Toronto Mayor Rob Ford, surrounded by the city’s hockey fans, declares Monday ‘blue and white day’ in honour of the Maple Leafs, during a noon rally at Scotiaplaza, in Toronto, May 6, 2013.J.P. MOCZULSKI/The Globe and Mail
In the nine long years since the Toronto Maple Leafs last made the playoffs, much has changed for the city's Stanley Cup-starved fans. From the players on the team to the price of a ticket, here's a look at the Leafs, then and now:
Fan favourites
Then: Veterans such as Tie Domi, Mats Sundin and Ed Belfour.
Now: Younger faces such as Phil Kessel, Nazem Kadri and James Reimer.
Cost of a cheap seat
Then: "We were lucky to get around $100 – and it was a tough sale," said ticket broker Rob Pakulski.
Now: Almost triple. Mr. Paukulski said Game 3 seats will go for about $275 a pop. Or, if you feel like splurging, over on stubhub.com, lower goal seats can be had for $1,000. Each.
The venueThen: The area around the Air Canada Centre is a dead zone, consisting of parking lots and more parking lots.
Now: The ACC is part of the Maple Leaf Centre, surrounded by gleaming condos and mammoth sports bars serving "beer blend" cocktails.
But is there parking?
Then: Yes. Lots of it, with the average spot costing about $14.80, according to Team Marketing Research's Fan Cost Index.
Now: Yes, but it's scarce, and will cost at least $18. (This is the average year-round price. During special events such as playoffs, the price goes way up.)
The mayor
Then: A relatively newly elected David Miller hoists the official Toronto Maple Leafs flag outside of City Hall.
Now: Rob Ford tweets a photo of the Leafs flag hanging inside of his office. Clad in a Leafs jersey and scarf, he proclaims Monday "blue and white day" in Toronto.