[URBAN NOTE] "Maple Leafs’ ticket sales continue to fall"

[rfmcdonald]

Sportsnet's Chris Johnston reports on one sign that might well be an indicator of Torontonians' increasing disenchantment with the underperforming Toronto Maple Leafs. Is this the end of Leafs Nation?

On Monday, the team announced its lowest attendance figure -- 18,366 -- for a regular-season game in the 16-year history of the building. It lost 2-1 to Minnesota that night to see its record fall to 8-32-3 since mid-December.

All of that losing is finally taking a toll at the box office, although Toronto still sits seventh overall in NHL attendance this season and charges the highest ticket prices in the league.

Among the remaining home games on the schedule are two visits by Ottawa and another from Montreal in the April 11 regular-season finale, all of which should draw crowds above the ACC's capacity of 18,819.

An extremely high percentage of Leafs tickets are held by season seat-holders and the waiting list to become one of those stretches back for years. That has traditionally made it tough for the average fan to get inside the building (to say nothing of the price).

However, with the team headed for its worst finish in more than two decades, fans have started to stay home. Strangely enough, the Leafs actually boast a winning record at the ACC -- 19-16-1 compared with 8-25-5 on the road -- but have been booed often there and saw sweaters thrown on the ice earlier this season.