Yes, it was a "rat-hole," a "shit hole," a dump, obstructed seats, and every other "bad" thing you would want to say...yet it was the grandest, greatest, most spectacular sports venue we ever had. To enter it, was like entering the Tower of London, a living armory, you could feel the ghosts and if you had any historical bone in your body, you could literally feel all the history at once...you could see Russell, Cousy, Orr, the great fighters, the grateful dead. You could literally smell 70 years of cigar smoke and popcorn and stale beer, your feet would stick to the floor...the hidden warrens, the arcane accouterments, it was an anachronism and outdated and ill-suited for modern, capitalist, sanitized, cha-ching, billion dollar sports, but it was a hold out, like a rebel who protected her charges from assault. It was a feeling like no other and as Pat Riley said, they should've kept it open as a museum of american sport and culture and given tours - let people know/feel what history was and what it was like.

Worked security there in the mid 80’s. After games I did the midnight to 8 shift walking around the entire bldg in the dark with a shitty flashlight. Actually skated on the ice after the parquet floor was pulled after a Celts game. The ice was dry, rutted and covered with popcorn boxes, cups and other things. Felt like the best ice I ever skated on!

WOW! I never realized that the gardens was in so bad shape. I thought they just tore it down because it was too small. Thanx for filling me in. I just wished I could've done a walk through the old gardens before they demolished it, would've loved to have seen in person just once the house that Orr & Esposito & all the other great Bruins played in. Thanx again for the response......cheers! GO BRUINS!

The first time i ever saw a game there from out of state i couldn't believe how small and sauna hot it was.But it was magical being in there.The place had a real sense of being in somewhere beyond special with the loud and obnoxious (and drunk) Boston fans and the pop corn vendors and characters . Those days are long gone at sports venues

As a gent from Michigan, I recall in the late 80s working out there living in NH driving down to the Gahden" as you say in Boston to watch some games. $10 for obstructed view seat only thing in the way was the balcony hiding the main scoreboard. Also sat in the balcony, what an experience. I got into a playoff game against Montreal no problem, hard to believe. I saw the Wings play there a time or two, "

Thank you for posting this. Does anyone remember the Priest like guy that stood by the turn styles every game and said "Help The Homeless" endlessly? The yellow chairs brought me back.

Great video. Thanks for sharing. Can't believe we kept that place as long as we did. I miss it but what a mess it was.

The original six buildings in the NHL, there was nothing like them. They were certainly a time period of originality with hockey fans.

I still remember taking the train into a red Sox game with my dad, it must have been spring of 98. I remember walking by and seeing the new fleet center and the garden being demolished, half of it was down and you could see in and see the remaining seats still standing. Closest I ever got to entering the famous gahdennnn

The most feared home court in all of sport

Cool video....but it sure would've been nice if the dude filming gave us a wide shot every now and then. Why does everything have to be zoomed in?

Greatest memories of my childhood were watching the Bruins in that glorious building

I know there is safety hazards but how cool would it be to watch a NHL game in a old rink? That would be awesome! Like a throwback night

I went to a ton of Boston Braves Hockey games ( Bruins farm team in the early 70s) at The Gahden. Saw My Dad graduate from Northeastern there too. He was the Old College Guy. I saw plenty of Bruins games too. Not to mention a million concerts. Nothing like a J. Geils show at the Garden. Best of all was seeing The Grateful Dead there. First row balcony rite above Jerry. Best seat in the house. Like being in Heaven during Terrapin Station. God I Miss that place. ( My feet definitely stuck to the floor )I was from Medford and I could walk there. I took My kids there and got a few blonde bricks out of the pile and a gold seat Bottom from the Balcony. Came with gum and everything. I miss that place. It’s videos like this that bring Me back. Thanks again.

John Kiley, I can still hear him playing Lady of Spain. Wow, how many games and concerts I went to in that old barn? I got to play in the ECAC finals my sophomore year at UNH there, I remember the corners angling in weirdly. Much later was part of a crew shooting ads for Miller Light with Tommy Heinson and Dick Butkus in the stands there. Tommy told a story about being down 3-0 against the Sixers and wanting to go evoke the ghosts of the Garden after their 3rd loss. He took a folding chair and was going to go out to mid-court, flipped on some lights, and heard scurrying and saw rats "The size of large Dachshunds" running away from the light. He never went out and the Celts lost the next game.

those guys made some serious money pulling that old stuff out of there, thats the pick of a lifetime

The greatest home court advantage of any sport in history.

that brought back a lot of wonderful memories, thank you!

The Celtics had a 40-1 home record during the 1985-1986 season.

legendary boston garden

The old Boston GaHden ! Brings back so many memories.

I used to get balcony seats, row AA for Bruins games. Same seats as Fred and Derrick, just on the other side of the ice. Best hockey rink ever.

I grew up in that beautiful building!!

Great video! Thanks!

Greatest home field advantage of any sport, ever. Bottom line. The ghosts of the old Garden on Causeway.

I wish it was still there today so I could see it

worked as a vendor in this building through the mid eighties, really miss it. What ever happened to the organ? unmistakable sound. great job for a high school kid. thanks for the video!

I was watching and reading about Celtics history, and i know that Old Garden was something special for all Boston fans and it was great home court... In whole world there is only one other sports hall with same history and same spirit, and it is in Belgrade, Serbia (ex Yugoslavia) and it is called Pionir hall. It was a home for two teams - Red Star and Partizan, basketball arch rivals. Just go to KZfaq and find some videos about Pionir hall , the fans, the atmoshere. NBA is best basketball show in the World, but PASSION and TRADITION is in Pionir!

Thanks for letting us in on this. Great find

I miss the garden it was like my second home the smell the sound have 3 seats so many memories

This really brings me back to my youth when my father used to take me to see the Celtics and the Bruins. Those were the best times in my life and wish I could go back. Miss the old Garden!

Wow this video is awesome..brings back alot of great memories.... what a buy from EBAY!!

a place only where legends played...

2:02 "Best cup next to Stanley's." LMMFAO!!!!

I wish there was more too

I can remember those wooden seats and the smell of the Garden I miss it

7:17 . yes, the 'joke' about John Kiley was true. that he played (the organ) for all 3 teams. They tend to neglect to mention he was let-go of his Boston Garden duties because he was drunk half the time. Ron Harry replaced him in 1983 in the Garden and played for both teams until the building closed in 1995. He then continued as the Celtics organist (as much as they ever use the organ in the new building) until his death in 2004.

Love that old promenade sign at 8:32 (barely clear)

Wow I remember watching Adam Oates and cam nelly play there on tv and I was like 6 or 7 but wish I had gone and watched my first game in the original garden makes me miss playing CLCF hockey back then I wish I had followed thru playing back then what a sport nothing like it ill tell ya fleet center gone but not forgotten

I got to play 2 hockey games there🙌

the taj mahal of boston .....................the old garden ...................nothing like this old barn

I love the people pissin and moanin about the video quality. It makes them ' uncomfortable' Well having worked there for close to 7 years the vid encapsulates how it felt being in that environment each day perfectly. Like being in a time machine for me and these whiners have to remember it wasnt made with the idea of it ever being saved for the youtube generation. Just some guy doing estimates on how much money they could make on the memorabilia left over in the building.

There is Historic in every Arena. Boston -Toronto -Chicago. Etc.

The old Chicago Stadium was the nicest of the old arenas. Should have kept it - would have been a big tourist draw - but big time sports only thinks in the short term.

Someone needs to do this with Rexall Place

Mmmmm beer apparatus. I remember getting so many beers there as a 10 to 16 year old. 2 beer limit? 2 beers per hand. "Here's a tray kid." - Sully, the beer venda

Been in there many times.

How did you get in?

Hi Hamram64, I'm a producer with ESPN and was hoping you might allow us to use this video for a story about the old Boston Garden. Do you think you might be able to send it to me on a DVD or upload it to a site like WeTransfer.com? Thanks for your time, Dan

I live in Peabody Mass about 20 minutes north of BostonI wanted to know how can I get my hands on a couple of literally between two and three of those Boston garden chairsif someone could please let me know I would appreciate it I would love to have those in my house most.......

It was a old rat infested fire trap but it was our old rat infested firetrap.

How did I not realize they quit using this place in the 90s? I mean, I'm sure I did when I saw Boston Celtics games and didn't see the crazy floor but dang. I guess I just forgot.

That’s places has some much history you couldn’t even bottle it if they tried

Was looking forward to this video when I found it but the camera work couldn't be any worse.

I was sad watching this place go and I hate Boston but love history the garden and the aud in buffalo were almost identical except Boston had a lot more banners hanging from the rafters lol greetings from the best city in the world Buffalo N.Y.

Saw my first Grateful Dead show in the old Garden, and let me tell you, trying to navigate through the halls when you're spun on LSD is quite the experience!

what was that chalkboard used for? Looks like something a sports psychologist would write one while talking to Bruins or Celtics players. Figure it was before one of their final games in the building in 1995 and just never got erased...and was still there in 1997. Weird but fascinating

The Garden looks like gonna going down its was to old Speaking Of too Old one of the greatest memories in sports events...

I was born in this place..

They should rebuild it so kids like me can know what it looks like and it's part of history with BOBBY ORR

8:30 .. it's not "the Celtics clock, and the Bruins clock". the lower one (that is on in the vid) was a scoreboard and clock (for both hockey and basketball). the upper one that is not on was the Shots-on-Goal scoreboard for the Bruins games.

Too bad the Garden had no air conditioning;Would have helped the Lakers in the 84 finals

Such an historic building... Too bad it was crumbling in place.

The big Scoreboard is now in the eating area of the Arsenal Mall in Watertown, MA

@Railfan2103 Whoops, didn't see description. Sorry!

@4lifeReagan yeah lots of championships won there. Just by teams other than the Astros and Oilers.

"Who's OSHA?"

The old way of living died the day The Garden was closed forever! Am I wrong?

Why did they demolished it

I miss the original Garden like most, but despite the rockin' atmosphere, it REALLY was old and rat-infested (I remember seeing a big rat DURING a Bruins game), and it had to come down. Great memories, for sure, but it had to go.

3:51, ah yes, the old Bruins train horn recording came out of that puny speaker!

Why people keep commenting on what a great video this is, is a mystery to me. It's a blurry, unwatchable, out of focus mess.

@thadirtyabbott That's the whole thing.

What? No rats? :)

Lol we got some first timers here huh?!

They should've kept it as a historical landmark just like the astrodome.

My showtime Lakers did some cooking in that building and got cooked in there also went both ways

The golden era rinks were great. Terrible views, nauseating restrooms and you've probably sat under a leaky section of the ceiling at one point or another. But, who would have it any other way?

Jesus christ, who was filming this video, Stevie Wonder?

Cold beer!! Peaaaanutss!!

Show the view from seats

#secsports #secmusic Does this bring back memories? Lousy video, though. I wonder how much we paid for this. Where's the spiral staircase? I'll go with the 2 beer minimum, though.

They destroyed where the record of a 40-1 record was made, where 15 championships happened, and where the 2 greatest sports played, (Boston Celtics and Boston Football (i didnt know the team name sorry)

Why tear down a hockey shrine?

closed the year i was born.

The most legendary sports building in new england

Walk carefully

Not as bad as market square arena

It would have been nice if he knew how to use a video recorder ...

Whoever filmed this definitely did not do the best job at focusing. Alot of closeup stuff lol. Seems to be something to do with the fire department from hearing the radio chatter.

Come on guys Bobby OMerrill is on his way up. Don't embarrass me

Mn

I'm dizzy

camera operator sux. what are you recording? Zooming in on nothing

Dude learn how to film! I want the garden not a headache!

Larry bird should have bought it

The Astrodome was better I believe!!!

Feels like a prison video

What a horrible job of filming. Out of focus and too much zooming in. How about panning out to let us get the panoramic effect of being there?

What a dump. ...Just kidding.