The Bruins will not play any outdoor games in 2021
By Ty Anderson, 985TheSportsHub.com
The Boston Bruins will not take their act outside this season, team president Cam Neely has confirmed.
“We looked at it and really unless you can get a certain number of fans in a building it didn’t really seem to make sense financially,” Neely said Monday. “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 to playing at the TD Garden for now.”
In the ‘exploratory’ phase of this since-scrapped plan earlier this month, it was believed that Fenway Park was at the top of the B’s list as a potential venue. Fenway has hosted countless outdoor hockey games, too, beginning with the 2010 Winter Classic and numerous ‘Frozen Fenway’ college games in the years that’ve followed. Harvard Stadium, while located at a facility that’s canceled all sports for the year, was also mentioned as a potential option for the Bruins.
But even then, a team source indicated to 98.5 The Sports Hub that the B’s odds of pulling this off were “a total long shot.”
That was indeed the case, as Neely noted, and the Bruins will instead focus on playing at the Garden.
The idea behind those plans, however, were rooted in a hope that the NHL could get fans into the building for some games. That seems unlikely to be the case out of the gate this season, but Neely says the Bruins are preparing for all situations when it comes to opening their doors up in 2021.
“Are we going to get fans in the building at some point in January? I’m not sure,” Neely noted. “February? It’s out of our control. But we have made plans for no fans, a third of fans, half fans, three quarters and then a full house.”
The NHL will drop the puck on a 56-game 2021 campaign on Jan. 13.
Ty Anderson is a writer and columnist for 985TheSportsHub.com. Any opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of 98.5 The Sports Hub, Beasley Media Group, or any subsidiaries. Yell at him on Twitter: @_TyAnderson.