2 weeks Ago
OTTAWA – The Battle of Ontario may be shifting venues, but the Toronto Maple Leafs don’t seem to be bracing for a 180-degree swing in support inside a building they’ve often turned into their home away from home. With a chance to place a stranglehold on a first-round clash against the Ottawa Senators on Thursday night, there’s an expectation that a sea of blue will accompany the Leafs’ arrival at Canadian Tire Centre with a 2-0 series lead. Advertisement “Our fans are everywhere,” forward Calle Järnkrok said Wednesday, between Games 2 and 3.
“It’s always nice to see them in the stands. I bet it’ll be the same (on Thursday).” Consider it one of the more interesting subplots to a series stirring up all kinds of emotions across the province.
The game will be the first played at home by the Senators in the playoffs since May 23, 2017 – one owner, one general manager, four head coaches and dozens of players ago. The anticipation in the city is palpable, even coming off two losses in Toronto to open the series. That is evidenced by the sky-high demand for tickets – the secondary market was humming with nothing priced below $300 per seat on StubHub as of late Wednesday – which has been apparent since the Senators officially clinched a postseason berth on April 11 and began a phased ticketing rollout designed to try and get as many of their own fans inside the CTC as possible.
If they’re successful, it would mark a departure from a number of recent games played here between the teams, including a Jan. 25 visit that turned into a complete takeover in the stands by Leafs supporters. “Leafs fans in the regular season, they probably are at least minimum 50 percent of the building,” Kevin Lee, a 15-year season-ticket holder in Ottawa, told The Athletic last week.
“I don’t know the last time we’ve seen the CTC have a larger (turnout for the Sens). Well, hopefully we’ll have a larger contingent of Sens fans to Leafs fans now.” The organization has tried to do everything it can to make sure that happens, including selling season-ticket holders a batch of playoff tickets that can’t be transferred digitally.
The thinking behind that strategy was that it would ensure more tickets are in the control of the most passionate fans, who won’t mind that they can’t be resold on secondary ticketing sites because they’re using them to bring friends or family members to the game. Advertisement However, even with those types of measures in place, there’s only so much that can be done – especially if a meaningful amount of the blue-and-white faithful decide to make the four-hour drive down the 401 and shell out serious money to watch their team attempt to take a 3-0 lead in a playoff series for the first time since a first-round sweep over the Senators in 2001. Given how far and wide the fan base travels for less important games in the regular season, it wouldn’t be surprising.
“Obviously going into a tough building like Ottawa, it’s going to be nice to have some support there,” said Leafs forward Max Domi, the overtime hero in Game 2, at the outset of the series. The possibility of a divided crowd seems distinctly possible. That could mirror the growing amount of animosity on display between the Atlantic Division rivals in this best-of-seven series.
In Games 1 and 2, the normally placid atmosphere inside Scotiabank Arena was replaced by an emotional one that saw fans target Senators players Brady Tkachuk and Linus Ullmark in full throat. It was probably no coincidence that Tkachuk responded to Tuesday’s 3-2 overtime loss by telling reporters how much the Senators couldn’t wait to get home. “This just shows how much we’re going to need this city, the CTC, to be buzzing,” Tkachuk said.
Given the relative proximity of the cities represented in the Battle of Ontario, not to mention a shared history that includes four intense playoff series in a five-year period from 2000 to 2004, the inclination for fans to stake claim to territory feels pronounced. This is a big moment for a Senators fanbase that has effectively grown up since the previous battles with the Leafs two decades ago, and also seems to be enjoying a renaissance with Michael Andlauer bringing a renewed spirit and vision after becoming majority owner in September 2023. Advertisement Leafs forward Steven Lorentz recognized some of the headwinds that may be blowing in the face of fans who thought about traversing east across the province – right down to acknowledging Wednesday that “we know it’s definitely not cheap to go to these games.
” “I don’t know how many Leaf fans are going to be allowed in the building,” Lorentz added. “I know in playoffs, the home teams usually limit that. I don’t know if that’s on purpose or not, but energy’s energy.
It doesn’t matter if they’re booing you, if they’re for you or against you. Obviously the ‘Go Leafs Go!’ chants help at home. “We expect a loud crowd in their favour.
We can feed off that. We can use that energy as well.” This is the kind of Stanley Cup playoff series that carries stakes on the ice and off.
That’s a big part of what makes it unique, and why there was such a heightened sense of anticipation across the league when the Leafs and Sens drew one another in Round 1. With the Senators desperate for a victory and looking for a spark, Game 3 will go a long way to determining what kind of series this ends up being. “It’s going to be loud in there as well, is my guess,” said Järnkrok.
“I can’t wait to go there and get started to play.” (Photo: Dan Hamilton / Imagn Images).
