There have been nights at TD Garden we’ll remember forever because of what happened on the ice, like the Game 7 comeback against Toronto in 2013. Then there are nights we remember because being at the Garden or watching on TV brought us together and what happened on the ice didn’t really matter, like the first home game after the Boston Marathon bombing a month earlier that spring.
Saturday night was one we’ll remember for both of those reasons.
After nearly 15 months of having so little to celebrate -- not just in sports, but in any walk of life -- Boston got to celebrate Saturday night. Thanks to the science that led to a COVID-19 vaccine and the number of people who have gotten it, Massachusetts was able to lift its restrictions on Saturday.
At the center of what feels like a new beginning was a hockey game -- Game 1 between the Bruins and Islanders in front of 17,400 fans at TD Garden.
From the initial shutdown of all sports for several months beginning last March, to their return with no fans and then eventually with a small percentage of fans, this was always the final leap, the sign that our sports -- and our world -- were finally back to something that could at least pass for “normal.”
The crowds outside TD Garden before Game 1 made it clear this was going to be a special night. When everyone moved inside, it didn’t disappoint.
More fans than usual went in early and packed in around the Bruins zone for warmups. Before anyone hit the ice, they channeled their energy into booing the informational video that informed them there was a two-beer limit for the night. But that booing soon gave way to raucous cheering the moment the Bruins stepped onto the ice.
As the building filled, they went crazy for AJ Quetta, the Bishop Feehan hockey player who suffered a serious spinal cord injury in January and who served as the Game 1 fan banner captain. The roar as the Bruins hit the ice with Audioslave’s “Cochise” blasting over the PA was deafening.
That much of the night would have been special even if the game itself wasn’t. Fortunately for the nearly full Garden (the only seats blocked off were those directly behind and next to the team benches and penalty boxes), the game was pretty special too.
David Pastrnak gave them a reason to throw their hats and rally towels on the ice, recording his 12th career hat trick and second career playoff hat trick to lead the Bruins to a 5-2 win. Charlie McAvoy gave them what proved to be the game-winner 6:20 into the third. Taylor Hall, the trade deadline mega-acquisition they’ve been waiting to cheer en masse, gave them an empty-netter to cap off the festivities.
It clearly meant a lot to the fans, who were ready to release 15 months of pent-up energy, noise and joy, but it also clearly meant a lot to the Bruins. Here’s what they said about finally having a full house after the game:
Patrice Bergeron: “I think the energy, the atmosphere was everything that you expected and more. To say that we’ve missed them is an understatement. I think you appreciate it even more when the fans are kind of taken away from the game for quite some time and you have to play without them. It was still competitive, but it’s not the same. It’s not the same energy and the same atmosphere. Special night. It was good to have them and good to have the win. … It seemed like it meant a lot to all of us, and it seemed like for the fans it was also special. It was a year of lots of ups and downs, more downs, and craziness and heartache. I thought you could tell that everyone was trying to enjoy themselves and have a good night.”
David Pastrnak: “That was obviously a lot of fun. Outstanding to have the fans back. You could feel the energy already this morning. We were all excited. On the warmup, it felt like 22 players playing their first NHL game. You know, everybody looking around at so many people. Definitely a different game with the fans, and obviously a lot of fun today. … It’s a different sport with them in the building. Definitely kind of warms your heart and kind of reminds you why you play the sport. It was awesome to have them back. Like I said, just coming on for warmups, it was so much fun. They were our seventh player the whole night. So really good job by them. I enjoyed it a lot.”
Charlie McAvoy: “It was really special. It’s been a while. I was kind of joking around this morning that it’s been so long, tonight was kind of going to feel like the first time again. And it was awesome. I’ve never seen that many fans there early for warmups, so you could tell that they were excited. They were into it, they were loud, they were passionate. They were everything that makes Bruins fans so special. So, really happy to get the win for them in their first game back. And we’re going to need them the rest of the way here, so they did their job tonight.”
Coach Bruce Cassidy was asked specifically about the moments following Pastrnak’s third goal, which made it 4-2 with 4:10 left in the game and really seemed to send the crowd into full-blown celebration mode -- both because playoff hat tricks warrant that on their own, but also because that goal gave the Bruins some breathing room and really put the win well within reach.
“I was trying to enjoy the moment, looking around at the crowd,” Cassidy said. “It’s been a long time since we had a full house here at the Garden. They were behind us from warmup on. Obviously we want to play well for the group and for each other, but also for the fans that have continued to support us, and came out tonight especially. I think it was just a good moment to look around and see a lot of joy. … It was just a nice moment to look around, enjoy it. Playoff hockey -- that’s what it’s all about, the home crowd.”
There’s not much else to add to any of that, so here are some videos and photos that we hadn’t seen in far too long:
