[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 154 (Friday, September 29, 1995)]
[Senate]
[Pages S14702-S14703]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     THE FINAL DAY OF BOSTON GARDEN

  Mr. KERRY. Mr. President, I come to the floor of the Senate today to 
convey my thoughts on the closing of the fabled Boston Garden in 
Boston, Massachusetts.
  To almost all of my constituents in Massachusetts, the Boston Garden 
represents the best in the world of sports. Many championship battles 
have been waged within the hallowed walls of this magnificent 
structure. Some were lost, most were won, but all are captured forever 
in the hearts and minds of the legions of Boston sports fans.
  Just ask any hockey player from Northeastern University, Boston 
College, Harvard University or Boston University what the Boston Garden 
means to them and you will hear war stories about two Mondays every 
February where seasons are made or broken during the Beanpot 
Championship.
  Just ask any of the high school athletes, whose teams were good 
enough to persevere through endless qualifying playoff rounds in order 
to play for a league championship on the Boston Bruins' ice or the 
Celtics' parquet floor, what the Boston Garden means to them and you 
will hear innumerable accounts of a dream come true.
  Just ask the scores of everyday people, who file into the Garden to 
sit together knee-to-knee and elbow-to-elbow, what the Boston Garden 
means to them, and you will hear recollections of rumors, myths, 
legends, and lore.
  Gallery gods, leprechauns, ghosts, and other beings are rumored to 
inhabit the Garden and wreak havoc with the fate of visiting, 
unfriendly teams. Some say they are responsible for turning up the heat 
on the L.A. Lakers and trying to fog-out and eventually powering down 
the Edmonton Oilers. Others claim they are to be credited with the 
infamous dead spots in the parquet and the impossible bounces of the 
puck off the boards.
  Other teams feared coming to the Garden. They declared it archaic and 
decrepid with abysmal accommodations and playing conditions. But Boston 
fans know the truth, they feared coming to the Garden because they 
hated to lose.
  Legends abound in the Boston Garden, and historical significance 
seemingly is a basic element of every event that has taken place there.
  On election night in 1960, then-Senator John Kennedy delivered his 
first campaign address in the city of Boston at the Garden. An 
estimated 1 million people flocked to the area surrounding the Garden 
and a precious few 25,000 were fortunate enough to be inside to hear 
his words. Many other great politicians of this century have addressed 

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the people of Boston from a platform in Boston Garden. President 
Eisenhower, Horace Taft, Mayor James Curley, Gov. Thomas Dewey, and 
Winston Churchill are just a few who have contributed to the Garden's 
political lore.
  I could stand here and talk for days on the meaning of the Boston 
Garden and the tumultuous history it has enjoyed. I could recall the 
many games I have attended and rallies I have witnessed. There are many 
things worth mentioning, but I am certain I would be unable to recall 
them all.
  Tonight, in Boston, the people will re-live all of these and other 
memories in a ceremony full of history and celebration designed to mark 
the closing of one of the greatest venues in America.
  ``Havlicek stole the ball * * *, ``Sanderson to Orr * * *, ``Bird for 
three * * *, ``Penalty--O'Reilly, ``Russell with a block, ``Esposito 
shoots, scores! ``DJ steals, over to Bird, Good!, ``Cheevers stones 
him, ``Cousy tricky dribbles, lays it in.'' The voices of the past 
catalogue the great moments in a history soon to be turned over to a 
new building and a new era of sports in Boston.
  As the lights dim for the final time, echoes will resound through the 
city and people will think of their fondest memories of the Garden and 
celebrate the great times enjoyed by those who were there, or watching, 
or listening, when great things happened.

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