Boston Bruins Officially Unveil Warrior Arena
The Boston Bruins organized officially opened up Warrior Arena to the general public today.
The Boston Bruins opened up their new practice arena in Brighton today. Warrior Arena is a quantum leap ahead of the old Ristuccia Arena, which took care of an entire generation of Bruins. The state of the art facility will host hockey or events year round, and has amenities that the old rink just didn’t have, including a greatly expanded medical facility.
Boston Bruins general manager Cam Neely shared his thoughts on the old and the new with the media today. “A lot of the guys in the offseason when they work out or they’re getting treatments, they’re taking care of their bodies as best as they think they can,” offered Neely. We want to do that for them during the season, so it was very important for us to give them the best equipment and the best care that we can.
“The whole look and feel of what we were trying to accomplish, and the amenities that we’re offering [stand out]. With the player’s lounge, I think you’ll see the guys hanging around a little bit more.
Cam Neely was also quite candid about Ristuccia. He felt it made the Bruins look like they were behind the times compared to the rest of the league. Neely even admitted that he thought Ristuccia was not part of the tour for prospective players.
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“We wouldn’t take [prospective free agents] up there,” said Neely of Ristuccia Arena, the place that was home to the Bruins for thirty years. “Listen, it served its purpose. We had a great relationship with Wilmington and Ristuccia Arena. But it was overdue. I think now, with this facility, the guys are very excited about it.
“The players that have been in here already are very excited about being in this space. . . and being there a lot more. Just the space alone [makes a big difference]. Probably the most important room is the medical/PT area. If you saw it in Wilmington it was just a shoebox, so it was very difficult to treat the players the way you’d like to treat them just with the space alone. The updated equipment and what we’re able to do with this space is going to make a big difference.”
Here’s a look inside Warrior Arena courtesy of the Boston Herald.
The Bruins players are in step with management over Warrior Arana. Bruins defenseman Torey Krug shared his thoughts with the media as well.
“Now the guys want to be here,” said Krug about their new place. “Not to take away anything from any past facilities, but guys would get in there, get on the ice, do your work in the weight room, and then just get out of there.
“Now we have this beautiful facility where there’s just a really good energy. People want to be here and spend time here. To be honest, you might go that extra mile to do things you wouldn’t have done in the past to make sure your body’s ready for the next practice or next game.”
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That extra mile made the difference between the playoffs and golf these last two seasons. That new arena certainly shows the players that the Bruins front office are invested in their success. Hopefully, the Bruins will go the extra mile this season, andavoid repeating the failures of the last two years.