Maple Leafs Urged to Revamp Scotiabank Arena After Comments from Core Players
The Toronto Maple Leafs are getting a lot of criticism around their fans lack of response during games, and it's starting to bother some of their key players.
Heading to a Leafs game at home on any given night is a special affair. The traveling, the tickets, concessions, parking, memorabilia, that really cool popcorn bucket shaped like a helmet; it's a memorable albeit expensive occasion and even the nosebleeds can start to creep up in price at times.
So when it was essentially crickets when Ryan Reaves fought Mathieu Olivier last week, it irked some of the team's most important and beloved players.
Maple Leafs Core Players Upset With Fan Response At Scotiabank Arena
There's no doubt each game is a sellout for the Maple Leafs, however at points it wouldn't seem like it, something Mitch Marner had an issue with:
He was referring to Reaves' fight, and while it was certainly the start both Toronto and their enforcer was looking for, it felt like fans were less savvy as to the reason why he fought in the first place.
Auston Matthews, the team's captain, was also unimpressed with the fan response, and thought the Leafs faithful could have done a lot more to keep the momentum rolling:
It's one thing for Marner to be upset but when the face of the team is openly telling fans to get rowdier and cheer and be passionate; it's not a good look for ticketholders.
Ryan Reaves, the man at the center of things thought the crowd was pretty solid however admitted sometimes they don't bring the energy like they should:
It wasn't just the Maple Leafs players who were irked, as Spittin' Chiclets host Paul 'Biz-Nasty' Bissonnette didn't mince words talking about how bad things have gotten and why it's a corporate issue.
It's tough to say what the solution is, though one thing they could do is implement a 'Leafs Nation' section for dedicated fans that offer a reduced rate for ticket prices, where passionate fans can be closer to the action and allow players to feed off their excitement.
It's hard to be a Maple Leafs fan sometimes, and the constant disappointments leave them feeling neglected especially if they can't afford to go. For those who can however, make it worth their while and give them the chance to cheer the team and bring energy back to Scotiabank Arena.
