Bringing the Boston Bruins’ 100-Year History to Life
Boston is a storied sports town, and with good reason. With a rich history of longtime teams such as the Celtics, Red Sox, and Patriots (who got their start in the city), Boston fans live and breathe its athletic history. Few cities have such longevity with teams, as evidenced by the 100-year history of the Boston Bruins, who rank in 4th place in Stanley Cup hockey titles with six championships.
When the team wanted to celebrate this history, they turned to McCann Systems for the commercial AV integration and design services that helped bring the Boston Bruins Heritage Hall to life at the TD Garden. We were recently honored to receive the Commercial Integrator award for this project.
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Small But Dynamic
The Boston Bruins Heritage Hall may be compact at 5,000 square feet, but it’s packed with dynamic, immersive features that capture the team’s history. The LED displays create engaging experiences that fans can enjoy more than once. Fans can explore 55-inch LED pylon displays with touch support to access stats, player highlights, and game history. Transparent OLED screens further showcase memorabilia in an interactive way that combines video, audio, and text for a deeper connection.
Augmented Reality and Immersive Experiences
One of the cutting-edge features of the Bruins Heritage Hall is its creative use of augmented reality (AR) and interactive exhibits. Fans can virtually “try on” their favorite Bruins jerseys and step into the skates of their heroes. A large LED display and AR camera let visitors immerse themselves more fully in the history. Another highlight is the “Be the Broadcaster” exhibit, where fans can sit at a desk and create their own play-by-play of historic games displayed on a monitor. In the Puck and Sticks area, a large interactive screen lets fans try their hand against a virtual goalie.
The Heritage Theater
At the core of the Bruins Heritage Hall is a breathtaking 30-foot-wide projection theater. Using advanced edge-blending projection techniques, the theater creates vivid, seamless imagery of iconic Bruins moments. The immersive experience allows visitors to relive some of the team’s greatest highlights in stunning detail. The theater serves as the emotional centerpiece of the museum by capturing the essence of Bruins hockey and leaving a lasting impression on every visitor.
Adding Engagement to Museums and Exhibits
McCann Systems’ work at the Bruins Heritage Hall demonstrates how advanced AV technology can elevate museum experiences, offering visitors something far beyond traditional static exhibits. By using our expertise in audiovisual integration, we allow exhibit designers to push creative boundaries. We’re proud to have worked on other innovative projects around the country, including the St. Louis Kaplan Feldman Holocaust Museum and the 150 N. Riverside digital art installation in Chicago.
Overcoming Challenges
McCann Systems has previous experience working with the architect, content creator, and set designer at the New England Patriot Hall of Fame and other projects. One of the challenges we had to address was the implementation of transparent LG OLED displays for interactivity with the memorabilia and artifact cases. As you might suspect from the thin panels in OLED TVs, these displays are not the strongest in large sizes like the 55-inch panels we used, and there was concern about fragility with touch interaction and kids. The solution? Not necessarily high tech, but an attention to detail and working together to solve a problem. Working with the set designer’s build shop, we designed a custom, strong metal frame around the displays that made it everyday usable in the Heritage Hall.
Our award-winning work at the Boston Bruins Heritage Hall is an excellent example of the power of modern AV technology for transforming traditional museum spaces into immersive, interactive experiences. If you’re looking to create memorable, technology-driven exhibits that engage visitors and tell your story in innovative ways, McCann Systems can help. Start the conversation using the chat button below or fill out our online contact form. We look forward to connecting!
