The playoffs are right around the corner for the Celtics and Bruins — and they’ll get a huge boost in home field advantage at TD Garden starting May 10. Gov. Charlie Baker announced Tuesday several relaxed COVID-19 measures, which included indoor stadiums like TD Garden, allowing for the bump in attendance.
Fans back at Celtics and Bruins games isn’t a new phenomenon. The C’s have had supporters back indoors since March 29 while the Bruins have had them back starting March 25. But those games have been limited to 12% capacity. That will more than double starting May 10 to 25% capacity.
The timing works great for both teams ahead of their playoff runs. The NHL regular season ends on May 8, with the playoffs starting May 11. The NBA regular season stretches a little longer with the playoffs starting May 22. The C’s have one regular season game, May 11 vs. Miami, where they can open the doors to the new 25% capacity, then it’ll spill over into the playoffs.
“I would think as time goes on you would potentially add to that number, but I don’t know if different cities are doing that or not,” Celtics coach Brad Stevens said of capacity April 22. “It’s clearly not the same as playing in packed arenas, but it’s still beneficial to play at home.”
Having fans back at all was a new experience for both teams in late-March, as they’ve played in empty arenas for months once the regular seasons started up. The crowds have been vocal, creating a home-ice or home-court advantage, but it’s not quite the same as a packed house.
The 12% capacity for Bruins game was 2,142 fans, while 25% will be about 4,656 fans. TD Garden capacity for Bruins games is 18,624.
For Celtics games, the venue’s capacity is 19,580, where 12% was about 2,350 fans while 25% will be 4,895 fans.