TD Banknorth Garden in, FleetCenter out

BOSTON – TD Banknorth Garden officially replaced the FleetCenter name Friday, four months after a Maine bank reached a 20-year naming-rights deal for the home of the NBA’s Boston Celtics and the NHL’s Boston Bruins.

Friday marked the official start of a re-branding project to replace thousands of old FleetCenter signs with the new name, arena spokesman Jim Delaney said. Most of the work is expected to be completed by Labor Day.

Some steps have already been taken, including removal of exterior FleetCenter signs and the installation of a huge outside banner that reads, “Go ahead, call it the Garden again.”

The TD Banknorth name is a reference both to the arena’s sponsor, Portland, Maine-based TD Banknorth Inc., and to the Boston Garden, the name of the storied former structure that was replaced in 1995 when the newer arena opened. The old Garden saw 16 Celtics NBA titles and five Bruins Stanley Cups.