(NECN: Julie Loncich, Boston) - Saturday night the Bruins will take on the New York Rangers at the TD Garden, marking the team's first game since the lockout ended. Many fans have been waiting four months for this night.
Boston bars and restaurants that depend on the Bruins and the season have been packed since noon.
At The Fours across the street from the Garden there was a packed house, something managers say is a much needed and most welcome sight.
"I lost hope. Until I saw it, I didn't even think it was going to happen," says hockey fan Chris Fortier.
After four lonely, long months, fans admit they've had to pinch themselves.
"It means everything. Too must basketball going on. Finally hockey is back," says Massachusetts resident Kenton Gilmarti.
The lockout has been hard on the fans, but even harder on the bars and restaurants that credit the Bruins with about 30 percent of their annual revenue.
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"Trying is probably a good word. It's very difficult to understand how these folks can't split up $3 billion. I feel awful for our staff and the employees up and down the street who weren't working. So it's very nice to have them back," says The Fours Manager Jim Taggart.
