Toronto Maple Leafs held impromptu post-game Blue Jays watch party
The Toronto Maple Leafs probably couldn’t be too bugged if their home opener was getting second billing to the Blue Jays on Wednesday night.
While a Leafs-Montreal Canadiens matchup to kick off a season would almost always be the biggest sports story in town in any given year, this year isn’t like most years. For the first time in nine years, the Toronto Blue Jays have won a playoff series, and it happened to coincide with the first regular-season Leafs matchup of the year.
View this post on Instagram
For Leafs fans in attendance, many may have been considering rushing home quickly to catch the end of the Jays game, or trying to snag a spot at a busy downtown bar.
But it was not as dire a situation as many fans might’ve anticipated.
With the fanbase chanting “Let’s Go Blue Jays” late in the Leafs game, it turns out MLSE had another trick up their sleeve.
Following the Leafs’ 5-2 win over the Canadiens, the Scotiabank Arena jumbotron flipped over to Sportsnet’s feed of the Blue Jays game against the New York Yankees, giving fans a bit of a 2-for-1 viewing experience. The MLB team held up their side of the bargain, winning by a 5-2 score as well.
View this post on Instagram
Longtime Leafs defenceman Morgan Rielly joked postgame that he’d heard “Let’s go Blue Jays!” chants in a mocking way earlier in his career, when the Leafs weren’t exactly known for being a playoff staple, but he was happy to hear them this time around.
Toronto could end up having another impromptu watch party soon, if the times line up again. The Leafs and Blue Jays both have home games this coming Thanksgiving Monday, with the Leafs having a 4 p.m. start.
View this post on Instagram
The Blue Jays are still waiting on the results of three other playoff series to find out the exact times for their next matchup, though they do know that they’ll be starting it on Sunday.