Leafs fans, city councillors want Toronto playoff games shown at Celebration Square in Mississauga

Several Mississauga city councillors want to see if they can get Toronto Maple Leafs playoff games broadcast on the big screens at Celebration Square in the downtown core.

With many long-suffering Leafs’ fans seemingly optimistic during this spring’s NHL Stanley Cup playoffs, some among the team’s fan base in Mississauga are asking if the hockey club’s playoff games can be shown at the downtown Mississauga venue while Toronto is still alive in the 2025 hunt for the Cup.

The Leafs disposed of the Ottawa Senators in the first round of the playoffs and now find themselves up by a game heading into Wednesday night’s second contest in a best-of-seven series against the rival Florida Panthers, who also happen to be the defending Stanley Cup champs.

From time to time, the City of Mississauga hosts screenings of key sports events at Celebration Square, including World Cup soccer matches back in late 2022 and the Toronto Raptors’ final-round run to the NBA title in 2019.

Historically, city officials say, they limit such screenings to major international competitions, such as the World Cup, and final playoff rounds of major North American sports leagues given both other bookings at Celebration Square and the high cost of acquiring rights to broadcast the professional sports games.

Ward 4 Coun. and Deputy Mayor John Kovac said it’s difficult to broadcast a lot of sports events, such as NHL games, at Celebration Square due to high costs and other programming booked at the venue.

Ward 1 Coun. Stephen Dasko opened discussion about the Leafs at Wednesday’s general committee meeting, saying that “with the weather turning a little bit nicer right now, I’m just wondering if we might have the same opportunity (as was done during the Raptors’ 2019 title season) to do that for the Leafs during their run to the Stanley Cup.”

The councillor offered that final take — seemingly a prediction of playoff success for the Leafs — with a chuckle and hopeful smile.

“The Leafs, God love ’em, are into round two right now and they’re doing great,” he said in his earlier comments.

City staff said they normally wait until the final round of playoffs to show games at Celebration Square, but they’re considering making the move for the conference final — should Toronto defeat Florida — and perhaps sooner.

Ward 8 Coun. and Deputy Mayor Matt Mahoney offered his take on the matter, noting, as one of the team’s long-suffering supporters, “I am one of the biggest Leafs fans out there, but the Leafs have never gotten as far as the Raptors and the weather has always been cold when they’ve been booted out in the first round, so let’s see if we can get it going and maybe that’ll bring us some good luck,” he laughed, in offering his support to get games broadcast on the screens at Celebration Square.

Meanwhile, Ward 4 Coun. and Deputy Mayor John Kovac, who represents Mississauga’s downtown area, said he’s asked by residents “all the time about why we don’t have enough playoff games” on the screens at Celebration Square.

“Largely, it has to do with the fact that it’s over-programmed. Any night of the week, there’s something happening (at the square) whether it’s Zumba classes …,” Kovac said, adding city staff has told him many times that another stumbling block is the “significant” cost of acquiring the rights to broadcast the games live.

He added he hopes staff is successful in working something out to show the Leafs games at Celebration Square as long as they’re alive in the playoffs “because it does bring people out; the people want it.”