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Boston Garden Basketball Floor Bottle Opener

Name: Boston Garden Basketball Floor Bottle Opener
Brand: Tokens & Icons
SKU: 64BG-Nat
Price: 125.0 USD
Availability: InStock

Sixteen championships, nearly countless hall-of-famers and some of the greatest teams of all time. This 1946 - 1999 Boston Garden floor is arguably the most storied floor in the history of basketball and a must-have for any serious Celtics fan. Note, green painted openers are no longer available. Limited.

$125.00

In stock

This bottle opener is crafted from authentic Boston Garden parquet basketball floor which was in use from 1946-1999. Wood features scuffs and scratches of the floor on which the Celtics won 16 of their 17 Championships. Quality nickel-plated hardware and engraved with arena name. Officially licensed by TD Garden, each bottle opener comes gift-boxed with a Certificate of Authenticity.

Measures 6-1/2"

Tokens & Icons was selected by Boston Garden to celebrate the last of their storied 1946-1999 floor. After Boston Garden held its last basketball game in May of 1995, the parquet floor moved to the newly opened FleetCenter where it was used until December of 1999. The arena had 11 panels left, kept 2 and entrusted Tokens with the remaining 9. Tokens & Icons picked up the panels in-person directly from Bob Rutko, the head of Sports Memorabilia at TD Garden, and arranged for transfer of this precious cargo in 2010. Officially licensed by TD Garden.

The Boston Garden

Boston Garden opened in 1928 and was originally named Boston Madison Square Garden, as it was designed by Tex Rickard as the third Madison Square Garden. Rickard, who also promoted boxing, aimed to build an arena with this sport in mind. Thus fans were very close to the action and this, combined with the Celtics' supposed ability to know where a ball would bounce on the iconic parquet floor, was thought to have contributed to the team's hometown advantage.

The parquet floor was originally built in the Boston Arena and moved to the Garden in 1952. When Boston Garden held its last basketball game in May of 1995, the parquet floor moved to the newly opened FleetCenter where it was used until Dec of 1999.

In 2010, Tokens & Icons was selected by the arena's management to celebrate the storied basketball floor. Eleven five-foot square pieces remained and Tokens was entrusted with nine of them. These parquet panels have been used to craft this item. Boston Garden hosted nineteen NBA Finals, of which the team won sixteen, four NBA All-Star games and was the first arena to host the NBA and Stanley Cup Finals in 1957.

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The Boston Parquet

Legend has it that due to a shortage of quality long board lumber in 1946, shorter red oak pieces had to be used to create the familiar parquet pattern that somehow still intimidates opponents to this day.

Each 5' x 5' panel had was marked with its grid position eg. G9, F10, Q3 and the ever-faithful Boston Garden Bull Gang would lay down the panels & secure with 988 bolts. If the Bruins were playing the next night, up the floor came. Over time, the floor developed dead spots & gaps which the Celtics knew well the location of and the opponents perhaps did not. Add several extraordinarily talented teams and passionate fans, its not surprising that this floor was underfoot for 16 Championships.

Tokens was thrilled to have been selected to handle 9 of the last 11 panels and keep the legend alive for Celtic fans and fans of the game.

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