Auston Matthews is a goalscorer and crowd favorite in Toronto. © APA / CLAUS ANDERSEN

NHL: show and top sport

Experiencing a game live in the best ice hockey league in the world is a real pleasure. Especially when this is the case in a stronghold like Toronto. The Maple Leafs want to play for the title this year with top scorer Auston Matthews.

02 April 2024

By: dol_pauli

The Scotiabank Arena in Toronto can accommodate almost 20.000 people. The Maple Leafs' home games are sold out. During games, 80 percent of fans wear a jersey from Auston Matthews, who has already scored 62 goals this year.

The atmosphere in the stadium is already at its best an hour before the first puck drop. A live band plays in the fan area around the ice ring, and a DJ plays loud music between the fans. An organ player should not be missing either.

There is something for everyone in terms of cuisine. Whether pizza, hamburgers, hot dogs, roast beef, salty foods, desserts and drinks of all kinds. And a (Canadian) ice hockey fan is hungry, and not just for goals from his favorite team.

Goosebumps listening to the anthem

Before the game, the Canadian and US anthems are sung and (almost) everyone in the arena gets goosebumps. The ice is cleaned during commercial breaks (two per third). Nothing is left to chance.

Fan games are also commonplace. There are jerseys to be won, food vouchers or gift baskets. The fans are shown again and again and the speaker really heats up. In the fan shop you can find everything from underpants to winter jackets.

The pace of the game itself is high for three thirds. The cracks really have a lot going for them in terms of ice skating and stick technique. 82 games in the regular season cost a lot of energy. The play-offs really get down to business from the round of XNUMX onwards in best-of-seven series.

Connor McDavid (left) in the game against St. Louis. © APA / DILIP VISHWANAT

An NHL team must play at least 98 games to become champions. There are usually over 100 games in a season. All 16 round of XNUMX teams dream of the Stanley Cup. With Boston, Florida, the Rangers, Carolina, Dallas, Colorado and Vancouver, some have already been decided. Toronto, Winnipeg and Edmonton are also almost through.

Three superstars are “fighting” for the crown of best scorer. We're talking about Nikita Kucherov (Tampa Bay), Nathan MacKinnon (Colorado) and Connor McDavid (Edmonton).