Leafs, Raps expecting full capacity at home

The Toronto Maple Leafs and Toronto Raptors are planning to play in front of full-capacity crowds at Scotiabank Arena this season, but are waiting for official clearance from the province.

Tickets are on sale to the general public now for Maple Leafs exhibition games with the requirement that all potential attendees be fully vaccinated from COVID-19 and a proviso for refunds if full capacity is not allowed.

“With a fully vaccinated venue, it is our belief that we can safely host a full capacity event,” said MLSE spokesperson Dave Haggith. “With tickets on sale, we are planning for eventual full capacity in 2021 and our ticketing rollout has built-in flexibility so we are ready for potential scenarios.”

There are exceptions for non-vaccinated children 11 and under.

The teams – which both begin regular-season play in October — hope to hear this week about crowd size.

The Leafs have asked their season subscribers to pay for all 41 games based on full capacity, adding in a memo to them: “We are optimistic regarding our ability to host full capacity events at Scotiabank Arena for the 2021-22 season as we await confirmation on permitted venue capacities. We plan to unveil updated fan health and safety protocols in the coming weeks and should there be any changes to our plans for venue capacity limits and health and safety protocols, we will be sure to communicate those details to you.”

Scotiabank Arena hasn’t been full since March 10, 2020, when 19,124 watched the Maple Leafs beat Tampa Bay 2-1. The pandemic caused leagues to shutdown shortly after.

The Leafs and Raptors resumed their seasons in the summer, the Leafs in a playoff bubble without fans at the Scotiabank Arena, the Raptors in a similar situation in Orlando, Fla.

The Leafs played a delayed and shortened 2020-21 season in an empty building against only Canadian teams. A handful of front-line workers saw Game 7 of the first round of the playoffs.

The Raptors called Tampa home for their 2020-21 season.