The New Hampshire Bruins? What might have been
In the 1980s, the Boston Bruins contemplated moving to Salem, N.H. — a move that could have transformed hockey history
THE CITY OF BOSTON, BUT THAT ALMOST CHANGED DURING THE DYING DAYS OF THE BOSTON GARDEN. WE CAUGHT UP WITH TEAM INSIDER JOE HAGERTY AT THE BOSTON SPORTS INSTITUTE IN WELLESLEY TO TALK ABOUT ONE OF THE B’S BIGGEST WHAT IFS, A PROPOSED MOVE TO ANOTHER NEW ENGLAND STATE. FROM WHAT I HAD HEARD, THEY STRUCK A DEAL WITH NEW HAMPSHIRE TO GO UP THERE AND BUILD A COMPLEX. THEY WERE GOING TO HAVE TAX BREAKS, ALL KINDS OF STUFF TO GO TO SALEM, NEW HAMPSHIRE. THE PROPOSAL, WHICH MIGHT HAVE HAD THE BRUINS RELOCATING TO SALEM’S ROCKINGHAM PARK IN THE 80S, WAS SEEN BY SOME AS A DONE DEAL. IT NEVER HAPPENED, OF COURSE, BUT WHAT IF IT HAD? IF I LIVED IN NEW HAMPSHIRE, I WOULD HAVE THOUGHT I WON THE LOTTERY. IF THE BOSTON BRUINS WERE ALL OF A SUDDEN THERE, I WOULD THOUGHT THAT WOULD BE FANTASTIC, AND IT PROBABLY WOULD HAVE CHANGED. YOU KNOW HOW MANY HOCKEY PLAYERS, YOUTH HOCKEY PLAYERS THERE ARE, YOU KNOW, PLAYING IN MASSACHUSETTS? IF THAT TEAM MOVED TO NEW HAMPSHIRE AND YOU MAYBE YOU WOULD HAVE SAW A HUGE BOON IN HOCKEY PLAYERS IN NEW HAMPSHIRE AND WESTERN MASSACHUSETTS. AND WOULD THEY STILL BE CALLED THE BRUINS OR SOMETHING ELSE? WOULD THEY BE THE, YOU KNOW, THE NEW HAMPSHIRE FIRECRACKERS WOULD BE THE NEW HAMPSHIRE TATTOO PARLORS? WOULD THEY BE THE NEW HAMPSHIRE PACKY’S OPEN ON SUNDAYS BECAUSE OF THE BLUE LAWS? I DON’T KNOW. IT WOULD HAVE BEEN REALLY INTERESTING FOR DECADES LATER, SIMILAR QUESTIONS SURROUND THE GARDEN’S OTHER TENANT. WILL THE NEW OWNERS OF THE BOSTON CELTICS PACK UP THE PARQUET FOR GREENER PASTURES? IF I WERE THE PROVERBIAL BETTING MAN, I WOULD BET THAT THEY WILL MAKE IT HAPPEN THAT THAT THIS IS GOING TO HAPPEN, IN FACT, IS THAT THEY WANT TO GET THEIR SHARE OF THE CONCERTS, TOO. THERE’S ONLY SO MUCH CONCERT MONEY THAT’S GOING AROUND, BUT SUCH A MOVE DOESN’T COME WITHOUT A WARNING. IF THEY’RE INTERESTED, THEY BETTER START NOW BECAUSE IT’S GOING TO TAKE A LONG PERIOD OF TIME. THERE’S A LOT OF THINGS THAT DON’T WORK EASILY, AND PLACING AN ARENA OR A STADIUM OR ONE OF THOSE THINGS THAT DON’T END UP BEING AN EASY PROBLEM TO SOLVE. IF YOU’RE GOING TO THINK ABOUT IT, YOU DO IT NOW BECAUSE IT’S GOING TO TAKE YOU MUCH LONGER THAN YOU EVER THINK. BUT IF IT’S UP TO CHARLIE JACOBS, WHOSE FAMILY OWNS BOTH THE BRUINS AND THE GARDEN, THE C’S WILL STAY RIGHT WHERE THEY ARE. I’VE HAD A CHANCE TO MEET THE NEW GROUP. THEY’RE GREAT PEOPLE, AND I CAN’T. THIS IS HARD FOR ME. I’M OBVIOUSLY, AGAIN, VERY BIASED, BUT I BELIEVE THE CELTICS BELONG HERE. THEY’RE THEIR BANNERS ARE HANGING IN OUR RAFTERS, AS THEY SHOULD, AND WE HOPE THAT THEY CONTINUE TO DO SO FOR ANOTHER HUNDRED YEARS. IN THE MEANTIME, AS THE TD GARDEN HITS A MILESTONE AGE, JACOBS SAYS THERE’S PLENTY OF LIFE LEFT IN THE BUILDING. MANY FANS STILL CALL THE NEW GARDEN THE OLD GARDEN. HERE ARE ABOUT 70 YEARS HERE. WE ARE AT 30. WHAT ARE YOU? WHERE IS IT IN ITS LIFESPAN? DO YOU THINK SO? I THINK WE’RE BRAND NEW. I’M, OF COURSE, INCREDIBLY BIASED, BUT EVERY YEAR WE’RE DOING SOMETHING NEW HERE AT THIS BUILDING. EVERY SUMMER THERE IS A NEW PROJECT THAT’S HAPPENING. IF YOU COME HERE TO THE BOSTON GARDEN, I THINK YOU’D BE HARD PRESSED TO SAY THIS BUILDING IS 30 YEARS OLD. BECAUSE FRANKLY, IF YOU LOOKED AT ANY INCH OF THIS, IT ISN’T. IT’S BEEN TOUCHED IN THE LAST YEAR OR TWO. AND WE DID CHECK IN WITH THE CELTICS ABOUT SPECULATION THAT THEY MAY LEAVE THE GARDEN WHEN THEIR LEASE IS OVER IN TEN YEARS. THEY CAN’T DO THAT. WELL, THEY REFERRED US TO THE COMMENTS PREVIOUSLY MADE BY THE CELTICS OWNER, BILL CHISHOLM, WHO HAS SAID HE LIKES THE GARDEN. THE CELTICS AND THE BRUINS SHOULD BE TOGETHER AND WANTS THE FANS TO HA
The New Hampshire Bruins? What might have been
In the 1980s, the Boston Bruins contemplated moving to Salem, N.H. — a move that could have transformed hockey history
Updated: 8:59 PM EST Nov 10, 2025
In the 1980s, the Boston Bruins contemplated a move from Massachusetts to Salem, N.H., which could have reshaped New England’s hockey landscape.During a discussion at the Boston Sports Institute, in Wellesley, Mass., longtime Bruins writer Joe Haggerty recalls that that a deal was close for a new arena complex in Salem, complete with tax breaks and state incentives.The proposal centered on Rockingham Park, where the Bruins were expected to relocate. “If I lived in New Hampshire, I would’ve thought I won the lottery,” Haggerty said. “It would’ve changed how many youth hockey players there are — maybe more in New Hampshire and fewer in Massachusetts.” The Bruins stayed in Boston, preserving decades of tradition tied to the Boston Garden. But questions about team relocation still surface — most recently about the Boston Celtics, who also play at TD Garden.Sports columnist Bob Ryan speculated that the Celtics might someday pursue their own arena. “If I were a betting man, I’d bet it will happen,” he said, citing competition for concert revenue.Former Garden President Larry Moulter warned that such moves take time: “If they’re interested, they better start now. It’s never easy to build a new arena.”Yet Charlie Jacobs, CEO of the Boston Bruins and co-CEO of Delaware North, downplayed the idea of the Celtics leaving. “Their banners hang in our rafters where they belong,” he said. “We hope they stay here another hundred years.”As TD Garden turns 30, Jacobs remains confident in its future. “The old Garden lasted 70 years. This one’s only 30, and we’re just getting started.”
In the 1980s, the Boston Bruins contemplated a move from Massachusetts to Salem, N.H., which could have reshaped New England’s hockey landscape.
During a discussion at the Boston Sports Institute, in Wellesley, Mass., longtime Bruins writer Joe Haggerty recalls that that a deal was close for a new arena complex in Salem, complete with tax breaks and state incentives.
The proposal centered on Rockingham Park, where the Bruins were expected to relocate. “If I lived in New Hampshire, I would’ve thought I won the lottery,” Haggerty said. “It would’ve changed how many youth hockey players there are — maybe more in New Hampshire and fewer in Massachusetts.”
The Bruins stayed in Boston, preserving decades of tradition tied to the Boston Garden. But questions about team relocation still surface — most recently about the Boston Celtics, who also play at TD Garden.
Sports columnist Bob Ryan speculated that the Celtics might someday pursue their own arena. “If I were a betting man, I’d bet it will happen,” he said, citing competition for concert revenue.
Former Garden President Larry Moulter warned that such moves take time: “If they’re interested, they better start now. It’s never easy to build a new arena.”
Yet Charlie Jacobs, CEO of the Boston Bruins and co-CEO of Delaware North, downplayed the idea of the Celtics leaving. “Their banners hang in our rafters where they belong,” he said. “We hope they stay here another hundred years.”
As TD Garden turns 30, Jacobs remains confident in its future. “The old Garden lasted 70 years. This one’s only 30, and we’re just getting started.”