Fans wonder about Trump effect as cheap seats available for Leafs playoff games in Florida
Anyone in Florida looking for tickets to Friday night's pivotal game three showdown between the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Panthers could find something almost unthinkable on this side of the border: (relatively) cheap seats.
At around five hours before puck drop, ticket reseller Stubhub had seats going for around $100 on the low end, with plenty of options still available in the $200 to $300 range. That's significantly more affordable than resale seats for a possible game five in Toronto, where the cheapest tickets available at the same time Friday were just under $500, with others topping $1,000.
While it's unsurprising ticket prices would be higher in Toronto — as an original six team with a rabid fanbase compared to a southern state that isn't a traditional hockey hotbed — some fans heading to the game in Sunrise told CBC News they believe tickets are cheaper than expected as some Canadians are staying away from the U.S. because of the trade war launched by President Donald Trump.
"There's a drastic drop in the Canadians coming down here attending games, coming to the resorts, coming to the hotels, coming to the beaches," said Daniel St. Denis, a Canadian who now lives in the United States. He was able to snag resale tickets for Friday's clash for under $100.
St. Denis, who is originally from the Peterborough, Ont. area but now lives in Philadelphia and works in Florida, said there were a lot more Canadians in the area in the last couple of years. He'll be in the stands Friday cheering for the Panthers, as a Senators fan who was forced to watch his favourite team get eliminated by the Leafs in the first round of the NHL playoffs.
"Just being here, you can tell where the Canadians are when you go to the restaurants, you go to the hotels, you go to the beach — and there are fewer than what you'd expect," he said.
WATCH | Leafs look to take control of series:
Leafs look to take 3-0 series lead in Game 3 against Florida Panthers
10 hours ago
Duration 2:27
The Toronto Maple Leafs are looking to take a commanding 3-0 lead in Game 3 against the Florida Panthers. CBC's Greg Ross breaks down what's at stake ahead of Friday night's game.
Mark Fera of Toronto says he wouldn't have made the trip to Florida if the Leafs weren't in the playoffs. He says he flew to Florida in 2023 for another postseason series between the Leafs and Panthers, but was worried this time around the exchange rate and ongoing trade war might make it too expensive.
"To my surprise, a lot of the stuff is cheaper," he said. And it's not just tickets.
Fera said his flights cost less than half what they did in 2023, and his car rental and beachfront hotel were far cheaper than what he's used to. He wondered if a lack of Canadian visitors had anything to do with it.
"Things are not at the same costs. I think people just haven't been interested in coming down for many reasons," he said. "I definitely find it to be a lot more reasonable in a lot of aspects this time."
Stateside visits drop
The U.S. gets more visitors from Canada each year than from any other country, according to the U.S. Travel Association, an industry trade group, which said 20.4 million visits from Canada last year generated $20.5 billion in spending.
But there has been a big drop in foreigners traveling to the U.S. since Trump took office, and Canadians are no exception.
There were more than 910,000 fewer land border crossings from Canada into the U.S. in March compared to the same month in 2024 — a more than 22 per cent drop — according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection data.
An Air Canada spokesperson, meanwhile, said Canada-U.S. flight bookings for April through September are down about 10 per cent.
Since Trump started his second term, there have been well-publicized reports of tourists being stopped at U.S. border crossings and held for weeks at immigration detention facilities before being allowed to fly home at their own expense.
Panthers back on home ice
St. Denis said his own family hasn't been crossing the border as much, and he knows people who have been thinking about cancelling trips they already had booked to the U.S.
That's why he's not expecting to see a sea of blue jerseys in the stands at Amerant Bank Arena Friday night.
"I think it's going to be true home ice for the Panthers tonight, and I think it's going to be loud," he said.
And though St. Denis is a Senators fan who admittedly enjoys watching the Leafs lose, he's still lauding how the team looks so far in the playoffs, now up two games to none against the defending champs.
"If they get past the Panthers, it's their cup to lose," he said. "I really think that they do have a good team."
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