Fans wonder about Trump effect as cheap seats available for Leafs playoff games in Florida

Adam Carter · CBC News

· Posted: May 09, 2025 10:12 PM EDT | Last Updated: 19 minutes ago

Anyone successful Florida looking for tickets to Friday night's pivotal crippled 3 showdown betwixt the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Panthers could find thing astir unthinkable connected this broadside of the border: (relatively) inexpensive seats.

At astir 5 hours earlier puck drop, summons reseller Stubhub had seats going for astir $100 connected the debased end, with plentifulness of options inactive disposable successful the $200 to $300 range. That's importantly much affordable than resale seats for a imaginable crippled 5 successful Toronto, wherever the cheapest tickets available astatine the aforesaid clip Friday were conscionable nether $500, with others topping $1,000.

While it's unsurprising summons prices would beryllium higher successful Toronto — as an archetypal six squad with a rabid fanbase compared to a confederate authorities that isn't a accepted hockey hotbed — some fans heading to the crippled successful Sunrise told CBC News they judge tickets are cheaper than expected arsenic immoderate Canadians are staying distant from the U.S. due to the fact that of the commercialized warfare launched by President Donald Trump.

"There's a drastic driblet successful the Canadians coming down present attending games, coming to the resorts, coming to the hotels, coming to the beaches," said Daniel St. Denis, a Canadian who present lives successful the United States. He was capable to snag resale tickets for Friday's clash for nether $100.

St. Denis, who is primitively from the Peterborough, Ont. country but present lives successful Philadelphia and works successful Florida, said determination were a batch much Canadians successful the country successful the past mates of years. He'll beryllium successful the stands Friday cheering for the Panthers, arsenic a Senators instrumentality who was forced to ticker his favourite squad get eliminated by the Leafs successful the archetypal circular of the NHL playoffs.

"Just being here, you tin archer wherever the Canadians are erstwhile you spell to the restaurants, you spell to the hotels, you spell to the formation — and determination are less than what you'd expect," helium said.

WATCH | Leafs look to instrumentality power of series: 

Mark Fera of Toronto says helium wouldn't person made the trip to Florida if the Leafs weren't successful the playoffs. He says helium flew to Florida successful 2023 for different postseason bid betwixt the Leafs and Panthers, but was disquieted this clip astir the speech complaint and ongoing commercialized warfare mightiness marque it excessively expensive.

"To my surprise, a batch of the worldly is cheaper," helium said. And it's not conscionable tickets. 

Fera said his flights outgo little than half what they did successful 2023, and his car rental and beachfront edifice were acold cheaper than what he's utilized to. He wondered if a deficiency of Canadian visitors had thing to bash with it.

"Things are not astatine the aforesaid costs. I deliberation radical conscionable haven't been funny successful coming down for galore reasons," helium said. "I decidedly find it to beryllium a batch much tenable successful a batch of aspects this time."

Stateside visits drop

The U.S. gets much visitors from Canada each twelvemonth than from immoderate different country, according to the U.S. Travel Association, an manufacture commercialized group, which said 20.4 cardinal visits from Canada past twelvemonth generated $20.5 cardinal successful spending.

But determination has been a large driblet successful foreigners traveling to the U.S. since Trump took office, and Canadians are nary exception.

There were much than 910,000 less onshore borderline crossings from Canada into the U.S. successful March compared to the aforesaid period successful 2024 — a much than 22 per cent driblet — according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection data. 

An Air Canada spokesperson, meanwhile, said Canada-U.S. formation bookings for April done September are down astir 10 per cent.

Since Trump started his 2nd term, determination person been well-publicized reports of tourists being stopped astatine U.S. borderline crossings and held for weeks astatine migration detention facilities earlier being allowed to alert location astatine their ain expense.

Panthers backmost connected location ice

St. Denis said his ain household hasn't been crossing the borderline arsenic much, and helium knows radical who person been reasoning astir cancelling trips they already had booked to the U.S.

That's wherefore he's not expecting to spot a oversea of bluish jerseys successful the stands astatine Amerant Bank Arena Friday night.

"I deliberation it's going to beryllium existent location crystal for the Panthers tonight, and I deliberation it's going to beryllium loud," helium said.

And though St. Denis is simply a Senators instrumentality who admittedly enjoys watching the Leafs lose, he's inactive lauding however the squad looks truthful acold successful the playoffs, present up 2 games to nary against the defending champs.

"If they get past the Panthers, it's their cupful to lose," helium said. "I truly deliberation that they bash person a bully team."