On a day that would have marked the official beginning of the NHL season for the Toronto Maple Leafs, hockey fans gathered outside the Air Canada Centre for a different occasion.
As the NHL lockout continues, some fans refused to sit back and watch the season slip away.
Bloggers from the website WeWantACup.com urged Leafs fans to gather at the corner of York Street and Bremner Boulevard on Saturday to show their frustration with the lockout and to support local businesses that are suffering from the lack of NHL games.
The rally is dubbed “Hockey Not In Canada.”
“Hockey shouldn’t be in boardrooms, it should be in my living room on Saturday nights,” rally organizer Matteo Codispoti told CTV News Channel on Friday.
“The fans didn’t have a voice last time,” he said of the 2004/05 NHL lockout. “As part of the social media network, I think it’s important to get that voice and try to bring it out,” said Codispoti.
Codispoti said during the regular hockey season, upwards of 20,000 fans would pour out of the ACC and into the nearby bars and restaurants.
“It is a big business for the people of this city,” he said.
Donations will be collected during the rally to support arena employees who are temporarily out of work.
“It’s the owners (versus) the players, and it seems like the fans are suffering most,” reads a posting on the group’s website. “The owners are still very wealthy, many players are still playing competitive hockey and all will eventually return to their multi-million dollar salaries, but for the fans it’s ‘wait and see’ time.”
Codispoti said he’s urging other Canadian hockey bloggers to host similar events.
“This is the first step for fans,” he said of the grassroots appeal. “It hasn’t been done in a lockout situation.”
Leafs fans are urged to wear a team jersey to the rally, which is taking place between 4 p.m. and 7 p.m.
