Maple Leaf Fans Ripped Off? Be-'Leaf' It

If you were in Richard Peddie's shoes, there is a good chance that you would be smiling too. As president and chief executive officer of Maple Leafs Sports and Entertainment, Peddie may have one of the most enviable jobs in all of sport; put Leaf fans in the seats at Air Canada Centre. Now, logic would suggest it to be nearly impossible to fill an arena that houses one of the worst on ice products in the National Hockey League. Fortunately for Peddie and his brass, logic is not the official language of Leaf Nation. Win or lose, Leaf fans come out in droves to see their team rarely win, and mostly lose. Commendable, yes, until you look at how much these fans pay to see their Buds fail to blossom.

The average price of a non-premium game ticket in Toronto is by far the most in the league, at over $117.00 (all figures in US dollars). When you factor in drinks, parking, souvenirs etc. the average cost for a family of four to watch the Leafs play a home game is $585.57, again the most in the league. The same family, with the same type of expenses in Tampa Bay would pay just $221.01 comparatively, which is the lowest average in the league.

This got me thinking, with ticket prices so high in Toronto, would it be cheaper to travel south to see the Maple Leafs play than to attend their home games. The answer to that question is, YES.

At present time, $816.04 (before service charges) is the listed price on ticketmaster.com for two lower bowl tickets to see the Maple Leafs host the Atlanta Thrashers, March 30th. Assuming you were to walk to the arena and not spend a dime (or a small fortune) inside the ACC, your total cost would be $816.04. Want to know what would it cost you to drive to Atlanta to see the Leafs play at Phillips Arena, 5 days earlier, on March 25th? Keep reading.

If two Toronto fans were to hop in their Leaf-mobile and head south on the I-75, they would pay an average of $363.88 in gas, round trip. A night at the Hyatt in Atlanta would set you back $114.75 total. And the best part, two lower bowl tickets to see the Thrashers host the Leafs, $25 a piece. Pack a cooler of food and you and a buddy could see the Maple Leafs, in person, in Atlanta for a grand total of $512.13. By venturing to the ‘dirty south’, you would save a grand total of $303.91.

Now, in all seriousness, it would be ridiculous spend 31 hours driving over 3,000 kilometers to save a few hundred dollars. Besides, most of the clientele that frequent the lower bowl at the ACC would consider $300 pocket change. However, I can't help but think it might be worth a mass exodus to Atlanta, if not to save money, then simply to wipe that smirk off Richard Peddie's face.

Mike Kelly

Mike Kelly