Say What?

This morning during a rally at the ACC, the brass at MLSE announced their “major fan related announcement”…drum roll…AN EXTRA PRESEASON GAME…
While that part of the announcement is very anti climactic, the news that followed was something that most people in Toronto thought they would never hear coming from the mouth of anyone at MLSE…Free Tickets.
That’s right, all the tickets for the Sept. 22 preseason game against the Buffalo Sabres will be free. Now before we start praising the suits at MLSE, we must remind ourselves that these free tickets are being sponsored by Coca-Cola and are not directly out of the pockets of the Maple Leafs. That being said the idea is still a great one. Their goal is to get the tickets for that game out of the hands of the corporate season ticket holders that usually fill the ACC and into the hand of true fans, young fans that can’t normally get tickets. The atmosphere should be electric as the lower bowl will be filled by people who will actually be cheering as opposed to checking their email on their blackberries.
This is an important first step in MLSE’s efforts so show they actually do appreciate the fans and have a grasp of the problem that plagues the crowd at the ACC. Seeing young kids who will be at their first NHL game, cheering regardless of the outcome, falling in love with the game we all cherish, that alone would be worth a regularly price ticket and then some.