The day Larry Bird poured in 49 points, had 14 rebounds and 12 assists in a double overtime victory over the Portland Trail Blazers ... The day Bobby Orr soared through the air after scoring the Stanley Cup winning goal ... The heartbreak of the triple overtime loss to the Edmonton Oilers in the 1989 Stanley Cup Finals ... The rivalries with the Los Angeles Lakers and Montreal Canadians so heated that they often led to physical confrontations ... The legendary voices of Johnny Most and Bob Wilson bringing us the play-by-play like no others could ... The night the lights went out ... The nights the fog was so thick the game had to be delayed ... The nights when basketball games had to be stopped because the parquet floor was wet because the ice below had melted ... The nights Bird and Havlicek "stole the ball" to lead their team to victory ... The sixteen World Championships in basketball ... The five Stanley Cups ... The pride of having my high school play in both the final high school basketball and hockey game ... The many lacrosse games, rodeos, concerts, boxing matches, circuses, skating events, political speeches, and wrestling events ... The Bean Pot ... The privilege of being able to attend Larry Bird Night and watch Number 33 raised to the rafters ... Soon, this building will be gone, but the memories will live on forever.

This month, the historic Boston Garden will be torn down. This building has been the site of some of the most memorable sporting events in history, but soon it will only be a memory.

One last exhibition game will be played in September between the Bruins and the Canadiens before the lights go out for one last time.

THANKS FOR THE MEMORIES, BOSTON GARDEN l