TD Garden TD Garden is a sports arena in Boston , Massachusetts . It is named after its sponsor , TD Bank , N . A . and is often simply called The Garden , The New Garden / Boston Garden II ( to distinguish that from the original Boston Garden ) , or the traditional Boston Garden . It was formerly known as the FleetCenter and the Shawmut Center ( title sponsor Shawmut Bank was bought by FleetBoston Financial before the arena opened ) . TD Bank , N . A . has been in control of the arena ' s naming rights since 2005 , with the arena called TD Banknorth Garden until July 16 , 2009 , when the TD Banknorth name ceased to exist . TD Garden is the home arena for the Boston Bruins of the National Hockey League , the Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association , and the Boston Blazers of the National Lacrosse League . It is the site of the annual Beanpot college hockey tournament , and hosts the annual Hockey East Championships . The arena has also hosted many major national sporting events including the 1999 and 2003 NCAA Division I Men ' s Basketball regional first and second rounds , the 2009 Sweet Sixteen and Elite Eight , the 2004 Frozen Four , and the 2006 Women ' s Final Four . History . Construction . Planners drew up designs for a new arena in the early 1990s as the need for a new facility became apparent . Plans for the new stadium stated that it would be slightly north of the Boston Garden . The term " slightly north " ended up meaning that there was only nine inches ( 23 cm ) of space between the two buildings , when construction was completed . The site for the new stadium occupied 3 . 2 acres . It eventually cost $ 160 million . Ground was broken on April 29 , 1993 . In 27 months , quick by today ' s standards , the stadium was built . That includes 7 weeks of delay caused by heavy snowfall . The FleetCenter opened on September 30 , 1995 . Naming . When constructed to replace the aging Boston Garden as the home of the Boston Bruins hockey team and the Boston Celtics basketball team , the arena was called the FleetCenter . The arena opened on September 30 , 1995 . During the construction phase , the naming rights to the " New Garden " were sold to a major Boston - based regional bank , Shawmut Bank . However , just as the Shawmut Center was being completed , Shawmut merged with its somewhat larger rival , the Providence - based Fleet Bank . The merger was negotiated in secret while Shawmut and Fleet ' s marketing departments were simultaneously engaged in a spirited bidding war for the arena ' s naming rights . The post - merger bank had effectively been bidding against itself . The bank which won the competition for the " New Garden ' s " naming rights , Shawmut , was the bank whose name disappeared during the merger . Shortly before the new arena opened , every seat , which had been stamped with the Shawmut logo , had to be replaced . Also , the entire color scheme for the interior had to be adjusted . The name of the arena was expected to change as a result of the April 1 , 2004 merger of FleetBoston Financial with Bank of America . On January 5 , 2005 , FleetCenter ' s owner , Delaware North Companies , announced an agreement under which the bank made a payment to be released from the remaining six years on the naming rights agreement . The agreement left Delaware North free to sell the naming rights to another sponsor . On March 3 , 2005 , Maine - based TD Banknorth , a U . S . subsidiary of Toronto - Dominion Bank , announced its purchase of the naming rights . The first major event after the announcement was the 2005 Hockey East men ' s tournament . The company named the facility " TD Banknorth Garden " in honor of the original Boston Garden . The name officially became the TD Banknorth Garden on July 1 , 2005 . Prior to that date , it went under the name " YourGarden . " In early 2005 , while still searching for a long - term corporate sponsor , the FleetCenter conducted auctions on eBay to sell one - day naming rights . From February 10 to March 13 , the FleetCenter sold the naming rights 30 different times on eBay . The net proceeds of $ 150 , 633 . 22 generated during the auction was donated to charities in the Greater Boston area , and $ 40 , 000 worth of My Grandma ' s Coffee Cakes was donated to local food banks . The FleetCenter also made private arrangements with a few companies for one - day naming rights , and offered one day ' s rights in an employee raffle . During the name auction , only twice were names reported to be rejected . Kerry Konrad , a New York City lawyer and New York Yankees fan , won naming rights for March 1 . He proposed the name " DerekJeterCenter , " after the New York Yankees shortstop , a stab at fellow Harvard alum and Boston Red Sox fan Jerry Rappaport , Jr . , with whom he had a 25 year - old rivalry . Being in the heart of Red Sox Nation , the name did not sit well with the executives and was rejected . An agreement was reached in which the arena would be named " New Boston Garden , Home of The Jimmy Fund Champions . " Fark . com founder Drew Curtis held a contest on his website to name the arena after he bought single - day rights . A user vote resulted in the " Fark . com UFIA Center " coming on top , but the name was rejected due to its inappropriate meaning . The name eventually selected by Curtis and company was " Boston Garden " . In April 2008 , parent company TD Banknorth became TD Bank , N . A . , after a merger with Commerce Bancorp . Owner Delaware North Companies announced on April 15 , 2009 , that the building would be renamed TD Garden in July 2009 . Renovations . Before the 2006 – 07 season , the TD Garden underwent a major overhaul , installing a new High - definition video entertainment board , the first of its kind in any arena . For basketball , video advertising panels ( installed by the NCAA for the 2006 Women ' s Final Four ) replaced the traditional scrolling panels , and added a see - through shot clock , joining the FedExForum , Wachovia Center , Philips Arena , US Airways Center , United Center , and the Time Warner Cable Arena .