Tickets still available to Centennial Classic; NHL expecting sellout

TORONTO — Tickets are still available to the NHL’s Centennial Classic, the next in a long line of high-profile sports events in Toronto.

A search of Ticketmaster shows that blocks of eight seats can still be had in multiple sections for Sunday’s tilt between the Toronto Maple Leafs and Detroit Red Wings, beginning at a per-ticket price of $229. The least expensive seats ($129 per-ticket) appear to be mostly gone.

A league source said only a limited number of seats are left and a sellout of BMO Field is expected.

It’s possible Toronto is just suffering from sporting fatigue following a series of big events.

The Toronto Raptors reached the Eastern Conference final for the first time last spring while the Toronto Blue Jays qualified for a second consecutive American League Championship Series in the fall. The NHL and NHLPA also held the World Cup of Hockey at Air Canada Centre in September and the CFL’s Grey Cup game was held at BMO in late November.

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And the world junior hockey championship is currently taking place in Toronto for the second time in three years.

The matchup between the Leafs and Wings also lacks punch after the two teams met at the 2014 Winter Classic — held before more than 100,000 fans at the Big House in Michigan. Toronto, while an emerging young team, still ranks near the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings.

Detroit, currently riding a streak of 25 consecutive seasons in the playoffs, is no longer the vaunted entity of years past. The Wings are tied for last in the Atlantic Division.

Outdoor games have also become more common in the NHL — there are four alone this season — removing some of the lustre the event once had.

Remaining tickets won’t come cheap either. The least expensive pair still available at Ticketmaster will still cost more than $500 before taxes.

Jonas Siegel, The Canadian Press