Events

A kid-friendly weekend of matinee exhibitions for the Bruins and Celtics

With hockey on Saturday, then hoops on Sunday, the first weekend of October could give families a chance to see the locals play at TD Garden for a fraction of the regular-season rates.

With hopes running high for Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum, and the Celtics this season, so are ticket prices. Preseason games could be a cost-cutting alternative for families looking to see the team live, however.

By Dave D'Onofrio

1 minute to read

As Labor Day weekend approached, a ticket to sit in the upper rows of the balcony at the Bruins’ Oct. 15 home opener were selling on the secondary market for more than $100 apiece. Same for similar seats to the first real game of the Celtics season at TD Garden, which follows three days later. Both of those contests begin after 7 p.m., too.

That combination could be prohibitive for a lot of families — no matter how hardcore the young hockey and hoop fans in their household.

Just a couple weeks before those games start to affect the standings, though, TD Garden will offer a chance to see either the Bruins or Celtics at what is expected to be a discounted cost. And, even better, both games begin in the early afternoon.

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At 1 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 1, the Bruins are slated to host the Philadelphia Flyers. About month out, resale tickets were available for less than $30 apiece. Twenty-four hours later, the parquet will be in place for the Celtics to welcome the Charlotte Hornets. Tickets for that were being resold for closer to $20.

With the preseason there are obvious risks. Stars like Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, and Patrice Bergeron might see limited action, or they may not play at all. The action and intensity isn’t likely to be as exciting as it may be when winning or losing truly matters. Generally speaking, the product may be watered down a bit.

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But none of that is to say that it won’t still be a worthwhile experience, especially for those looking to expose their young fans to the atmosphere of a pro arena before the cost, concerns about going out on a school night, and expected scarcity of tickets conspire to make that opportunity much harder to make happen.

(Oh, and we’ll save you the search: The Patriots don’t play until 4:25 on that Sunday afternoon of the Celtics game.)

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