01852, 300 Martin Luther King Jr. Way, Lowell, MA, USBoston has a storied history in the world of hockey, with its professional NHL team, the Boston Bruins, being one of the Original Six franchises. The main arena associated with Boston’s professional hockey is the TD Garden, but the city and surrounding region have had other arenas throughout the years. Here’s a deeper dive:
- TD Garden (previously known as the FleetCenter)
- Location: Boston, Massachusetts
- Opened: 1995
- Capacity: Approximately 17,565 for hockey games
- Notes: TD Garden is the home of the Boston Bruins (NHL) and the Boston Celtics (NBA). It replaced the Boston Garden and has hosted numerous significant sporting events, Broadway shows, concerts, and other entertainment shows.
- Matthews Arena (originally known as Boston Arena)
- Location: Boston, Massachusetts (Northeastern University campus)
- Opened: 1910
- Capacity: Approximately 4,666
- Notes: Matthews Arena is the world’s oldest indoor ice hockey arena still in use. While it’s best known as the home for Northeastern University’s hockey teams, it served as the original home of the Boston Bruins during their inaugural season in 1924-1925 before they moved to the Boston Garden.
- Walter Brown Arena
- Location: Boston University campus
- Opened: 1971
- Capacity: Approximately 3,806
- Notes: Before the Agganis Arena was built, the Boston University Terriers hockey team played their home games at Walter Brown Arena.
- Agganis Arena
- Location: Boston University campus
- Opened: 2005
- Capacity: Approximately 6,150 for hockey games
- Notes: Agganis Arena is the current home of the Boston University Terriers men’s ice hockey team. It’s a state-of-the-art facility that has seen the Terriers win multiple conference championships.
In addition to these hockey arenas, the Greater Boston area and Massachusetts, in general, have numerous college hockey programs and arenas, reflecting the region’s deep love for the sport. College hockey is big in the area with teams like Harvard, Boston College, and UMass Lowell, among others, having their own storied histories and arenas.