I hate to tell you this but,
 
The Fleet center really isn't all that State-of-the-Art.  The
architecture firm that was hired puposely sought out fans of the Bruins
and Celtics in order to find out what they wanted in a sports facility.
The result was this:  Boston sports fans don't want glamour and glitz,
they come to watch the games, not the cheerleaders.
        The building features cheap plastic seats with the same miniscule
arm-rests.  The more expensive seats feature a thin cushion glued onto
the contoured body of the chair, the result, says early reviews, is a
less comfortable chair than the non-cushion seats.
        The chairs will be painted gold and green, providing a
Bruin/Celtic motif.  The walls are made of new form of cement which has
the look and feel of cardboard.
        The arena itself is much like the Garden in appearance, this is
the result of the seats and the fact that ther are only about 3,000 more
seats than in the Garden.  The building is however much larger.  In order
to combat this feeling of grandeur, the Boston clubs decided to make the
banners that hung from the Garden's roofs bigger in size.
        The major advantages appear to be threefold.  The first is of
course the expanded seating without obstructed views.  This was
accomplished by supporting the upper decks with beams that are as long as
a 26 story building is high.  these beams run the length of the arena
under the decks, thus effectively replacing the old upright columns that
resulted in many stiff necks.
        The second advantage is in vending.  There is now five times the
storage space alloted for a cooler in which to store beer.
        The third advantage is the scoreboard.  The Bruins are now
cutting edge with this new JumboTron.  It is huge and features digital
picture capabilities, which means sharp clear images of game action and
player profiles.
        Despite being a New Englander I have never seen a game in the old
Garden.  I have, however, been on a guided tour.  This tour culminates in
a walk across the rink's cement floor, through the Yzerman tunnel (named
in honor of Steve Yzerman who, after being involved in some rough stuff
on the ice, got popped by a Bruin fan on the way to the locker room.
Thus the Yzerman tunnel was named, because the Bruins never let you
forget) and into the visiting locker room.
        I was wary of the Fleet Center (talk about inappropriate names,
eh?) fearing that it would be one of those cheesy new high-tech
buildings.  I have decided, however, that after seeing the pictures of
the building as well as reading about the early press tours, I will
attend games there, and I will probably like it.
 
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