QUICK VERSION:

-Join TRSN at Backyard Bistro across from the RBC Center in Raleigh for the NESN Broadcasts of the 58th Annual Beanpot Ice Hockey Tournament

-Bottomless Bowls of New England Clam Chowder will be specially priced for members of our group

-The Beanpot Semifinals at Boston's TD Garden will be broadcast on NESN from 5pm to 10:30pm on Monday February 1st. The matchups: Harvard-Boston College, NESN, 5pm-7:30pm, Boston University-Northeastern, NESN, 8pm-10:30pm

-The Beanpot Finals will be broadcast on NESN from 8pm until 10:30pm on Monday February 8th

DETAILED VERSION:

It has become Boston’s “Social Event of the Winter Season.”

For many New Englanders, early February means cabin fever. As Sox fans know, an entire region's sports fans can get excited by even the mere mention of pitchers and catchers reporting to Florida... Where else can images of a generic Atlas Moving Van loaded with baseball gear on a Regional Holiday known as "Truck Day" manage to bring grown men to tears? It is at this moment that fans of New England sports need a boost, something special to get excited about... and the Beanpot provides just such a diversion.

For as long as most folks can remember, the first two Monday nights of February in Boston are reserved for the Beanpot, an annual hockey tournament. The longtime intercollegiate showcase features the best of Boston hockey in a two-round tourney between the Boston University Terriers, Boston College Eagles, Harvard Crimson and Northeastern Huskies, battling for a silver replica trophy that resembles the famous pots used for making Boston Baked Beans. BU leads the series with 29 wins, while BC has 14, Harvard 10 and Northeastern 4.

It all started in 1952 with a local college tournament at the old Boston (now Matthews) Arena, the oldest surviving indoor ice hockey arena (and the oldest multi-purpose athletic building still in use) in the world. The next year the Beanpot moved to Boston Garden, where it has been played ever since. It has become the official battle for Boston’s hockey bragging rights, and over the ensuing decades, the four-team tournament has grown in stature and popularity. From the players to the coaches, fans, media and beyond, anyone who has experienced the Beanpot first-hand has a story to tell.

It was designed as a filler, to help the Arena (and then the Garden) on off nights. The ice wasn't great, and no one wore facemasks... not even the goalies. It's grown way, way beyond that now. The original Boston Garden is no longer with us... we now have the TD Garden. And the bad ice is long gone... but not the memories.

I remember taking public transportation to the Beanpot when I was a freshman at Boston University... We all painted our faces and hopped on the "T" and headed "down the Gahden." Beanpot was a gathering that somehow made Boston feel like a smaller, more sociable place. To someone like me, from out of town, it was amazing how everyone in New England was really passionate about college hockey when the Beanpot drew near.

The Semifinals will be broadcast on NESN from 5pm to 10:30pm on Monday February 1st, and the Finals will be broadcast the following Monday, February 8th, on NESN from 8pm until 10:30pm.

Our friend Chef Joe Lumbrazo at the Backyard Bistro will offer TRSN members specially priced "Bottomless Bowls of New England Clam Chowder" for the occasion.

Come join the Triangle Red Sox Nation for a real taste of New England... Stay warm with your friends, some Chowdah... and a little Beanpot.