The inaugural season of the Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL) kicked off in early January…read more2024. This league is also affectionately known as P-dub, which is easier to say than the acronym. The league consists of these six teams: - Toronto - Ottawa - Montreal - Minnesota - New York - Boston They were supposed to have team names. The league applied for six trademarks, which were considered leaked names. I don't know if this story is true, as you can always get trademarks for names that you think that you want, but aren't forced to use them. It would have been the Toronto Torch. I dig the alliteration. Go, Torch, go! This chant works. Instead, the teams were simply PWHL + location. It seems strange, but there is standardization. When the jerseys were unveiled, they had the location in block letters running diagonally across the front. It looked simple and kind of boring at first, but it grew on fans. I have been watching and supporting Toronto and Minnesota games throughout this season. I like that games are broadcast on YouTube for free. It sure beats my NHL subscription! PWHL Toronto plays their games at Mattamy Athletic Centre, which was formerly Maple Leaf Gardens. Yep, it's where the Toronto Maple Leafs played their games from 1931 till 1999. It's now a mix of an ice hockey rink, a Loblaws supermarket, and a venue where the Toronto Metropolitan University holds convocation and other large events. I have yet to see this team play a game at Mattamy. I suppose that taking in Minnesota Wild games in Saint Paul has torn me away from taking in a PWHL game here. I am consistent, though. I also hadn't been taking in any Toronto Marlies games (American Hockey league) for a longer period. I do love this Toronto team. The majority of the players are Canadian. Many of them recently won gold at the Women's Hockey Championship in April. I like that the PHWL halted all games so that players from this league could participate in this world event. With the Wild out of the playoffs for the first time in a few years, it was nice to check out local hockey. I squeezed in a couple of AHL games before the Marlies exited the playoffs early. PWHL Toronto was the top team in the league during the regular season. I like that the rules are different in this league. This team decided its opponent in the first playoff round. It chose Minnesota, a team that was on a ten-game losing skid. Minnesota seemed to be the easiest team to beat. I am happy to say that my first PWHL game that I attended was in Toronto, at Coca Cola Coliseum. This game was the first PWHL playoff game ever. It was a dream to see two teams that I have supported battle it out. The PWHL is so popular that Mattamy Athletic Centre was deemed too small for the crowd for the first round of the playoffs. It's the main reason why it was moved to the Coliseum. When I first saw Toronto hit the ice and warm up, I could tell that this team was ready. The team looked good. It was a best-of-five-games series. Toronto looked strong, winning the first two games at home. Minnesota proved to be a huge thorn in Toronto's side. Minnesota did a reverse series win and beat the top ranked team. I was sad that my attending PWHL Toronto games was over for this season. However, I was so proud at how great this team did. Sadly, the team lost Natalie Spooner to injury during the playoffs. She had the most goals during the regular season. Her absence affected the team's ability to win the series. I had the best seat for my first and only PWHL game at Coca Cola Coliseum. My ticket was affordable and the food at this venue is excellent. I look forward to next season and taking in at least a PWHL Toronto game at Mattamy Athletic Centre. Here's hoping that Toronto has another successful regular season and ends up hoisting the Walter Cup next year. (222)

Tip: If you purchase a Toronto Marlies ticket. it allows you to take advantage of future ticket…read moresales. I ended up getting 50% off tickets during the regular 2024-2025 season, as well as the 2025 playoffs. When Winnipeg lost its NHL Jets, the city got the Manitoba Moose. We got International Hockey League (IHL) games for a few years before the team became a part of the America Hockey League (AHL). I moved back to the greater Toronto area. I was still a Manitoba Moose fan. I took in Toronto Marlies game at the Ricoh (now Coca-Cola) Coliseum whenever the team played the Moose. The Marlies are the farm team of the Toronto Maple Leafs. Tickets for the latter are expensive. I took in a Leafs game a decade ago. My ticket at the 300-level of Air Canada Centre (now Scotiabank Arena) was just under $200. I saw players looking like coffee beans moving around on a white surface, which was the rink. Marlies tickets are exceptionally affordable. I haven't broken the bank getting one. My recent first-round playoff ticket was $27 before taxes thanks to a 50% off deal. I stopped going to AHL games for over a decade. It's likely because I ended up being a Minnesota Wild season ticket holder. Last year, the Wild didn't make the playoffs. The Toronto Marlies did for the Calder Cup. I got a chance to see this team play the Belleville Senators (farm team of the Ottawa Senators) in the first round. Sadly, the Marlies didn't win the series. This year, the Marlies played the Cleveland Monsters in the first round of the playoffs. I saw both teams play in January. The Monsters won the game. I was hoping that the Marlies would win yesterday. It was a three-game series. Sadly, the Monsters won in double overtime and ended the hockey season for the Marlies. It was my first double overtime game that I have experienced at any arena. I liked that concession stands continued to stay open. It was a bit sad that many folks left after the third period. My guess is that most folks wanted to go home to see the Leafs play the Senators. I don't know. If you're at the game and it goes into overtime, I feel the need to support my team. It was a heartbreaking lost, but I was so proud that the Marlies made it an exciting game, including a penalty shot that got the Marlies a goal. I like attending Marlies games. I like the swag that you get here and there, from a beanie, to a rally towel. Entering Coca-Cola Coliseum is straightforward. You get your ticket scanned from your phone. You go through security without taking anything out of your pockets. It's easy. I frankly like the good eats at Marlies games. It's better than anything at Scotiabank Arena. The quality is just as good as the food at Xcel Energy Center. Even if you're not a diehard hockey fan, come for the food. Grilled cheese. Mac and cheese (I got shells and corkscrew pasta shapes, which seem fancy). House-made potato chips. Chili beef foot-long hot dogs. Everything that I have had has been fantastic. There is a merchandise store. It's not open after the game, which is weird. I have a Marlies cap that is comfortable. I finally got a Marlies t-shirt yesterday, which is super soft and comfortable. I thought that I'd just be a one-team AHL supporter. I started with the Manitoba Moose. I added the Marlies when I moved back to the GTA. I added the Iowa Wild, the farm team of the Minnesota Wild. It's good hockey and extremely affordable. I like the Marlies. The players are fun to watch. Ticket prices are wonderfully affordable. I'd sooner take in a ton of Marlies games than breaking the bank on a Leafs ticket and bringing binoculars to the game. (142)

Toronto Marlies($35.00/Sides) is a good deal for a First-time Live Hockey game watcher in the City…read moreof Toronto. This is in consideration that University of Toronto Blues is not worth watching, while the Toronto Maple Leafs are impossible to get a hold of and even at that it would cost you a months RENT or two. Playing the Hamilton Bulldogs, we found that we were sitting along a full age demographics here from Newborns to Retired Elders. I would say there's a much higher ratio of Under 10 then any other age group. They were all dressed in their own Hockey Jerseys meaning they are in a Hockey program of some sort. Greg Scott, Joey Crabb did well and Jerry D'Amigo won it for Marlies during the Overtime Shootout while Max Pacioretty was the lone scorer that kept his Bulldogs in the game. Fyi, at this moment in time the Marlies(9-7-0) have a better record than the Maple Leafs(7-9-3) but neither is something to be too excited about unfortunately.

In terms of the number of trophies won, Toronto FC is near the top of MLS. However, most of…read moreToronto's trophies are Canadian Championship trophies. Not to downplay the Canadian Championship, but only three of the current 28 MLS teams are eligible to compete for the Canadian Championship: CF Montreal (Montreal Impact), Toronto FC, and Vancouver Whitecaps FC. Other Canadian Championship participants come from lower-level leagues such as the Canadian Premier League (CPL) and League1 Ontario. Since the Canadian Championship's first year in 2008, the finalists have always included two of Canada's three aforementioned MLS teams. The only exception was in 2020 when Forge FC of Hamilton, Ontario qualified for the final against Toronto. Forge is from the CPL and won back-to-back CPL championships in 2019 and 2020. Toronto FC (7) and CF Montreal (5) have combined to win 12 of the 14 Canadian Championships so far. When it comes to MLS play, Toronto won the Supporters' Shield (best regular season record) and the MLS Cup Playoffs in 2017. It was the team's 11th season. To date, the 2017 MLS Cup is the team's only league championship, a 2-0 win over the Seattle Sounders at BMO Field in Toronto. American forward Jozy Altidore was named MLS Cup MVP. He had the opening goal. Around this time, Italian forward Sebastian Giovinco was the star of the team. Giovinco played for Toronto from 2015 to 2019. In his first year, he won three MLS awards: Newcomer of the Year, Golden Boot (most goals in the regular season with 22), and MVP. Giovinco was the team's top scorer for four straight seasons, 2015-2018. Toronto recently had another player win the MLS MVP Award in 2020: Spanish midfielder Alejandro Pozuelo. Pozuelo joined the team in 2019 and is still currently with the team. He's taken over as the leading scorer for Toronto since the departure of Giovinco. Greg Vanney was Toronto's head coach during the "championship era." It was his first head coaching job. A former LA Galaxy player, Vanney has been the Galaxy's head coach since January 2021. Conversely, Bob Bradley has been Toronto's head coach since November 2021. He came over from Galaxy rival LAFC (Los Angeles Football Club).

Went to watch Toronto FC for the first time at BMO fields and it was a fun experience. The stadium…read morewas limited in capacity due to COVID restrictions, but that made it easier to move around and enjoy the stadium. We sat in our actual seats for the first half and then walked around and were let in the beer garden area which is usually reserved for season ticket holders etc. Atmosphere was lively and make sure you join in the team spirit with the chants and noise. I can see why people often compliment the Toronto FC experience. Parking & Beer & food & water were extremely over priced as expected. The game ended up being a tie, but we had a good time!

Go Chicks Ahoy!!! (That's right, three explanation points. I'm nothing if not grammatically…read moreoffensive. Bite it, Strunk Jr.) So, the championship bout was last week: Gore Gore Girls vs. Chicks Ahoy! in a battle most thought the Gore Gores would easily win...Hell, I had kind of got used to their dominance, and those blow-out scores (as noted in my review). I was hoping for a fun game. What'd I get? Sheer domination by the Chicks Ahoy! WOO! The game started with relative equality, but then the Gore Gore's "Bambi" took to the track for her first jam. Bambi is one of the league's best offensive players, lanky and awkward but fast and agile. Did she rack up a 20 point jam for a big early lead? No. Not even close. She got *brutalized*. I mean rocked, and the Chicks sent a defining early message: the Gore Gores were gonna get hurt at every turn, and every point was gonna come with a price. And it just got worse from there as the Chicks built up a sizeable lead while mercilessly punishing the Gore Gores. By game's end, the Gore Gores were down (I think) three players, and stars Bambi and Dust Bunny had taken turns as blockers due to the injury depleted lineup. The score differential was insurmountable, and the Gore Gores were simply playing for pride. Bambi suffered badly in this game, beaten up every time she took to the track, and to see her come out and serve as a blocker late in the game with the score out of reach... damn. That's guts, man, determination and heart all the way. My hat's off to the Chicks -- especially Mega Bouche, Nasher the Smasher, and Marmighty, the gals who really set the tone for the game and punished the defending champions en-route to becoming the ToRD 2011 Champs! I can't wait for next season!

You just want to give 4 or 5 stars, out of the goodness of your heart. I almost gave 2 stars, but…read moreI can see how this event could have been better, and with my knowledge, you will learn. 1) They only serve beer. I'm pretty sure the girls around me (roller derby type girls, if you will) were all fine with beer, because they are tough and strong and confident in their womanhood. But I'm not, and I like to drink a sweet drink outta a straw. So keep this in mind, and if you're like me, bring a water bottle with your own beverage choice inside. 2) It's pretty expensive. Ours was a double header, so I guess it is like 4 HOURS of entertainment, but you're also sitting on a metal bench for that amount of time. $18 at the door. Each. So....more than a movie, which is pretty much my bench mark for "things that are too expensive to do on a date". 3) Parking is free. Everyone was super nice and the audience was totally into it. 4) It's way in the middle of no where. For me, at least. And everyone else but the guys who work at Idomo. 5) They sold my friend 50/50 tickets and then I said, "You should find out when the draw is," and then they said it was basically 3 hours from then. I understand WHY they do that - so that everyone wants to stay WELL past when they would - but they should mention this when selling, because it left me with a bad taste in my mouth. Or maybe that was the beer.

This is a review update of Raptors…read more A lot have changed since my last review which was almost 7 years ago. Building a winning team does takes years but I am just so excited that my home team finally in the 2019 NBA final even 1 game away from a Championship?! This is just unbelievable. Go Raptors Go! We the North!

Hey, I'm at 1,200 reviews! To mark this milestone, it makes sense that I write about the Toronto…read moreRaptors. The team won its first NBA Championship. We the north! We the champs! We da best in 2019! I moved away from the GTA in 1995, which happened to be the inaugural season for our beloved Raptors. I moved to Winnipeg. The Jets died that year. I got into the Raptors to fill the void. I didn't even think twice about the Grizzles. The Raptors have always been my NBA team. Raptors fans have seen a ton of amazing players come and go. Stoudamire. Curry. Bogues. Camby. McGrady. Williams. Calderon. Carter. Bosh. DeRozan. I was thrilled to see a number of them return during the finals between the Raptors and Warriors, to wave to the crowd and soak in the moment. Remember the ten-year challenge that was a hip meme a while back? Well, I can do it for the Raptors. I attended my first Raptors game ten years ago. I was with a company that invited employees to its suite box at the Air Canada Centre. There was a single spot open and I got it. Sadly, I couldn't bring anyone, but the experience was amazing. I got to see the Raptors play the Hawks. It was a tight game. I got to order food in a fancy suite. I am not fancy in comparison, but I felt at ease ordering food, and stuffing my face with pizza, a burger, fries, and a beverage to wash everything down. The Raptors lost by eight points. I was still happy to watch them and take in the experience. Thank goodness I took photos! Some habits don't die. Let's switch to the Raptors today. The Raptors formed such an amazing roster of talented guys who never said die. Leonard. Lowry. VanVleet. Gasol. Ibaka. Siakam. Green. They made the entire journey enjoyable, stressful, and worth every moment to support. There were a few games where I needed a defibrillator and felt so stressed out watching the entire game (Raptors vs. Sixers with Leonard's buzzer-beating shot comes to mind, along with game six against the Warriors to seal the deal). Hat tip to the Raptors for such an amazing achievement. As Canadians, we are incredibly proud of the Raptors. It's Canada's team. The north has spoken. (186)

Went to the game vs the Senators. Well I give it three stars since we expected better for the…read morevenue. We got seats by the aisle and it was hard standing and sitting every few minutes. It didn't help that there were about 30 seats per section vs the 20 or less that is typical and the railing slightly blocked our view. Maybe everyone was going around and enjoying their great food and drink since the team sucks and it's a shame they have for so long with it being the only team in Canada's largest metro area by far. No wonder our best friend, a Bruins fan, calls them "The Make Me Laughs" and he actually saw them beat the Capitals in DC the next day. One fan said "maybe I should just become a Sens fan" after they beat them at home. Carlton the polar bear is adorable though.

Last week, my manager and I were having a talk. We got on the topic of hockey…read more He told me that Mats Sundin, our former Toronto Maple Leafs captain, used to live in the same condominium as he. He mentioned early 90's. We then had this conversation: "Wasn't Sundin with the Nordiques then?" I asked. "We'll need to check," he said. I checked. I was right. Sundin joined the Leafs in 1994. He started his career with the Quebec Nordiques in 1990. Although I don't talk about the Leafs as much as I do the Minnesota Wild (season ticket holder of a handful of tickets) or Winnipeg Jets (first set of live games attended), the Leafs are near and dear to me. It is tough being a Leafs fan for a variety of reasons. I grew up watching the Leafs on television. My dad often had Hockey Night in Canada on after dinner on Saturdays. I'd watch the the team play. The puck moving around ice made this little kid curious and happy. I only heard their names as a kid. Sittler. McDonald. Salming. Palmateer. I'd learn about how important they are and were to the Leafs and hockey later on as I became a huge hockey fan. I got into the Leafs when I was an undergraduate student. The Leafs were in the playoffs. Fans were hoping that the team would hoist another Stanley Cup. There was hope. We still don't have a repeat cup. The team back then was magical. Doug Gilmour and Dave Andreychuk were the dynamic duo. They were wonderful together. Add into the mix Borschevsky, Potvin, Clark, and more and you got an exciting team to watch. I loved catching the team's playoff runs while I was taking summer math courses, trying to balancing studying, and either listening or watching games on the radio or TV, respectively. You then had a changing of the guards with Mats Sundin. He was a tall, skillful player who eventually wore the C. We had more Swedes on our team. It was such a change compared to when Salming joined the NHL and many players weren't used to seeing a European player on the ice. I remember a couple of colleagues from our Karlskrona office visiting ours for a week nearly a decade ago. I took them around Toronto and the suburbs, not that I was forced to, but I liked doing it. I took them to a hockey game after work. They got to see Sundin, Modin, and more at Air Canada Centre (now Scotiabank Arena). They were ecstatic! I also recommended that they go to the Hockey Hall of Fame, which they did the following evening. It was nice that hockey strengthened our relationship. They appreciated the fact that I was aware of Swedish hockey players and didn't simply narrow it down to Canadians. Like them, I was a hockey fan. The Leafs these days have a strong team. The core four of Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, William Nylander and John Tavares seem unstoppable scoring machines. Ryan Reaves, formerly of the Wild, is now in a Leafs jersey. It's weird, but he injects a lot of much needed swagger to this club. I removed a star in my rating because it's super expensive seeing a Leafs game at Scotiabank Arena. Getting season tickets is also difficult and expensive. The food isn't as good or affordable as the Xcel Energy Center. One positive is that you can use debit and credit cards for 50/50 draws at Leafs games. I do hope that I can see the Leafs win the cup again in my lifetime. Never say never. (93)

The Brampton Beast are probably one of the most under-utilized sources of affordable fun -…read moreespecially for families. Though they're in a lower-tier of minor league hockey, the games are usually fairly entertaining and what sets the Beast apart in terms of experience is that they really make a huge effort to bring an entertaining experience when you come. Take a look at their schedule, and you'll see theme nights such as Star Wars, 90's and just about everything else. They make sure kids are engaged with the theme, along with the very good chance the kids will get on the big screen, meet the mascot and even win a prize. Coming to games is extremely accessible based on the inexpensive tickets. Also, though some in the GTA may hear "Brampton" and assume it's too far, bear in mind they're located a few hundred metres from Mississauga and a couple minutes away from the Derry Rd/410 exit. Most people could make it here in 20 minutes or less for a weekend game. Parking is free too.

Seems like a great family night outing. There is free parking and the ticket prices are affordable…read more The hockey is competitive, but it's visible that it's not as competitive or highly skilled as ahl or nhl. They have box seats which are great for parties. Their pizza and nachos tastes pretty good. The arena's size allows for great views throughout. Kids seem to really enjoy the mascot, music and the hotdog bazooka. They have 50/50 but didn't announce the winning number during the game. At the end of the game I went to check for the winning number and staff was unsure where to go. I went to aisle 11 they told me to go to aisle 3 and vice versa. The staff made me wait to text each other what the number was and where to go. Finally saying someone had claimed it without giving the number. Overall, very relaxing, nice views, music and light show does hype you up. There are tons of families watching with their small children. Affordable entertainment.

Tip: Jays tickets are cheap. I have purchased a Jays 500-level ticket for $20. I'm sure that there…read moreare cheaper options if you go at the last minute. Similar to the Toronto Maple Leafs, I grew up watching the Toronto Blue Jays when games were televised. I also listened to games on the radio, which I didn't do with the Leafs until I was an undergraduate student. More about that part of my life a bit later. I listened to the Jays on the AM radio dial at home. I remember how popular the Jays were that I'd be at my dentist and I'd be listening to the game with my mouth wide open. The Jays dominated the American League division between roughly 1985 and 1993. The Jays won back-to-back World Series championships. I remember being an undergraduate student, watching the game and the score between classes. There were TVs set up at Glendon College, York University in various hallways. I did Linear Algebra homework in front of the TV, with Jays games on, at home. I managed to pass the course. I'm not sure how considering how much time I spent watching each playoff game! The Jays rosters for those two championships were amazing. Alomar. Carter. Olerud. White. Winfield. Molitar. Borders. Stottlemyre. Wells. Ward. Henke. Bell. Sprague. Guzman. Gruber. Key. That roster was incredible. To this day, my favourite closer (pitcher) is Tom Henke. He was a force. You could rely on him to close the game and have the Jays win. Winfield and Molitar hail from Saint Paul, MN. Little did I know that I'd end up living in Minnesota for two years and spending a lot of time in Saint Paul for hockey. I have attended a handful of Jays game in my lifetime. I remember my first time at SkyDome before it became Rogers Centre, taking in a game with the dome open. I had decent 200-level seats, just behind home plate. I forgot sunscreen, so I caught some sun that day. The next time was for a corporate event in the late 2000's. We had 100-level seats. I don't remember much about the game, as I was the marketing person taking photos of everyone enjoying it. I do remember having fun and hanging out with folks more than keeping score. A couple of weeks ago, I returned for Work from Dome. My employer made it an event to have us in section 515 to take in an afternoon game. The dome was open. My team moved with the sun, taking cover under shade. Sadly, the Jays lost. We all had a great time despite the outcome. The Jays look strong this year. We've got Guerrero Jr signed to a long-term contract. Bichette. Springer. Santander. Lukes. Clement. It was nice getting re-acquainted with the Jays. I'm more of a hockey fanatic these days, but it was nice knowing that I still love the Jays and baseball. (175)

Tickets are decently priced and not as expensive as say hockey or basketball…read more. I was surprised that the prices of the tickets were decent for the first round of 2025 postseason. Unlike other sports venues, you are allowed to bring bottled water and your own food, as long as it is well packaged. Heck, you can even bring a large pizza in! No more highway robbery of expensive food at the stands. They do have a bag policy restrictions so check carefully before heading there. The place is huge and you can definitely walk around throughout the duration of the game. The nosebleeds section all the way to the top are kind of awful that you might feel dizzy just sitting there. THey do let people standing watching the game at the main level but you get blocked by the top ceiling. Baseball games may be long but now they have a time limit now so that the game does go a little faster. People tend to show up in the later innings so the seat(s) you think may be empty may not end up being empty anymore. Sometimes, the staff does let you in the empty seats, even if you don't belong to the section. It depends on how nice the staff is. Parking can range from $10 to $30. A short walk from Union Station to the stadium. Many entrances to the baseball stadium.