TD Garden now enforcing smaller bag policy, catching some Boston Bruins fans off guard
BOSTON - Security at the TD Garden is now enforcing a strict bag policy and some Boston Bruins fans were caught off guard Monday afternoon.
That's because they were turned away for having a bag that was too big.
TD Garden announced on social media Sunday that they are cracking down on their bag policy, shrinking the acceptable bag size.
"It seems irrational. It seems like an arbitrary measurement, but I understand a small bag overall," Bruins fan Dana Salvucci told WBZ-TV.
The rules were put in place by the NHL and the NBA, but the Garden has been lenient for some time and it was still allowing people in if they got their bag checked.
All bags now must be 6-inches-by-4-inches, and only be 1.5 inches thick. Medical and diaper bags will be allowed in.
"My phone is longer than that, so to get a phone in a bag it has to be longer than 6 inches," said Bruins fans Kristen Mich.
"Good thing I only carry something that's my wallet and my phone because that's really small," Mich said.
The Garden posted the strict rules on social media the day before the Bruins faced the Stars.
The late news caught some people off guard. Numerous fans showed up to the game and were told they could not enter.
There are mobile lockers on site for fans with bags. The lockers typically cost $15, but the TD Garden is offering them for free during this transition period.
"No, this bag is $20. It's in the trash," laughed Mich.
"I would pay the $15," said Jessica Grissom, a Dallas Stars fan who recently got into the Garden with her bag that now is too large.
"I'm just going to see what happens. I am not throwing my bag away. Our car is really far. I'm just going to see what we can do," said Raja Hashem, another fan with a new bag problem.
Garden representatives said that no incident forced the policy to be enforced more. Instead, it coincides with security upgrades at the arena.
They now have Evolv metal detectors onsite, which are similar to the ones used outside of Fenway Park for Red Sox games.
"I guess I can see why they do it, there's a reason, but if it was more publicized before," said Sarah MacKenzie, another Bruins fan.