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On the evening of November 14, 1928, President Calvin Coolidge ushered in a new era for New England and the world. Using a ceremonial key made from nuggets of Yukon gold, Coolidge switched on the lights of the recently constructed Boston Garden from the White House via the newest telegraph technology of the time. Three days later, the Garden opened its doors to the public for the first time and the rest, as they say, is history. At the time of its grand opening, not even creator Tex Rickards could have imagined how legendary the arena on Causeway Street would become. For more than 66 years, the Garden played host to the best and brightest in the world of sports and entertainment. The Celtics, led by names like Auerbach, Russell, Cousy and Bird, built themselves into one of the premier franchises in the NBA, garnering a league-record 16 world titles along the way. The Bruins added another five world championship banners to the Garden rafters with Orr, Esposito, Bucyk and Neely among others leading the way. It was the place where families went to watch their favorite shows, like the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, Disney on Ice, or the Harlem Globetrotters. It also served the city"s political needs, featuring speeches from some of the greatest politicians of all-time, including Churchill, FDR and Kennedy. But on September 29, 1995, the old Garden closed its doors to the public for the last time with a nostalgic evening of entertainment. The following night, a spectacular gala was held at the sparkling FleetCenter tousher in a new era for sports and entertainment in New England. With many of the historical reminders from the old structure having now been moved next

door to the state-of-the-art FleetCenter, the tradition of building memories began again.