Go, Leafs, Go! When I saw it, I was already chanting with the Toronto Maple Leafs fans, the second greatest champion of the NHL, the hockey league of Canada and the USA. Even without understanding anything about the sport, I think it was worth going to the stadium and living this experience.
If you also want to watch a hockey game in Torontohere are all the details, from where to buy tickets and prices to tips for choosing the best place and getting to the stadium. I can tell you it's worth it: the show is very different from football, with big screens, narrator, raffles, dances and fan competitions in the stadium (but OLA they copied). A real show.
Entrance to the stadium
Internal corridor towards the ticket office
Stadium ticket office and queue to enter the game
Where to stay in Toronto
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Where to buy (and not buy) tickets
You can buy tickets at the box office of the Air Canada Centre, Toronto's main hockey arena. But if you have a quick itinerary like mine, I recommend buying online beforehand. That's what I did. After reading some tips, I chose to buy on StubHub, eBay's platform for buying and exchanging tickets online. I don't recommend it.
Once I made the purchase through this site, I started receiving emails from Ticketmaster, which was the real seller or a second ticket broker. It became a mess of addresses and passwords. So much so that I was almost prevented from entering the stadium, as I was blocked in the applications (all terrible) of both companies. Finally, it was a printout of the QR Code on the ticket, which I was told was not valid, that allowed me to enter.
StuHub: avoid, it's just another middleman
Ticketmaster: you can buy, but be aware of all the passwords and emails you receive after purchase
Ticket Office: only if you have more time to buy in advance as they may sell out the day before the game
Ticket prices
Depends on the game. I went to a game that was not worth much, a pre-season game of the NHL, the National Hockey League, the main competition between teams from Canada and the United States. On the pitch, the Toronto Maple Lefs and the Detrois Red Wings, respectively the second and third team with the most trophies. The first is the Montreal Canadiens.
Sold in Canadian dollars, the cheapest ticket cost CAD 20. The most expensive was over 100 CAD. I almost bought this "cheap" one but found out that it was in a kind of general area at the top of the arena and you would have to watch the game standing up. So I bought a side chair for 30 CAD.
Worst and best seats at the hockey stadium
Avoid the seats usually called Balcony Standing. Notice that Standing in the name. That means you'll be watching the game standing up. It may say SRO (Standing Room Only). In addition to being in the highest part of the stadium, far from the field. It doesn't matter the position, whether it's on the side, diagonally or behind the goal.
The closest tickets to the pitch and consequently the most expensive are the Lower type, which can be central or behind the goal. They can cost more than R$3,000 for important matches.
For those who are just going to live a different experience, I recommend focusing on cost-benefit. That's why Balcony Centre tickets are the best. They have a side view of the field and are also better for watching the anthems and pre-game presentations.
Time for Canada's national anthem
View from my seat at the top of the Balcony Centre
Location and how to get there
This game I attended was at Scotiabank Arena (Air Canada Centre), Toronto's main ice hockey and basketball arena. The location is as central as possible: right next to Union Station, Toronto's most important underground, train and bus station. Everything connects there. It is close to the CN Tower and the Toronto Islands ferry. There is no way to get lost.
If you are staying in the Centre of Toronto, you can walk there. The area around the stadium is very clean and safe. If you are in a neighbourhood, take the underground and walk a few steps to the entrance of Scotiabank Arena.
The stadium has easy access to Union Station, Toronto's main underground station.
Food and drink at the stadium
The inside of the stadium looks like a shopping mall. There are Toronto Maple Leafs shops and a few snack bars. The prices are high, so I recommend not going hungry or thirsty. But as a blogger has to face reality to tell it like it is, there I went: I bought a large glass of beer for the equivalent of R$ 40. A little cheaper was the hot dog, which I paid around R$ 30. An absurd price for a small and only reasonable snack. The beer is a steal. In the market outside, the same amount of the same brand costs a third of that.
Snack bar inside the Toronto Maple Leafs stadium. Will you brave the cheapest beer for R$40?
So is it really worth it?
Very worth it! Among the activities I did in Torontothis was the most peculiar. After all in Brazil we also have tall buildings, boat rides and Canadian food restaurants. What we will probably never have is an Ice Hockey stadium with high level teams on the field. It makes for a very different experience, only possible in cold climate countries like Canada.
So, if you're looking for things to do in Toronto, you can book your place at the stadium. It's worth travelling for any season and should be on the shortest of itineraries, as it's really fun.
