Editing Toronto Maple Leafs (section)

=== Fan base ===
The price of a Maple Leafs home game ticket is the highest amongst any team in the NHL.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/jesselawrence/2014/09/19/leafs-top-canadian-team-blackhawks-top-american-team-in-2014-15-nhl-tickets-on-secondary-market/|title=Maple Leafs Have Most Expensive NHL Tickets For 2014–15 Season|work=Forbes|first=Jesse|last=Lawrence|date=September 14, 2015|access-date=February 8, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180208183228/https://www.forbes.com/sites/jesselawrence/2014/09/19/leafs-top-canadian-team-blackhawks-top-american-team-in-2014-15-nhl-tickets-on-secondary-market/|archive-date=February 8, 2018|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.thestar.com/sports/breakaway_blog/2016/11/maple-leafs-boast-league-s-most-expensive-ticket.html|title=Maple Leafs boast league's most expensive ticket on resale market|work=Toronto Star|publisher=Torstar Corporation|first=Kevin|last=McGran|date=November 16, 2016|access-date=February 8, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180209002754/https://www.thestar.com/sports/breakaway_blog/2016/11/maple-leafs-boast-league-s-most-expensive-ticket.html|archive-date=February 9, 2018|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/why-are-nhl-tickets-expensive-in-toronto-because-theyre-cheap-in-phoenix/article34299726/|title=Why are NHL tickets expensive in Toronto? Because they're cheap in Phoenix|work=The Globe and Mail|publisher=Phillip Crawl|last=Keller|first=Tony|date=March 17, 2017|access-date=February 8, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170609222119/https://www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/why-are-nhl-tickets-expensive-in-toronto-because-theyre-cheap-in-phoenix/article34299726/|archive-date=June 9, 2017|url-status=live}}</ref> Scotiabank Arena holds 18,819 seats for Leafs games, with 15,500 reserved for season ticket holders.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Mendes |first1=Ian |title=NHL fan attendance tracker 2023-24: Risers, fallers, trends and takeaways |url=https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5414095/2024/04/18/nhl-attendance-2024-riser-fallers/ |website=The New York Times |access-date=October 15, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240707002214/https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5414095/2024/04/18/nhl-attendance-2024-riser-fallers/ |archive-date=July 7, 2024 |date=April 18, 2024}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=About {{!}} Scotiabank Arena |url=https://www.scotiabankarena.com/venue-information/about |access-date=March 2, 2025 |website=www.scotiabankarena.com}}</ref> Because of the demand for season tickets, their sale is limited to the 10,000 people on the waiting list. As of March 2016, Leafs' season tickets saw a renewal rate of 99.5 percent, a rate that would require more than 250 years to clear the existing waiting list.<ref name="seasti">{{cite news |last=Donnelly |first=Aileeon |date=June 9, 2016 |title=Heir to millions loses fight for Maple Leafs season tickets after judge rules they belong to father's company |url=https://nationalpost.com/news/toronto/lawyer-heir-to-millions-loses-fight-for-leafs-season-tickets-after-judge-rules-they-belong-to-fathers-company/wcm/d579b91c-a000-4cca-a551-ae1642b7c2d5 |access-date=June 8, 2017 |work=National Post}}</ref> In a 2014 survey by ''[[ESPN The Magazine]]'', the Leafs were ranked last out of the 122 professional teams in the [[Major professional sports leagues in the United States and Canada|Big Four leagues]]. Teams were graded by stadium experience, ownership, player quality, ticket affordability, championships won and "bang for the buck"; in particular, the Leafs came last in ticket affordability.<ref>{{Cite news |date=September 19, 2014 |title=Toronto Maple Leafs are the worst sports franchise in North America, according to ESPN |work=National Post |location=Canada |url=https://nationalpost.com/sports/hockey/nhl/toronto-maple-leafs-are-the-worst-sports-franchise-in-north-america-according-to-espn |url-status=live |access-date=July 22, 2022 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20150405022553/http://news.nationalpost.com/sports/nhl/toronto-maple-leafs-are-the-worst-sports-franchise-in-north-america-according-to-espn |archive-date=April 5, 2015}}</ref>

[[File:First period play gets a little rowdy.jpg|thumb|left|alt=Fans at Maple Leafs Square during the playoffs.|Fans gather at [[Maple Leaf Square]] to watch Game Two between the Maple Leafs and the Boston Bruins during the [[2013 NHL playoffs]].]]
Leafs fans are known for their dedicated support and notable loyalty to the team despite their performance. They are considered to have the largest fan base in the NHL.{{sfn|Leonetti|2014|p=1}}<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/leaf-fans-deserve-more/|title=Leaf fans deserve more|last=Toth|first=Mike|work=Sportsnet|publisher=Rogers Digital Media|date=September 13, 2009|access-date=February 27, 2020}}</ref> In a study conducted by sports retailer [[Fanatics, Inc.|Fanatics]] in March 2017, the Leafs and the [[Minnesota Wild]] were the only two NHL teams to average arena sellouts despite a below league average winning percentage.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.thescore.com/news/1250278|title=Look: Which NHL fan base is the most loyal?|last=Holroyd|first=Caitlyn|work=The Score|publisher=Score Media Ventures |date=March 9, 2017}}</ref> Conversely, fans of other teams harbour an equally passionate dislike of the team. In November 2002, the Leafs were named by ''[[Sports Illustrated]]'' hockey writer [[Michael Farber]] as the "Most Hated Team in Hockey".<ref>{{Cite news | title = Sabres still searching for new owner | url = https://www.cbc.ca/sports/hockey/sabres-still-searching-for-new-owner-1.344738 | publisher = CBC Sports | date =November 17, 2002 | access-date =May 1, 2008 | url-status = live | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080511193000/http://www.cbc.ca/sports/story/2002/11/17/thisweekinhockey021117.html | archive-date =May 11, 2008 | df = mdy-all}}</ref>

Despite their loyalty, there have been several instances where the fanbase voiced their displeasure with the club. During the [[2011–12 NHL season|2011–12 season]], fans attending the games chanted for the dismissal of head coach [[Ron Wilson (ice hockey, born 1955)|Ron Wilson]], and later general manager [[Brian Burke (ice hockey)|Brian Burke]].<ref name=firewil>{{cite news|url=http://www.torontosun.com/2012/03/03/fire-wilson-chant-was-last-straw|title=Fire Wilson Chant was last straw|newspaper=Toronto Sun |date=March 3, 2012|access-date=July 8, 2017|last=Hornby|first=Lance|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170803214521/http://www.torontosun.com/2012/03/03/fire-wilson-chant-was-last-straw|archive-date=August 3, 2017|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/sports/leafs-fans-now-chant-fire-burkie/article536207/|title=Leafs fans now chant 'Fire Burkie'|last=Blair|first=Jeff|work=The Globe and Mail|date=March 20, 2012|access-date=July 9, 2017|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140301000719/http://www.theglobeandmail.com/sports/leafs-fans-now-chant-fire-burkie/article536207/|archive-date=March 1, 2014}}</ref> Wilson was let go shortly after the fans' outburst, even though he had been given a contract extension months earlier. Burke alluded to the chants noting "it would be cruel and unusual punishment to let Ron coach another game in the Air Canada Centre".<ref name="firewil" /> In the 2014–15 season, fans threw Leafs jerseys onto the ice to show their disapproval of the team's poor performances in the past few decades.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.thestar.com/sports/leafs/2015/01/20/two-fans-charged-after-maple-leafs-jerseys-tossed-on-ice.html|title=Three fans charged after Maple Leafs jerseys tossed on ice|work=Toronto Star|publisher=Torstar Corporation|last=Zwolinski|first=Mark|date=January 20, 2015|access-date=July 9, 2017|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151118173140/http://www.thestar.com/sports/leafs/2015/01/20/two-fans-charged-after-maple-leafs-jerseys-tossed-on-ice.html|archive-date=November 18, 2015}}</ref> Similarly, during the later portion of the [[2015–16 NHL season|2015–16 season]], which overlaps with the start of [[Major League Baseball]]'s [[2016 Major League Baseball season|regular season of play]], fans were heard sarcastically chanting "Let's go [[Toronto Blue Jays|Blue Jays]]!" and clapping alongside the chant as a sign of their farcical shift in priority from an under-performing team to the more successful playoff-bound [[2016 Toronto Blue Jays season]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Leafs fans: 'Let's go, Blue Jays!'|url=http://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/toronto-maple-leafs-blue-jays-lets-go/|website=Sportsnet.ca|access-date=February 3, 2016|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160314091734/http://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/toronto-maple-leafs-blue-jays-lets-go/|archive-date=March 14, 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Leaf Nation turns its back on Toronto Maple Leafs|url=https://www.thestar.com/sports/leafs/2012/03/30/leaf_nation_turns_its_back_on_toronto_maple_leafs.html|date=March 20, 2012|access-date=February 3, 2016|work=Toronto Star|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150124222803/http://www.thestar.com/sports/leafs/2012/03/30/leaf_nation_turns_its_back_on_toronto_maple_leafs.html|archive-date=January 24, 2015|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Toronto Maple Leafs look like a different team under Mike Babcock despite season-opening loss to Montreal Canadiens|url=http://news.nationalpost.com/sports/nhl/toronto-maple-leafs-look-like-a-different-team-under-mike-babcock-despite-season-opening-loss-against-montreal-canadiens|access-date=February 3, 2016|work=National Post}}{{dead link|date=January 2024|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref> Leafs fans also [[Vandalism on Wikipedia|vandalized]] Mike Babcock's [[Wikipedia]] article amid the poor records of the first few months into the [[2019–20 NHL season|2019–20 season]]; his article was temporarily semi-protected to minimize further vandalism.{{notetag|A [[WP:SEMI|semi-protected Wikipedia page]] can only be edited by registered users who have made at least ten edits on Wikipedia in at least four days. This article itself, '''Toronto Maple Leafs''', is semi-protected indefinitely.}}<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.thestar.com/sports/hockey/2019/12/01/leafs-fans-vandalizing-wikipedia-keep-editors-hopping.html|title=Leafs fans vandalizing Wikipedia keep editors hopping|date=December 1, 2019|website=thestar.com}}</ref>

In addition to the [[Greater Toronto Area]] (GTA), many fans live throughout Ontario, Quebec, including the [[New York (state)|New York state]] and [[Michigan]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/leafs-canadiens-fans-senators-bandwagon-1.4095455|title=Leafs, Habs fans in Ottawa jump on Senators bandwagon — for now|work=CBC News Ottawa|date=May 2, 2017|access-date=December 5, 2017|publisher=Canadian Broadcasting Corporation|last=Rice|first=Waubgeshig|author-link=Waubgeshig Rice|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170505150655/http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/leafs-canadiens-fans-senators-bandwagon-1.4095455|archive-date=May 5, 2017|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=WINRiv>{{cite web|url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/windsor/red-wings-target-canadian-fans-in-southern-ontario-1.1873302|title=Red Wings target Canadian fans in southern Ontario|work=CBCNews.ca|publisher=Canadian Broadcasting Corporation|date=September 30, 2013|access-date=July 9, 2017|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161226182338/http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/windsor/red-wings-target-canadian-fans-in-southern-ontario-1.1873302|archive-date=December 26, 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/hockey-series-creates-divided-loyalties-1.182115|title=Hockey series creates divided loyalties|work=CBCNews.ca|publisher=Canadian Broadcasting Corporation|date=November 10, 2000|access-date=July 9, 2017}}</ref> As a result, Leafs' away games at the [[Bell Centre]] in [[Montreal]], [[Canadian Tire Centre]] in [[Ottawa]], [[KeyBank Center]] in [[Buffalo, New York|Buffalo]] and at the [[Little Caesars Arena]] in [[Detroit]] hold more of a shared crowd. This is due in part to the Leafs fans in those areas, and those cities' proximity to the GTA.<ref name=CTCF3>{{cite web|url=http://www.ottawasun.com/2013/02/13/keep-toronto-maple-leafs-fan-out-of-the-bank|title=Ottawa Senators move to keep Toronto Maple Leafs fans out of the Bank|work=The Ottawa Sun|last=Spears|first=Tony|date=February 13, 2013|access-date=July 9, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170803211914/http://www.ottawasun.com/2013/02/13/keep-toronto-maple-leafs-fan-out-of-the-bank|archive-date=August 3, 2017|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://buffalonews.com/2016/06/24/maple-leafs-fans-fill-first-niagara-center-nhl-draft/|title=Maple Leafs fans fill up First Niagara Center for NHL Draft|date=June 24, 2016|last=Goods|first=Jack|work=The Buffalo News|access-date=July 9, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170803211916/http://buffalonews.com/2016/06/24/maple-leafs-fans-fill-first-niagara-center-nhl-draft/|archive-date=August 3, 2017|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.thespec.com/living-story/6255194-shuffle-off-to-buffalo-to-watch-the-leafs/|title=Shuffle off to Buffalo to watch the Leafs|last=Opler|first=Lorne|work=The Hamilton Spectator|date=January 30, 2016|access-date=July 9, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170803213335/https://www.thespec.com/living-story/6255194-shuffle-off-to-buffalo-to-watch-the-leafs/|archive-date=August 3, 2017|url-status=live}}</ref>

The Leafs are also a popular team in [[Atlantic Canada]]. In November 2016, a survey was conducted that found 20 percent of respondents from Atlantic Canada viewed the Leafs as their favourite team, second only to the Montreal Canadiens at 26 percent.<ref name=Atlfan>{{cite web|title=Canadiens edge the Maple Leafs as Atlantic Canada's favourite NHL team|url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/canadiens-leafs-atlantic-canada-nhl-1.3923175|last=Betts|first=Sarah|work=CBCNews.ca|publisher=Canadian Broadcasting Corporation|date=January 5, 2017|access-date=July 9, 2017|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170107172403/http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/canadiens-leafs-atlantic-canada-nhl-1.3923175|archive-date=January 7, 2017}}</ref> The Leafs were found to be the most favoured team in [[Prince Edward Island]], with 24 percent of respondents favouring the Leafs; and the second favourite team in [[Nova Scotia]] and [[Newfoundland and Labrador]] (19 and 24 percent respectively, both trailing respondents who favoured the Canadiens by one percent).<ref name="Atlfan" />