A visit to the Garden

By: Frank Carpano

I took my two young kids to their first Boston Bruins game at the TD Banknorth Garden this past weekend.

We got a behind the scenes tour prior to the game. It’s amazing the manpower and equipment that goes in to the video board. I’m told it’s the only High-Definition video board in the NHL.

In the control room prior to the game there were no less than 8 people preparing to coordinate what the fans saw during the game. That doesn’t count the cameramen scattered throughout the arena. The number of people involved rivaled a crew that would be at the game to produce a regional telecast.

The show on the video board was “the show within the show”. While I was zeroed in on the game, my kids loved that video board. Between the hockey game and the video board there was literally not a moment of down time. What an event a Boston Bruins game has become for the fans in the stands.

The Bruins beat Ottawa 4-0 in a very important game for the B’s. It’s a different experience watching a game in-person instead of on TV. I found myself watching things that television doesn’t give me. It was mainly some of the battles between players not directly involved in the action. It reaffirmed what I have known for a long time, it’s not always the most talented players who win the battles in an NHL game. It’s the strongest. The weaker players were constantly muscled off the play or pushed out of position.

And is it any wonder that a guy like Zdeno Chara is a force. At 6 foot 9 inches tall (the tallest player in NHL history), Chara towers over the opposition. And he’s 6 foot 9 without skates (Add another 3 inches )!

My only problem with the Bruins play on this day was the powerplay. Every time Chara was out there on the point during a man advantage, it seemed like the Bruins were determined to set up his shot, almost to the exclusion of another player who may have a better scoring opportunity! If it was that obvious to me from my perch, imagine how obvious it was to the Senators.