Leafs, Sabres may be taking it outdoors
TORONTO • The Toronto Maple Leafs and Buffalo Sabres are leading candidates for an outdoor game at Hamilton’s Tim Hortons Field on March 13 of next season.
The geo-rivals are already scheduled to meet that day for a 3 p.m. faceoff at Keybank Center in Buffalo, but since the CFL field opened in Steeltown in 2014, there has been talk of it holding an NHL match with modifications to increase its 23,000-seat capacity for such an event.
Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment declined comment on Sunday when contacted by Postmedia, as did the Sabres through the Buffalo News. But league insiders in both NHL cities said the game between the 50-year-old foes is in the works.
Tweets on the topic began early Sunday from a Canadian fan base account, Sabres North, after that team said it would not be making the March 13 match against the Leafs part of its half-season ticket package.
NHL vice-president Bill Daly told Postmedia: “I think the Commissioner (Gary Bettman) had previously indicated we were hopeful of concluding arrangements for a Tim Hortons’ Heritage Classic later this season. I’m not sure he indicated probably location or possible teams, but as a league event, these would be determined by the NHL”.
Making it a Toronto-buffalo affair is a natural, though the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic will be a factor before it’s actually held, as well as determining what the attendance restrictions could be. Vaccinated Americans are currently allowed to drive into Canada. There would also be the matter of compensating the Sabres for what is usually a sold-out home game whenever the Leafs visits.
It’s possible that an alumni game and an appetizer between the teams’ AHL affiliates, the Toronto Marlies and Rochester Americans, could be part of a full weekend event.
The Leafs have played the Detroit Red Wings twice in outdoor games, including the pro hockey record-breaking attendance of 104,591 at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor on New Year’s Day 2014 and 40,000 at home at BMO Field three years later. The Leafs also played the Washington Capitals at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md., in March 2018 before nearly 30,000 fans.
Other confirmed outdoor games this season are the Minnesota Wild hosting the St. Louis Blues in the Winter Classic at Target Field, home of baseball’s Minnesota Twins, on Jan. 1, and the Nashville Predators at home for the Stadium Series game Feb. 26 against the Tampa Bay Lightning at Nissan Stadium, home of the NFL’S Tennessee Titans.