How to Buy Tickets for Hockey Game in Toronto

If you want to get to know any Canadian city inside out, you simply must go to an ice hockey match to experience the passion this sport unleashes amongst the locals. This sport is one of the country’s national icons, and Toronto is no exception to the rule, as it is home to the Maple Leafs, one of the most successful teams in the NHL, the league that brings together franchises from Canada and the United States.

Whilst you can attend lower-league ice hockey matches for much of the year, the Maple Leafs play in the NHL, whose regular season usually runs from October to April. If you’re planning to visit Toronto during those months, you’ll be able to get tickets to watch the local team play – one of the best things to do in Toronto. What’s more, if the Maple Leafs qualify for the play-offs, the season can run until June.

The most convenient and recommended way to buy tickets for ice hockey matches in Toronto is to do so in advance via online ticketing platforms such as Hellotickets. This way, you can compare prices, choose the area of the stadium that best suits your budget and secure a seat to watch the Maple Leafs during your trip – something that’s particularly important in a city where demand for NHL tickets is usually very high.

Buying tickets online in advance

For most travellers, this is usually the best option. Buying online in good time will give you access to a wider range of seats, help you avoid last-minute complications and allow you to organise your itinerary in Toronto more effectively. It’s also a particularly practical option if you’re travelling on very specific dates, during peak season, or if you want to secure tickets for groups, couples or families who need to sit together.

Buying tickets on the Maple Leafs’ official website

Another option is to visit the Maple Leafs’ official website, where you can check the team’s fixture list and see which matches coincide with your trip. However, this isn’t usually the most practical option for many travellers, as a large proportion of tickets are allocated in advance to season ticket holders and priority sales, meaning there are often fewer seats available and, in some cases, at higher prices.

Buying tickets at the stadium box office

Buying tickets directly at the stadium box office is the least recommended option, especially if you want to secure a seat for a specific match. The Maple Leafs are one of the most popular teams in the NHL and tickets tend to sell out quickly, so leaving your purchase until the last minute could mean you miss out. That said, for some regular-season or midweek matches, there may still be a few seats available.

The answer depends on many factors, including the location of the seats you choose and the match you plan to attend, as ticket prices vary between a regular-season game and a crucial play-off fixture. However, the cheapest seats start at around 40 or 50 euros, whilst seats close to the ice can cost over 800 euros.

Bear in mind that attending a Toronto Maple Leafs match is just as popular – if not more so – than taking a cruise along the city’s coastline or going on a food tour, so you’ll not only need to do some research beforehand to find affordable seats but also book well in advance to secure tickets.

If you’re planning to visit Toronto for just a few days or can only make it to a specific match on the calendar and can’t get tickets, a good alternative is to look into offers from tour operators who often combine some of the city’s best tours with tickets to see a Maple Leafs match live.

The different types of tickets depend on the seat you choose. The Scotiabank Arena is one of the city’s largest venues and hosts not only the Maple Leafs’ NHL matches but also the NBA games of the Raptors, Toronto’s basketball franchise.

This stadium has sections further out on the perimeter, which are the cheapest, and others closer to the pitch, which are more expensive. It also has a VIP area, which features a bar and restaurant for attendees and offers the most expensive seats in Scotiabank Arena.

The only skip-the-queue tickets for the arena are for the VIP sections, which have a separate entrance to the rest of the venue.

Tickets for Maple Leafs matches are not included in the Toronto CityPASS, the city’s tourist card, although this pass does include other attractions near the stadium, such as the popular CN Tower – which was the world’s tallest structure for over 30 years – and the Royal Ontario Museum, one of Toronto’s finest museums.

If you’re a keen ice hockey fan, you’ll be interested to know that the Toronto CityPASS includes admission to the Hockey Hall of Fame, one of the city’s most popular museums, which features a room dedicated to the artefacts, medals and trophies that have shaped the history of the Maple Leafs.

This tourist card also includes a ticket for Toronto’s hop-on, hop-off bus, so it’ll help you get to the stadium if you choose to combine the pass with a live Maple Leafs match.

Scotiabank Arena is closed to the general public on match days, but there are other ways to explore this venue – one of Toronto’s largest and most technologically advanced – and it’s well worth seeing from the inside whilst you’re visiting the city.

Take a guided tour of the stadium

This is the simplest option and the one that will allow you to explore not only the playing field, the stands and the changing rooms at Scotiabank Arena, but also the secrets behind its construction and the reasons why it has become one of Canada’s most famous stadiums, largely due to the fame it has gained as the home of the Maple Leafs.

Explore the arena during a concert

Scotiabank Arena isn’t just a sports venue – having hosted not only NHL matches featuring the Maple Leafs and NBA matches featuring the Raptors, but also several editions of the ice hockey and basketball All-Star Games – it’s also a regular venue for international stars. U2, Oasis and Lady Gaga, amongst others, have performed there, so if your visit coincides with a concert at the venue, that’s a great excuse to pop in.

Visit the stadium during a Raptors match

If you can’t manage to catch a live Maple Leafs match, or if you’re also a basketball fan, you could opt to get tickets for an NBA Raptors match in Toronto and see the inside of Scotiabank Arena for yourself. What you do need to bear in mind is that, just like on NHL match days, you won’t be able to enter the stadium on these days without tickets for that specific match.

Generally speaking, there are no discounted tickets for Maple Leafs NHL matches, although there are a few strategies you can follow to get better prices when buying tickets. Some of these involve attending matches that are less in demand due to the calibre of the opposition or the date of the fixture, whilst others involve choosing seats with a restricted view or in sections of the stadium further away from the pitch.

Buying tickets for games with lower demand

In the NHL, prices are dynamic, meaning that ticket prices for each match vary according to demand. Therefore, if you opt for Maple Leafs matches against opponents who aren’t direct rivals in terms of the team’s objectives, or for regular-season games, you’ll be able to find cheaper seats than for play-off fixtures or matches against the Montreal Canadiens, Canada’s other powerhouse franchise.

Buy tickets for midweek matches

If you’re planning to visit Toronto in October or during the early months of the regular season, you’ll find plenty of midweek matches on the calendar, which are less crowded than those played at the weekend. These matches, which are usually on Wednesdays or Thursdays, offer better prices than those taking place on Saturdays or Sundays.

Buying tickets in upper or side sections

In large stadiums such as Scotiabank Arena, the main difference in ticket prices is usually down to seat location, so if you don’t mind watching the game from seats further away, you can find the cheapest tickets, which start at around 40 euros

Attending a Maple Leafs ice hockey match is one of the best activities to do with children in Toronto, as they’ll not only be captivated by the atmosphere of the game itself but will also be able to enjoy the pre-match and half-time shows. However, this does not mean that young children can enter the stadium at a reduced rate.

Whilst the ticketing policy for minors is set by each franchise, as a general rule, children under 2 years of age do not pay for a ticket when accompanied by a responsible adult. However, discounted rates for children older than this will depend on each team and each stadium. Some clubs also offer reduced rates for children under the age of 8.

Bear in mind that if you’re planning to attend a Maple Leafs match with children and buy your tickets in advance, you’ll be able to find family discounts, with adjacent seats and the option to choose better seats than if you book at the last minute.

There are many ways to buy tickets to see an ice hockey match in Toronto, but the most efficient and convenient is undoubtedly to book online in advance, as you won’t waste time and you’ll be able to secure better seats, especially if you plan far enough ahead. What’s more, this option is ideal if you’re planning to visit Toronto for three days or even less, as it will save you time during your visit.

The downside of buying tickets at the box office is that you’ll have to spend time queuing in long queues before the game, and you won’t be guaranteed to get tickets, as NHL matches are among the city’s most sought-after sporting events and Maple Leafs games tend to sell out for every fixture.

In total, ice hockey matches last 60 minutes, although this only covers playing time, which is divided into three periods of 20 minutes each, with a 15-minute interval between each period. Furthermore, depending on the competition being contested, the match may go into extra time, a penalty shoot-out or a ‘golden goal’, which will extend the match.

On average, an ice hockey match usually lasts around two and a half hours in total, although you should add to this the time taken to get to and from the stadium, which in some areas can add another 20 or 30 minutes. However, bear in mind that every match is a spectacle in its own right, so I’d advise you to relax and enjoy the event from start to finish.

Finally, remember that the best way to enjoy an ice hockey match is to familiarise yourself with the rules, which, in the case of the NHL fixture list, follow specific guidelines. To do this, you need to know that the aim of each team is to score more goals than the opposition, that each team has six players on the ice, and that no player may hold the rubber puck for more than three seconds – which adds to the excitement of the sport.

The NHL calendar schedules regular-season matches between October and April, so if you’re planning to visit Toronto during this period, you’ll be able to see the Maple Leafs in action in the world’s premier ice hockey league. Once the regular season is over, the tournament continues with the play-offs, which generally run until the first few days of June.

The Maple Leafs play their home matches at Scotiabank Arena, and match times vary according to the fixture list, which includes matches on weekdays as well as Saturdays and Sundays.

Upcoming Maple Leafs matches

• Toronto Maple Leafs v Montreal Canadiens – 19 September: first home pre-season match, in a split-squad format, against one of their historic rivals.
• Toronto Maple Leafs v Ottawa Senators – 23 September: second pre-season match at Scotiabank Arena, as part of the final preparations before the start of the NHL season.
• Toronto Maple Leafs v Pittsburgh Penguins – October: one of the first exciting regular-season matches in Toronto, against a historic Eastern Conference side.

Scotiabank Arena is situated in a central part of Toronto, very close to the harbour, so you can get there by public transport, by car or on the city’s hop-on, hop-off tourist buses, which include a stop near the arena.

How to get to Scotiabank Arena by bus

You can reach the arena on bus routes 97 and 320, which stop right outside Scotiabank Arena. The city’s hop-on, hop-off tourist bus also stops at the same location, so you can get off there and catch the Maple Leafs match.

How to get to Scotiabank Arena by car

The best way to get to the stadium by car is via Yonge St., which is one of the main thoroughfares in Ontario’s capital. This option is not highly recommended, however, as traffic is usually heavy in this part of the city and it is difficult to find parking, especially if you’re planning to visit Toronto in summer or during the high season.

How to get to Scotiabank Arena by metro

This is the best option, mainly because of the speed and variety of routes it offers. You can reach the stadium on Metro Line 1, which has a stop right next to Scotiabank Arena and connects with all the other metro lines in Canada, as it is the main trunk line.

Getting tickets for an ice hockey match in Toronto is no easy task, but it’s well worth the effort, so here are a few tips to help you enjoy the show.

• First things first: get your ticket! Ice hockey matches in Toronto are usually very popular, so finding tickets for these games isn’t easy. However, if you plan well in advance, you’ll be able to secure better seats and better prices.
• Don’t leave it until the last minute to get to the stadium: ice hockey matches are a complete spectacle, so, unlike other sports, it’s not enough to arrive just as the game starts; ideally, you should be at the stadium at least an hour beforehand to catch the pre-match entertainment and see the crowd really getting into the spirit. This also applies to the intermission shows.
• Get into the spirit of the game: don’t be afraid of looking a bit silly, because anything goes at ice hockey matches. Paint your face, wear the team’s shirt, join in the chants and enjoy the sporting spirit that characterises this sport.