stuff from Leary except it is followed by the announcer's voice saying: "Passion, Courage...It's Called Bruins!!" Seriously, who writes their stuff? As if "Good Guys, Great Game" was not bad enough a few years ago, now we have this? I have a tag line for the Bruins: "Under-achievement, bad trades, poor management, lousy ownership...It's Called Mediocrity!!!" ( A co-worker of mine and I also came up with the three F's: Failure, Frustration, and Futility, but I only like to bring that one out on special occasions) Oh well, the night is young.
The puck was dropped at 7:10PM and as I looked arounnd as the puck was dropped, by pre-game suspicions of low attendence were right on the money. The opening period was uneventful, with some good open-ice skating (since this was my first game this year, it was also my first opportunity to view all of the rule changes up-close). The new rules have opened things up considerably, and as I am watching the first few minutes unfold I could not help but think of the damage that someone like Cam Neely could have done under these circumstances. Despite the fact that he would have put up frightening numbers in the current game, one of the fun things to watch when Cam played was his ability to fight through the neutral-ice contact from the opposing defensemen. Of course this is a lost art in today's NHL, a byproduct of Hockey's Nuclear winter of 2004-2005.
The game remained scorless until 6:48 of the second period when Alexi Kovalev netted a power play goal, the result of Milan Jurcina having been sent to the box for hooking just 26 seconds earlier. The Bruins defense can be summed up on one word: PATHETIC, with Nick Boynton being the sole bright spot. Watching these guys kill penalties is equally painful. Where have you gone Ray Bourque? Or give me Dave Poulin (One of the greatest defensive forwards I have ever seen). Hell, I'll take the (P..J.)Axelsson, (Tim)Taylor, and (Rob) Dimaio line that was excellent at killing penalties under Pat Burns.
At 16:13 of the middle period we got our first REAL crowd noise, and not the canned enthusiasm that the annoying Jumotron generates. Hall Gill and Claude Rivet hooked up in a nice little bout while it lasted ( it was quickly broken up by the referees, and for the record Rivet was the winner on my score-card). Nick Boynton entered the scrum that had developed and speared Marc Ribiero, which led to Boynton being tossed. The end result gave the Canadiens an extra 5 minute power play. Somehow the Bruins PK unit survived, although Montreal let them off the hook when Mathieu Dandenault was whistled for tripping at 19:59 of the second.
Into the third period we went with the crowd drifting back into its slumber, only to be woken up every now and then by the Jumbotron imploring the crowd to push the loudness meter to "Garden Level". Right. We were treated to another penalty killing clinic at 7:12 when Boston's David Tanabe was sent off for holding. Six seconds later Sheldon Souray ofthe Habs cashed in a gift wrapped 2 on 1 along with Saku Koivu for a 2-0 lead which for all intents and purposes, put the game away. As PA Announcer Jim Martin announced the goal, many people were seen headed for the exits, and garbage time was officially underway. Thomas Piekanec added an empty-net goal at 19:35 and 25 seconds later the horn sounded, officially ending the contest (although it was really over long before that). After the empty-netter, a quote from former Bruins assistant coach Tom McVie came into my head. After bad games or blowouts McVie used to say,"That was the type of game where they should let everyone in for free and have them pay to get out."
In all seriousness I did have a good time (despite the loss), but I have come to the conclusion that the "circus environment" in the Garden is officially too much for me to take. Perhaps it is just me getting older, although I realize these things are more noticable when the team is losing. Knowing these points, let me just state: I DON'T NEED A SCOREBOARD TO TELL ME WHEN TO CHEER!!!!! All I need is the score, the shots on net, the time of the period, some out of town scores, and maybe a video montage or two put to music. I don't need the stupid "Noise Meter", or the camera scanning the crowd looking for people acting stupid. All I need or want is the game. Having attended a few Patriots games over the last few years I have noticed that Gillette Staduim does not have half the "bells and whistles" that the BankNorth Garden has, for the simple fact that with the Patriots the game sells itself.
Other than being offered free tickets I don't see myself attending another game this season. I have a busy work schedule and the Bruins don't play many game on my days off for the remainder of the season. If things continue as the are - and we have no reason to believe anything will change - the Bruins will miss the playoffs. The Red Sox will begin their regular season soon, and thus the attention of the average Boston sports fan soon will be elsewhere. Hockey will end for the season in mid-April. In many ways Hockey ended a long time ago in Boston, atleast compared to how things used to be, and that is the sad part. Very sad indeed.
I now know the true meaning of the statement " you can never go home again". The essence of the saying came to me loud and clear last Thursday as I attended the Boston Bruins Vs. Montreal Canadiens game at the TD BankNorth Garden. Having the day off and seeing as I have not attended a game in about two years ( this of my own choice, but more on that later) and looking for a bit of a change of pace, I decided to head into the Garden to pick up a ticket. For the purpose of my newly rediscovered writing hobby (thanks to this blog), I also decided to bring along a small notebook and jot down a few observations during my experience.
At this point I feel it is necessary to give a quick backgound on this story. I have been a huge hockey fan all of my life, it has been in my blood almost since birth. Boston Bruins games were the first sporting events that I recall watching as a little kid growing up (although we watched every sport that was in season in our house), and I have lived and died with the Black and Gold for most of my life. During the late 80's and early 90's, The Garden was the center of my sports universe. Many a memorable Thursday and Saturday night was spent watching the likes of Cam Neely, Ray Bourque, and Andy Moog bring the old 'barn' to life. A co-worker of mine and I shared season tickets for few years and we would plan our work schedules around the games.
These days the passion is, in the words of the late Red Sox announcer Ned Martin, "long gone and hard to find." Although my love of hockey will always be with me, I just cannot get excited about the Bruins the way I used to. The energy that would fill the old Boston Garden on most game nights is a thing of the past, having been replaced by the carnival atmosphere of the new arena. Of course, these changes are not news to anyone that follows Boston Sports. The Bruins have been on a downward spiral for the better part of 10 years now, and they are way past the point of irrelevancy( TOMMOROW'S ASSIGNMENT: ask a co-worker if he or she can name you four players on the current Bruins roster). Despite all of this I have not realized how bad things have gotten...until now.
I arrived at the entrance gate in the North Station concourse at about 6:35, ticket in hand, and ready for my "trip down memory lane". There I was, set for a Bruins/Canadiens matchup in early March. 15 years ago, the hockey world would have stopped for a meeting ofthese two Original Six rivals, but on this night it felt like just another contest, in just another mediocre season. Other than me I counted about 15 other people waiting to get in. There were still tickets to be had at the Box Office, which pretty much assured that the attendance would be low, atleast compared to the standards of the Bruins/ Canadiens rivalry. ( That morning I asked the person whom I bought the ticket from at the Box Office how the game had sold. He laughed and said "you can pick your seat tonight". I got 5 dollars of the price of my ticket because March 9th was a designated 'Family Discount Night', and I could have gotten the ticket discounted further if I had a college I.D. Draw your own conclusions from that evidence.)
At 6:42 the gates opened and we all made our way up the escalators towards the seating areas. As I am taking in all that is around me I have a line in my head from the Mighty Mighty Bosstones song "I Want My City Back", in which lead singer Dicky Barrett says "Things are not the same as how I left them, when I left them." The building is the same (other than the name), but something was missing, something did not seem right. Anyone that has been to a high school reunion probably knows what I am talking about. It is that feeling where you know that before the night is out you will probably see things and interact with people that will depress you to no end, but you paid for your ticket so the best you can do is try to enjoy yourself. That is how it felt. This feeling would be with me throughout the entire game.
I reached my seat about 6:50PM, and 6:55, a NESN add came on the Jumbotron. This is the one that we have all seen a hundred times this year, in which Dennis Leary gives his impassioned speech: "It is the spirit felt in the streets, and heard in the bars...it's about the Cup...Now get to work!". Very good stuff from Leary except it is followed by the announcer's voice saying: "Passion, Courage...It's Called Bruins!!" Seriously, who writes their stuff? As if "Good Guys, Great Game" was not bad enough a few years ago, now we have this? I have a tag line for the Bruins: "Under-achievement, bad trades, poor management, lousy ownership...It's Called Mediocrity!!!" ( A co-worker of mine and I also came up with the three F's: Failure, Frustration, and Futility, but I only like to bring that one out on special occasions) Oh well, the night is young.
The puck was dropped at 7:10PM and as I looked arounnd as the puck was dropped, by pre-game suspicions of low attendence were right on the money. The opening period was uneventful, with some good open-ice skating (since this was my first game this year, it was also my first opportunity to view all of the rule changes up-close). The new rules have opened things up considerably, and as I am watching the first few minutes unfold I could not help but think of the damage that someone like Cam Neely could have done under these circumstances. Despite the fact that he would have put up frightening numbers in the current game, one of the fun things to watch when Cam played was his ability to fight through the neutral-ice contact from the opposing defensemen. Of course this is a lost art in today's NHL, a byproduct of Hockey's Nuclear winter of 2004-2005.
The game remained scorless until 6:48 of the second period when Alexi Kovalev netted a power play goal, the result of Milan Jurcina having been sent to the box for hooking just 26 seconds earlier. The Bruins defense can be summed up on one word: PATHETIC, with Nick Boynton being the sole bright spot. Watching these guys kill penalties is equally painful. Where have you gone Ray Bourque? Or give me Dave Poulin (One of the greatest defensive forwards I have ever seen). Hell, I'll take the (P..J.)Axelsson, (Tim)Taylor, and (Rob) Dimaio line that was excellent at killing penalties under Pat Burns.
At 16:13 of the middle period we got our first REAL crowd noise, and not the canned enthusiasm that the annoying Jumotron generates. Hall Gill and Claude Rivet hooked up in a nice little bout while it lasted ( it was quickly broken up by the referees, and for the record Rivet was the winner on my score-card). Nick Boynton entered the scrum that had developed and speared Marc Ribiero, which led to Boynton being tossed. The end result gave the Canadiens an extra 5 minute power play. Somehow the Bruins PK unit survived, although Montreal let them off the hook when Mathieu Dandenault was whistled for tripping at 19:59 of the second.
Into the third period we went with the crowd drifting back into its slumber, only to be woken up every now and then by the Jumbotron imploring the crowd to push the loudness meter to "Garden Level". Right. We were treated to another penalty killing clinic at 7:12 when Boston's David Tanabe was sent off for holding. Six seconds later Sheldon Souray ofthe Habs cashed in a gift wrapped 2 on 1 along with Saku Koivu for a 2-0 lead which for all intents and purposes, put the game away. As PA Announcer Jim Martin announced the goal, many people were seen headed for the exits, and garbage time was officially underway. Thomas Piekanec added an empty-net goal at 19:35 and 25 seconds later the horn sounded, officially ending the contest (although it was really over long before that). After the empty-netter, a quote from former Bruins assistant coach Tom McVie came into my head. After bad games or blowouts McVie used to say,"That was the type of game where they should let everyone in for free and have them pay to get out."
In all seriousness I did have a good time (despite the loss), but I have come to the conclusion that the "circus environment" in the Garden is officially too much for me to take. Perhaps it is just me getting older, although I realize these things are more noticable when the team is losing. Knowing these points, let me just state: I DON'T NEED A SCOREBOARD TO TELL ME WHEN TO CHEER!!!!! All I need is the score, the shots on net, the time of the period, some out of town scores, and maybe a video montage or two put to music. I don't need the stupid "Noise Meter", or the camera scanning the crowd looking for people acting stupid. All I need or want is the game. Having attended a few Patriots games over the last few years I have noticed that Gillette Staduim does not have half the "bells and whistles" that the BankNorth Garden has, for the simple fact that with the Patriots the game sells itself.
Other than being offered free tickets I don't see myself attending another game this season. I have a busy work schedule and the Bruins don't play many game on my days off for the remainder of the season. If things continue as the are - and we have no reason to believe anything will change - the Bruins will miss the playoffs. The Red Sox will begin their regular season soon, and thus the attention of the average Boston sports fan soon will be elsewhere. Hockey will end for the season in mid-April. In many ways Hockey ended a long time ago in Boston, atleast compared to how things used to be, and that is the sad part. Very sad indeed.
posted by smialek316 at 10:55 AM
2 Comments:
You gotta clean up the double posting here.
What tells me something is that they didn't let you in until 20 minutes before gametime. I could have sworn that in the old days they used to let us into the Garden earlier than that to account for the rush. Guess the rush wasn't that great.
Before you know it, they'll open the gates 5 minutes before the game and everyone will be in their seats by the Star Spangled Banner.
Remember... CHEER BECAUSE THE BOARD SAYS TO CHEER!
There was a Scolastic Award ceremony going on, which accounted for the gates opening late. I was going to mention that but I got sidetracked. It semmed very werid to me. In the end it didn't matter because they were about 3,000 short of a sellout anyway.
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