Earlier this month, reports emerged that the Bruins were among a group of four NHL teams exploring the possibility of playing outdoor home games -- possibly at Fenway Park -- this season if it would mean being able to have fans in attendance.
On Monday, Bruins president Cam Neely confirmed that the team did look into the possibility, but ultimately came to the conclusion that it wouldn't really be feasible.
"We looked at that," Neely said on a Zoom call with reporters. "Unless you can get a certain number of fans in the building, it didn’t really seem to make sense financially. It’s a big undertaking, getting the system outdoors to play on. So we looked at it hard, but it looked like it was the best course for us to stick with playing at the TD Garden for now."
Neely said there is not yet a timetable for when fans might be allowed to attend games at TD Garden, but that a lot of work has been behind the scenes to make sure they can do so safely when the time comes.
"As far as fans in the building, that’s going to be dependent upon state and city regulations and guidelines," Neely said. "I know that the staff here at the Garden has done a lot of work behind the scenes to make it as fan-friendly as possible, as safe as possible, so when we are allowed to have fans in here, to make sure the safety is obviously of the utmost importance for us. A lot of work’s been done so that when we do get the green light to have fans in the building, everybody should be comfortable coming and watching our games being played live."
When that day does come, fans will see a very different gameday experience, with changes to everything from how they enter the Garden to how they order food and drinks.
"How to enter the building six feet apart, how to go up an escalator six feet apart," Neely said. "Where do the fans sit, depending on if it’s a family? Restrooms, certainly, outfitted for protection. Same with ordering concessions. It’s not standing up there waiting in line. It’s ordering online, and then you’re told where to go pick it up. It’s really everything you can think of to protect the fans once they’re in the building."
Obviously getting any amount of fans back in the building will be step one, and it seems unlikely we'll see a packed house at the Garden any time soon, but Neely said the Bruins and the Garden are preparing for every possibility, and that he's still hoping to see a full building at some point in 2021.
"We’re certainly hoping for a full house at some point this year," Neely said. "When that is, I don’t know. Is it going to be in May? June? July? It’s hard to say. Are we going to get fans in the building at some point in January? February? It’s really out of our control. But we’ve made plans for no fans, one-third fans, half fans, three-quarters, and then a full house."
Boston Mayor Marty Walsh said on The Greg Hill Show last week that having some fans in the Garden in February or March could be a realistic target.