Bruins CEO Charlie Jacobs says the Celtics’ future at TD Garden is still very much on the table - and, from his side, the conversation starts with keeping them where they are.
Before Boston’s season-opening 3-0 win over the Rangers on Tuesday, Jacobs fielded questions about comments Celtics owner Bill Chisholm made in August on WEEI’s “The Greg Hill Show,” including the idea of a new arena and the team’s control over the building. The Celtics currently lease their home at TD Garden from the Jacobs family, which owns both the arena and the Bruins. That lease runs through the 2036 season.
“I have had the good fortune of working with the Celtics management that’s been in place,” Jacobs said. “When Bill Chisholm and his group purchased the Celtics, they pretty much left most of the senior management in place. So we’ve had a very strong working relationship for 20-plus years with those associates.
“Bill, to his credit, said let’s just take some time, take measure of what we have here before we make any decision about whether or not we’re gonna go build a new building,” Jacobs continued. “It’s been a breath of fresh air in my opinion, like to sit down across the table, talk about a master plan. Talk about maybe what this arena looks like 20 years from now, and if the Celtics want to be a party to it or not.”
Chisholm, for his part, did not push the idea that the Celtics need a new home outright. In August, he said, “No,” when asked if the Celtics needed a new arena, adding, “but I do think we need to have an arena that is consistent with the quality and the excellence of the Celtics. We need to create the best fan and player experience we can
Jacobs made his own position clear.
“My hope is that they stay here,” he said of the Celtics. “Every discussion that we’ve had to date has been about them staying here.”
He also addressed questions about the Bruins’ expectations and roster heading into the 2026-27 season.
The Bruins opened the regular season with a 3-0 win over the Rangers on Tuesday, and they’ll be back on the ice Friday night in Winnipeg against the Jets at 8 p.m. The Red Sox, meanwhile, dropped Game 1 of their best-of-three Wild Card Series to the Yankees, 9-0, and now face a must-win Game 2 tonight at Yankee Stadium at 8 p.m.
Elsewhere, the U.S. men’s soccer team beat Chile 4-2 on Tuesday night, with Revolution midfielder Brooklyn Raines in the starting lineup. And on this day in 2001, Tom Brady made his first NFL start against Peyton Manning and the Colts, finishing 13 of 23 passing in a 44-13 Patriots win powered by a defense that intercepted Manning three times, including scores by Otis Smith and Ty Law.
New Bruins forward JJ Peterka also turned in the night’s highlight, flashing his skill on a dazzling goal in Boston’s season opener.
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Dean Malkoc also has a new role after spending four years as associate director of amateur scouting, and Kyle Chauvette has taken on a particularly unusual combination of responsibilities within the organization. Those changes, along with the rest of the front-office additions, show Boston continuing to fine-tune the infrastructure around the roster before the new season gets going. [Read more 🡒]
Peterka Already Changes How Dangerous Bostons Top Six Feels
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Bruins Got The First Sign Their New Pieces Could Matter Fast
The Bruins did not need long to get a read on some of their newer faces Wednesday night at TD Garden, and the early answer was encouraging. Boston opened its season with a 3-0 win over the Rangers, with JJ Peterka and Mark Kastelic also finding the net and Mason Lohrei helping set up one of the key plays. In a game that stayed tight for most of the night, the Bruins got the sort of immediate contribution they had been hoping to see from pieces still settling into place.
Fraser Minten supplied the deciding goal, and the way Boston closed out the opener only added to the sense that the roster may already be finding some traction. Jeremy Swayman backed it up with a shutout against a Rangers team that had chances but could not solve him, while Igor Shesterkin was forced to handle repeated pressure at the other end. For a club looking to learn quickly what its new additions can bring, this was about as clean a first look as it could ask for. [Read more 🡒]