Giant hockey stick installed at Bruins’ new practice rink

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A 68-foot hockey stick was lifted and bolted onto the side of Warrior Ice Arena, the Bruins' new practice rink on New Balance's Brighton campus, on Tuesday. The 7,000-pound steel stick, an outsized version of the Warrior Covert QRL model, is visible from the Massachusetts Turnpike and from Guest Street, which runs parallel to the highway.

The stick was supposed to be installed Monday, but high winds postponed installation.

The stick is a landmark addition to the under-construction rink, which should be completed by the start of training camp Sept. 22. According to Jim Halliday, managing director of NB Development Group, boards were put up earlier this month. The Bruins' dressing room and training facility are under construction.

"If you're in there today, you'd see the good makings of a hockey arena," Halliday said. "The shape is there."

Halliday expects the rink to have a certificate of occupancy by the end of July. Ice should be installed in August.

The Bruins will hold their annual development camp at Ristuccia Arena, their current practice rink in Wilmington, from July 12-15. It will be the team's final on-ice activity in Wilmington.