How to Buy Tickets for Hockey Game in Toronto

If you want to get to know any Canadian city inside and out, you can’t miss attending an ice hockey game to experience the passion this sport ignites among the locals. This sport is one of the country’s national icons, and Toronto is no exception to the rule, as it’s home to the Maple Leafs, one of the most successful teams in the NHL— the league that pits franchises from Canada and the United States against each other.

While you can attend minor-league hockey games for much of the year, the Maple Leafs play in the NHL, whose regular season typically runs from October through April. If you plan to visit Toronto during those months, you’ll be able to get tickets to see the home team play—one of the best things to do in Toronto. Plus, if the Maple Leafs make the playoffs, the season can extend into June.

The most convenient and recommended way to buy tickets for ice hockey games in Toronto is to do so in advance through online ticketing platforms like Hellotickets. This way, you can compare prices, choose the section of the arena that best fits your budget, and secure a seat to watch the Maple Leafs during your trip—something especially important in a city where demand for NHL tickets is usually very high.

Buying Tickets Online in Advance

For most travelers, this is usually the best option. Buying online well in advance gives you access to a wider selection of seats, helps you avoid last-minute surprises, and allows you to better organize your itinerary in Toronto. It’s also a particularly practical option if you’re traveling on 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 schedule and see which games coincide with your trip. However, this isn’t usually the most practical option for many travelers, since a large portion of the tickets is allocated in advance to season ticket holders and priority sales, meaning there are often fewer seats available—and, in some cases, at higher prices.

Buy tickets at the arena box office

Buying tickets directly at the arena box office is the least recommended option, especially if you want to secure a seat for a specific game. 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 missing out. That said, there may still be some seats available for certain regular-season or midweek games.

The answer depends on many factors, including the location of the seats you choose and the game you plan to attend, since ticket prices vary between a regular-season game and a playoff elimination game. However, the cheapest seats start at 40 or 50 euros, and there are seats near the playing area that cost more than 800 euros.

Keep in mind that attending a Toronto Maple Leafs game 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 attend a specific game on the schedule and can’t get tickets, a good alternative is to take advantage of offers from tour operators that often combine some of the city’s best tours with tickets to see a Maple Leafs game live.

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

This arena has sections farther out along the perimeter, which are the most affordable, as well as others closer to the ice, which cost more. It also features a VIP area, which includes a bar and restaurant for attendees and offers the most expensive seats in Scotiabank Arena.

The only skip-the-line tickets for the arena are for the VIP sections, which have a separate entrance from the rest of the attendees.

Tickets to Maple Leafs games are not included in the Toronto CityPASS, the city’s tourist card, although this pass does include other attractions near the arena, 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 best museums.

If you’re a 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 memorabilia, medals, and trophies that have shaped the history of the Maple Leafs.

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

Scotiabank Arena is closed to the public on game days, but there are other options that let you explore this venue —one of Toronto’s largest and most technologically advanced—which is definitely worth seeing from the inside during your trip to the city.

Take a guided tour of the arena

This is the easiest option and the one that will let you explore not only the playing field, the stands, and the locker rooms at Scotiabank Arena, but also the secrets behind its construction and the reasons it became one of Canada’s most famous stadiums— primarily due to the fame it gained as the home of the Maple Leafs.

Explore the arena during a concert

Scotiabank Arena isn’t just a sports venue—it has hosted not only NHL games featuring the Maple Leafs and NBA games 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, among others, have performed there, so if your visit coincides with a concert at this venue, you’ll have a great excuse to check it out.

Visit the arena during a Raptors game

If you can’t catch a live Maple Leafs game or if you’re also a basketball fan, you can choose to get tickets to a Raptors NBA game in Toronto and see the inside of Scotiabank Arena. Keep in mind, however, that just like on NHL game days, you won’t be able to enter the arena without tickets for that specific game.

Generally speaking, there are no discounted tickets for Maple Leafs NHL games, though there are some strategies you can use to get better prices when buying tickets. Some of these involve attending games with lower demand —due to the opponent’s standing or the date of the game—and others involve choosing seats with limited views or in sections of the arena farther from the ice.

Buy tickets for games with lower demand

In the NHL, prices are dynamic, meaning ticket prices for each game fluctuate based on demand. So, if you opt for Maple Leafs games against opponents who aren’t direct rivals in terms of the team’s goals or for regular-season games, you’ll be able to find cheaper seats than for playoff games or matches against the Montreal Canadiens, Canada’s other powerhouse franchise.

Buy tickets for weekday games

If you’re planning to visit Toronto in October or during the first few months of the regular season, you’ll find many weekday games on the schedule, which are less crowded than weekend games. These games, which are usually on Wednesdays or Thursdays, offer better prices than those on Saturdays or Sundays.

Buying Tickets in Upper or Side Seats

In large arenas like Scotiabank Arena, the main difference in ticket prices usually comes down to seat location. So, if you don’t mind watching the game from seats farther away, you can find the cheapest tickets, which start at around 40 euros

Attending a Maple Leafs ice hockey game is one of the best activities to do with kids in Toronto, since not only will the atmosphere of the game itself capture their attention, but they’ll also be able to enjoy the pre-game and halftime shows. However, this doesn’t mean that young children can enter the arena at a discounted rate.

While each franchise sets its own ticketing policy for minors, as a general rule, children under 2 years old enter for free when accompanied by a responsible adult. However, discounted rates for children older than that depend on each team and each arena. Some franchises also offer reduced rates for children under 8 years old.

Keep in mind that if you plan to attend a Maple Leafs game with children and purchase tickets in advance, you’ll be able to find family discounts, with adjacent seats and the option to choose better locations —unlike if you buy tickets at the last minute.

There are many ways to buy tickets to see an ice hockey game in Toronto, but the most efficient and convenient option is undoubtedly to buy them online in advance, since you won’t waste time and you’ll be able to get better seats —especially if you plan far enough ahead. Plus, this option is ideal if you’re planning to visit Toronto for 3 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 standing in long lines before the game, and you won’t be guaranteed to get tickets, since NHL games are among the city’s most sought-after sporting events and Maple Leafs games tend to sell out for every game.

In total, ice hockey games last 60 minutes, though that only refers to playing time, which is divided into three 20-minute periods, with 15-minute intermissions between each period. Additionally, depending on the competition being played, the game may go into overtime, a shootout, or a golden goal, which will extend the game.

On average, a hockey game typically lasts about 2.5 hours in total, though you should add the time it takes to get to and from the arena, which in some areas can add another 20 or 30 minutes. However, keep in mind that every game is a spectacle in itself, so I recommend that you relax and enjoy the event from start to finish.

Finally, remember that the best way to enjoy an ice hockey game is to understand the rules, which, in the case of the NHL schedule, follow specific guidelines. To do this, you should know that each team’s goal is to score more goals than the opponent, that each team has six players on the ice, and that no player can hold the rubber puck for more than three seconds—which adds to the sport’s dynamism.

The NHL schedule features regular-season games between October and April, so if you’re planning to visit Toronto during those months, you’ll be able to see the Maple Leafs in action in the world’s premier ice hockey league. Once the regular season ends, the tournament continues with the playoffs, which generally run through the first few days of June.

The Maple Leafs play their home games at Scotiabank Arena, and game times vary according to the schedule, which includes games on weekdays as well as Saturdays and Sundays.

Upcoming Maple Leafs Games

• Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Montreal Canadiens – September 19: first home preseason game, in a split-squad format, against one of their historic rivals.
• Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Ottawa Senators – September 23: Second preseason game at Scotiabank Arena, part of the final preparations before the start of the NHL season.
• Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Pittsburgh Penguins – October: one of the first exciting regular-season games in Toronto, against a historic Eastern Conference franchise.

Scotiabank Arena is located in a central area of Toronto, very close to the harbor, so you can get there by public transportation, by car, or even on the city’s hop-on-hop-off tour buses, which 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 in front of Scotiabank Arena. Additionally, the city’s hop-on, hop-off tour bus also stops right there, so you can hop off at that stop and head to the Maple Leafs game.

How to get to Scotiabank Arena by car

The best way to reach the arena by car is via Yonge St., which is one of the main thoroughfares in Ontario’s capital. However, this option is not highly recommended, as traffic is often heavy in this part of the city and parking is hard to find—especially if you’re planning to visit Toronto in the summer or during peak season.

How to get to Scotiabank Arena by subway

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

Getting tickets to an ice hockey game in Toronto isn’t easy, but it’s worth the effort, so here are some tips to help you enjoy the show.

• First things first—get your ticket! Hockey games in Toronto are usually very popular, so finding tickets for these games isn’t easy. However, if you plan far enough in advance, you’ll be able to get better seats and better prices.
• Don’t wait until the last minute to arrive at the arena: ice hockey games offer a full-scale spectacle, so—unlike other sports—it’s not enough to arrive right at the start of the game; ideally, you should be at the arena at least an hour early to catch the pre-game shows and see how the crowd gets fired up. This also applies to the intermission shows.
• Get into the game: don’t be afraid to look silly, because anything goes at hockey games. Paint your face, wear the team jersey, join in the chants, and enjoy the sporting spirit that defines this activity.