Maple Leafs Fans Excited By Idea Of Having Playoff Hockey In Toronto For More Than 2 Weeks

By Scott Slute

Toronto - Toronto Maple Leafs fans were thrilled yesterday after NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman announced Toronto as a potential “hub” city for when playoffs resumed.  This news means Toronto could be seeing more playoff hockey this year than the last two decades combined. 

Bettman said, if play could safely resume, the league would go straight into a 24 team playoff format with all games being played in two cities. This new two-city format means that the Florida Panthers could be playing in a city where residents actually know who they are.

For Toronto, being a potential host means that for the first time this century the Stanley Cup may actually be awarded in the city.

Unfortunately for sports enthusiasts, the NHL has said that to help prevent further spread of the COVID-19 virus, games will be played in front of empty seats.

“Really sucks we can’t see any games live,” Leafs fan Alex Hogg tells us, “But hopefully the Boston Pizza will reopen so I can root for the Buds there, at least until they get knocked out in the first round.”

The empty arenas will mean that no fans will be able to purchase tickets, as opposed to previous Toronto playoff runs where no fans making less than $300,000 were able to purchase tickets. 

Scott Slute is the Editor in Chief at The Toronto Harold.