Boston Garden

WBUR reports on plans to finally hide that ugly blank front wall of the Garden with two mixed-use buildings featuring retail space, offices and, of course, 500 luxury apartments and a 200-room hotel.

Seems a group of Leafs fans got jumped after Saturday's game at the Garden - and one of them was punched into unconsciousness.

"I had a cat scan done, I got three staples in the back of my head, swollen cheek, cut the inside my mouth, and concussed. I don't remember the end of the game because of it."

Via Stephanie.

A thronging mass of screaming teens from Braintree raised hell all the way from South Station to North Station on their way to the Garden for a basketball game, commuters report.

Some of the kids, heading to the Braintree High girls' championship game against Central Catholic, smashed a Green Line window at Park Street.

Jessica Infante rode part of the way with them on the Red Line:

Entire Red Line train packed with screaming Braintree kids. I sincerely hope you lose your basketball game.

Braintree kids kicked off train. South station now drunk pep rally turned riot. Can the grown ups get a ride now?

In the kids' defense, some apologized. None shared the contents of their Gatorade bottles.

The Globe reports the owners of the Boston Garden are finally looking to make good on plans - approved in the 1980s - to put something in front of the arena. Specifically, they're considering two 400-foot towers featuring, naturally, lots of luxury apartments, along with a Target and a Stop & Shop.

The Herald reports on a BRA filing by the developer of the planned Nashua Street Residences.

Updated: Authorities now say woman was cut by tap handle, not broken mug handle.

A Medford man is due for arraignment today for an incident at last night's Madonna concert, the Suffolk County District Attorney's office reports.

Jeffrey Jansen, 37, was arrested at the Garden after, the DA's office days, he got so angry that a woman got served a beer before him at a concession stand that he smacked a beer-tap handle, which then smacked the woman in the face, cutting her, the DA's office says. Boston Police report:

According to the victim, as she was waiting to be served, she heard the suspect loudly state, "If you take her first, I swear to God I will pound someone's face in!"

The woman was taken to Mass. General for treatment of her facial lacerations, the DA's office says.

Innocent, etc.

Madonna's show at the Garden was supposed to start at 8 p.m. tonight. At 10:16, Gary Waldeck, seated close enough to touch the stage, tweeted she was still a no-show.

Matt Karolian notes this is her new thing.

Garden officials revealed that fact at a hearing before the Boston Licensing Board today.

"There's significantly more beer drinking at Bruins games than at Celtics games," one Garden official told the board.

Of course, the officials and their high-priced lawyer from Ropes & Gray did not make their way to the eighth floor of City Hall just to discuss relative beer consumption. They were there to answer a citation issued by Boston Police on April 4 of this year for a drunken 16-year-old holding a beer and creating a disturbance during a Celtics/Spurs game.

Today's the 40th anniversary of a Rolling Stones concert at the Garden that almost didn't happen. On their way to the show, Mick Jagger and Keith Richards got into a scuffle with a photographer at TF Green Airport and wound up in jail. As thousands of hopped-up Stones fans waited at the Garden and Stevie Wonder played on and on, Boston Mayor Kevin White desperately worked the phones, finally convincing Rhode Island State Police that if they didn't release the pair, there'd be rioting in Boston. They sped up 95 with a police escort.

Colin Steele shows us what the Garden looks like without banners, thanks to the NCAA, which both required the Bruins and Celtics banners be taken out for their March Madness games and put their own parquet on the floor, because God forbid college players get the chance to say they've been on the most famous floor in basketball.

Posted under this Creative Commons license and in the Universal Hub pool on Flickr.

Boston Police report arresting the pair yesterday.

Cherie Devotie, 24, of New York, and Equcon Milling, 32, of New Jersey, were arrested after officers on a walking beat:

Observed both suspects in possession of multiple tickets. Officers confiscated the tickets after confirming with Garden officials that the tickets were counterfeit.

Police said fans should only buy tickets from official outlets, such as the Garden itself or Ticketmaster (Ed. question: So Stub Hub and Ace are right out, huh?), if they wish to avoid being turned away at the door for having bogus ducats.

Innocent, etc.

Jeff Tamagini notices a new camera policy at the Garden.

The T says it's beefing up service on Saturday for the Bruins victory parade, which kicks off at 11 a.m. at the Garden.

All four subway lines will run at "near rush hour" schedules during the day. The T says it will also have extra orange-vested workers stationed throughout the system to help riders unfamiliar with how to use CharlieCards or get to the parade route.

The T said commuter rail will run on its normal Saturday schedule, but that it hopes to announce some additional service tomorrow.

Because of the expected crush of fans at the Garden, the T is urging people who want to be right there to use other stations, such as Haymarket and Government Center, or even Park Street and Downtown Crossing, and then walk over.

We'll have none of that: Fans outside the Garden after Game 6. Photo by Courtney Sacco.

Just not enough time to plan security, hizzonah determines:

"Some people get exuberant have a few and act up, and you know, this is a sport, and a lot of families who like to watch sports bring kids, and I wouldn't want to send the wrong message to anyone," said Mayor Menino.

Photo copyright Courtney Sacco. Posted in the Universal Hub pool on Flickr.

Boston Police announce the now standard parking bans for Game 7 around the Garden, Faneuil Hall and, of course, Kenmore Square (even though most college students are now home for the summer).

Boston Police report arresting a Bronx resident on charges he printed up and tried to sell a bunch of fake tickets to last night's Bruins game.

Historygradguy captured this 'orrifying visage outside the Garden last night.

Copyright Historygradguy. Tagged as universalhub on Flickr.

Over 30 hours, Jeff Tamagini stitched together 22 separate photos to create this panoramic view of the Garden during a Bruins game (click that link to read how he did it - and to see a way larger version).

Copyright Jeff Tamagini. Posted in the Universal Hub pool on Flickr.

No, not them. Our local lacrosse team, the Boston Blazers, are apologizing for a halftime show at the Garden on Saturday that, in the words of the New York Daily News:

Featured scantily clad dancers competing to see who could give the Blazers' mascot, Scorch, the best lap dance.

Video (look at the monitors at the top of the screen). Cameron Frye has a photo of Scorch with the three women about to rock his world.

It was part of a promotion by JAM'N 94.5, which presumably won't be invited back for another "Hustle's Blazin Babes Halftime Show." As the Blazers said:

We have already taken steps to ensure this never happens again at one of our games.

Boston Police report arresting a pair of men old enough to know better for assault and battery at a Bruins game at the Garden last night.

According to police, Scott DeVivo, 40, of Newton, NH, and Shaun Neary, 34, of Salisbury, became so incensed around 9 p.m. when some other fans in Section 8 wouldn't reciprocate their attempt at high fives that they "threw beer all over them."

Police report that did nothing to convince the other fans to change their minds about high-fivery. DeVivo, police say, then jumped on one of the fans, knocked him to the ground and began punching him. A detail officer noticed the affray and jumped in:

So this drunken Bruins fan kicks a hole in a restroom column - and then somebody posts a video online. The Bear is not amused (guess it would have been impractical for them to just take out all the columns).

Associated Press, by way of the Providence Journal, reports authorities are looking for the woman.

Channel 4 investigates why you can't get a free drink of water at the Boston Garden anymore, despite claims from management that they've replaced water fountains with free cups of water at specific concession stands.

Boston Police report arresting a man from Dummerston, VT at the Garden last night after a woman told officers he unzipped right next to her at the Roger Waters concert and then let loose with some waters of his own:

The concert promoter yesterday filed a federal lawsuit against "JOHN DOES 1-100, individuals, JANE DOES 1-100, individuals, and XYZ COMPANY, business entity form unknown" to keep them from selling unauthorized T-shirts and tchotchkes outside Roger Waters' concert at the Garden on Sept. 3, Oct. 1 and Oct. 3.

Complete complaint.

Matthew Cote snapped the photo as a statue commemorating Bobby Orr - and his famous leap when the Bruins won the Stanley Cup in 1970 - was unveiled in front of the Garden today.