I’ve been a hockey fan most of my life. The first time I attended a Stars game was at Reunion Arena way back when I was in middle school. We won’t get into exactly how long ago that’s been, but the Stars started playing at the AAC in 2001, so it’s been a little more than a minute. I sat with my mom and some friends just a few rows from the ice and I was hooked almost instantly. But until last weekend, I’d never had the opportunity to watch a home team that wasn’t the Stars, in person. So, when my best friend and I planned our annual weekend getaway and landed on Boston for our destination of choice, in October, I had to try and get tickets. I mean, a chance to see one of the Original Six on their own ice? Yes, please! But almost instantly, I found myself comparing TD Garden to the AAC, and making references to “back home” quite often. So how did TD compare to the AAC? Let’s discuss!
First things first, if you are an individual with any manner of lower body size AT ALL, (I’m talking hips, thighs, someone who’s been focusing on their squat form) prepare to be squished in your seat making very good friends with the people around you. The only thing I can compare these seats to is seating for the Winter Classic at the Cotton Bowl, no cushion and all. Basically, you have the option to sit as far forward in your seat as possible, grasping the edge of the seat with every ounce of strength in your thighs and glutes, or you can wedge yourself backward and lean forward at the waist the entire night. Get there early and pick your poison before the game starts so you’re not suffering through the first period trying to figure out where to put yourself. Either way, the people on either side of you will be right up in your kitchen, so if you’re uncomfortable in small spaces, this isn’t the arena for you. Oh, and you most likely won’t have a cup holder, so be ready to have your hands full most of the night if you plan on having a Coke or a beer. And trying to eat at your seat is really just not a good idea at all. I learned that the hard way. Needless to say, the AAC definitely has an edge on TD for seating. Especially with the new seats at the AAC this season. And less frustrating, but no less inconvenient, the seating level at TD doesn’t coincide with the number a section is given. For example, if you’re sitting in 323, you’re on the seventh floor, and if you want to get to the first floor Pro Shop, you’ve got to go six short flights of stairs down to level four.
That being said, I encountered some of the nicest fans I’ve met for an opposing team in my many years of meeting fans of all bases. Within minutes of the game starting, the man sitting to my friend’s left, who had opted for the sit-at-the-edge-and-clinch option, looked over his shoulder and said, “Feel free to lean over, put your arm around the seat, whatever you need to do to be comfortable.” And the group to my right readily included me in their conversation, which meant a lot to me as I was clearly representing a team that wasn’t even playing that night. I talked with people in the fan shop, in the concourses, even the guy at the security line gave me a good, “The STARS?!” ribbing as I came through the metal detector. And while those seats are dang near the most uncomfortable things I’ve ever sat in, they accommodate a full thousand more fans than the AAC, so when the Bruins score, those extra thousand voices are pretty powerful to hear. Just check out the response to this penalty shot goal.
With that many fans, game chants take on a whole new power, too. Perhaps in contrast to where the teams are located and the cultural differences between the North and the South, I could barely contain my amusement when the refs would blow or miss a call. Where I’m used to hearing a simple, “Ref you suck!” at the AAC, Bruins fans quickly, and regularly, took up, “BULLSH**!” and let it ride. I’ll forever say Stars fans are the best fans in the league though, despite our occasional outliers, and while Bruins fans were pleasant to enjoy a game with, nothing compares to the good old Southern hospitality I’m used to at the AAC.
I won’t just sing the praises of the AAC over TD though. There were definitely a couple standout aspects to TD that I preferred.
This is going to be controversial, and I realize that, but I’m not backing down on this. TD Garden has better food than American Airlines Center. There, I said it. And yes, I mean it. When I’m at the AAC, I generally struggle between wanting the BBQ Mac and Cheese or the BBQ Nachos, and every now and then Pizza Hut just really hits the spot. So, when I saw the Primo Nachos at TD, I had to see what they were all about and how they held up to BBQ and brisket. I went with the chicken tinga, and these things blew the nachos at the AAC out of the water. I got way more chicken on these than I do brisket at the AAC, there were at least 3 different types of cheese, the main of which was more of a queso blanco than a hot-out-of-the-machine cheese sauce, and I swear to you, my chips never got soggy. Whether that was because I ate them insanely fast because of how uncomfortable I was trying to eat them in my seat or if they’re some kind of magical tortilla chip could be up for debate, but either way. Not having soggy chips at the bottom was a big plus.
I also found myself really enjoying hearing the organ in the inter-game music. While I wouldn’t prefer it at a Stars game simply because the Stars seem too young for that, the presence of it at TD really contributed to the atmosphere of being in the presence of one of the Original Six.
So, would I trade the AAC for TD? As much as I enjoyed the food and the atmosphere, not a bit. There’s nothing that can take the place of a comfortable seat, Garth Brooks audience sing-alongs and even something as simple as a cupholder. And while there may be a thousand fewer seats at the AAC, nothing will beat hearing my fellow Stars fans yelling at the top of their lungs when our guys close out a solid win, sink that seemingly impossible goal, or watch our goalie shut down another team’s formidable offense. There’s just nothing like it, and that’s all there is to it.
And for those of you wondering, yes, I absolutely said “STARS!” during the National Anthem.
Leave a Reply