Boston Bruins Open Brand New Practice Facility 'Warrior Ice Arena' In Brighton

BOSTON (CBS) --  The Boston Bruins are extremely excited about their brand new practice facility. Once you see the place, it's not hard to see why.

On Thursday, the B's officially opened the doors to the Warrior Ice Arena, their new training and practice facility located right along the Mass Pike at the Boston Landing complex in Brighton.

Veterans began to hit the new ice last week, and the franchise couldn't be happier with how the state-of-the-art facility turned out. They took to social media on Thursday to show off their new practice home:

"When you see it on paper and in drawings and talk about it conceptually, you know it is going to look good. But then you actually step inside the space and see how it turned out -- I'm thrilled," team president Cam Neely told WBZ-TV's Dan Roche after a ceremony to celebrate the opening on Thursday.

"We're so lucky with everything they've put into this facility," said defenseman Torey Krug. "It's tough to pinpoint one thing, but now we have all the resources for us to reach our potential. There are no excuses going forward."

Perhaps the biggest improvement is the fact the B's logo is now on the ceiling and not on the floor. It's a big no-no to step on the logo in the locker room at the TD Garden, something reporters won't have to worry about now at the new facility:

The Bruins called Ristuccia Arena in Wilmington their practice home for the last 25 years, and in recent years it had become apparent the team needed an upgrade. In addition to much more space in the locker room, Warrior Ice Arena has much more equipment for medical and physical therapy purposes, and will soon have a kitchen for the team nutritionist that was hired last season.

"The medical and physical therapy room was very important. Our old space was nowhere near where it should be for dealing with injuries and rehab. That is a big piece," said Neely. "Aside from the trauma, just the nagging things players have to deal with during the year, will be taken care of much better in that space."

There are a few minor tweaks that still need to be made, but Neely and the Bruins brass is confident it will all be done before training camp opens this month. Warrior Ice Arena can seat 650 spectators and will also serve as home to the Boston Pride of the National Women's Hockey League, in addition to other college, high school and youth hockey events.

The Boston Celtics will also open their own brand new practice facility at Boston Landing in 2018.

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