College Sports
Boston is the New England capital of hockey (sorry Orono, Maine and Manchester, N.H.), and could give any hockey town in the country (and maybe even Canada) a run for its money.
College Hockey
As with the Bruins, there is top-notch college hockey to be seen in Boston: Boston College (BC) is the reigning NCAA champion and Boston University (BU) is the current No. 1 team in the nation. The toughest ticket to get every year is the Beanpot Tournament, which is an annual clash in the first two weeks of February of the Hub’s top hockey schools—BC, BU, Northeastern and Harvard—at the TD Banknorth Garden. BU topped Northeastern last month at the 57th annual event. You missed it this year, so what? Those teams could meet again at the upcoming Hockey East tournament later in the month at the Garden.
Ticket info: Tickets cost $17 to $39. Check www.tdbanknorthgarden.com for more ticket information.
College Basketball and Football
For other college sports, look no further than Boston College—a powerhouse on the gridiron and hardwood (by the way, I am an alumnus). BC recently left the Big East to join the Atlantic Coast Conference, which means a parade of nationally-ranked basketball teams (think Duke, North Carolina) come through the Silvio O. Conte Forum on BC’s campus in Chestnut Hill.
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The Boston College Eagles (maroon and gold) have won two hockey national championships in the past decade.
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During football season, the big event is the Holy War, when the BC Eagles welcome Notre Dame to Alumni Stadium (adjacent to Conte Forum) every other year to battle it out for Catholic football supremacy. BC has won the last six tilts—take that Irish!—and the next game is out in South Bend, so look to catch this heated rivalry back in Boston in 2010 (maybe for the last time!). BC is easily accessed by Green line T.
Ticket info: Check bceagles.cstv.com for tickets and schedule info for BC sports, and www.goterriers.com for BU sports.
Other Events
The Boston Marathon and the Head of the Charles are two events where the city stops whatever it’s doing, cracks a beer (or two or four) and enjoys.
The Sports Museum
The Sports Museum, housed in the TD Banknorth Garden, celebrates all things sporty in Boston and New England. Myriad items—from legendary to just plain odd—are on display. There’s Red Sox immortal Ted Williams’ locker, the penalty box from the old Boston Garden and the shoes Adam Vinatieri used to kick the winning field goal in Super Bowl XXXVI, giving the Patriots their first championship.
Admission: Adults: $6, children 6 to 17 and seniors: $4, children under 6: free. Check www.sportsmuseum.org for more info.
Boston Marathon
The 113th annual Boston Marathon takes place this year on April 20, which is also Patriots Day, an official holiday where just about everything in the city shuts down. The Marathon starts in Hopkinton, Mass., and ends in Copley Square. Any place along the route can be a great place to watch the race, as the finish line area does get jammed. Bonus: Standing along the route is free! Some viewing spots of note are out by Wellesley College, where the students are famous for their energetic cheering, and at Heartbreak Hill by Boston College, where many a race has been won or lost.
Ticket Info: Check out www.bostonmarathon.org for more details.
Head of the Charles Regatta
The Head of the Charles regatta is one of the major rowing regattas in the nation and the world. It takes place Oct. 17 to 18 and features the top college and club teams battling it out, one by one, on the Charles River. Prime viewing is from the parks alongside the river on the Cambridge and Boston sides, as well as from the several bridges that span the river. Bonus: Standing along the river is free!
Ticket Info: Check www.hocr.org for more information.
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