Boston Garden Hosts Final Game
On this day in 1995, the Bruins played the final game at the Boston Garden. For almost 70 years, the cavernous building served as the city's main sports arena and exhibition hall. Here the Celtics won national championships, the Bruins captured the Stanley Cup, and crowds of 16,000 or more watched some of boxing's most exciting matches. Evangelical preachers led revivals, politicians launched campaigns, and rock-and-roll superstars entertained. One of the most popular traditions at the Garden was the annual appearance of the circus. Inevitably, the obstructed seats and lack of air conditioning doomed the aging Garden. In 1995 a new arena opened. Parts of the parquet floor — the result of a post-war lumber shortage — were preserved for sentiment's sake.