Saturated Toronto sports market means projected Centennial Classic sellout won't come easy

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And I don't think anybody associated with the outdoor game thought it would be, either.

No, in fact, the NHL -- while deliberating more than a year ago Toronto's request to honor its Centennial year as a franchise by hosting a Jan. 1 outdoor game -- was concerned to some degree about the saturated sports calendar in Canada's largest city.

Toronto also hosted the World Cup of Hockey in September, a CFL Grey Cup in November and the world junior hockey tournament, which is playing out right now (and in front of small crowds). That's not to mention that the Raptors went to the NBA's Eastern Conference finals last spring and remain a hot ticket this season, the Blue Jays made the MLB playoffs again in the fall and sold tickets through the (retractable) roof, and Toronto FC reached the MLS Cup final for the first time in franchise history.

That's a lot of entertainment dollars being stretched around, even for one of the world's most affluent sports markets.

Just take this week: Team USA takes on Team Canada at Air Canada Centre in the world junior round-robin in their traditional New Year's Eve game Saturday before the Detroit Red Wings and Toronto Maple Leafs hook up in the Centennial Classic the next day at BMO Field.

Is a family of four really going to attend both events on back-to-back days? Maybe, but it'll cost them.

As of Thursday afternoon, tickets still were available both in the official and secondary markets for the Centennial Classic, but the league of course was confident it likely would sell out.

"There is no doubt? it's been a crowded sports calendar in this city over the last four-five months," NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly told ESPN.com via email Thursday when asked about sales for the Centennial Classic. "It's a real testament to the love this market has for hockey that, despite everything else going on, this game is going to be a sellout. The Leafs' organization assured us it would be, and it's clear they recognize the passion of their fan base."

The event might have sold a little better and quicker had the ticket prices not been so high: The cheapest ticket officially is $129 Canadian (US$95) and ranges up to $399 Canadian (US$295), plus applicable taxes.

It might be that savvy Toronto sports fans are waiting for prices on the secondary market to come down.

The savior of the event might be the host team itself. The young, rebuilding Leafs are playing some of their most exciting hockey in years. Long-suffering fans are seeing the light at the end of the tunnel thanks to Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, William Nylander & Co.

This is anecdotal at best, but in my own social circle of friends, people in their 40s and 50s mostly, the excitement about the Leafs has grown dramatically this season after a decade of frustration. My pals are watching Leafs games with the kind of genuine interest I haven't seen in a long time.

In the end, perhaps the biggest knock on the Centennial Classic is that the outdoor rematch comes three years after an unreal event at the Big House in Ann Arbour, Michigan, where more than 100,000 fans (half of them Leafs fans) saw Toronto edge Detroit 3-2 in the best NHL outdoor spectacle I've been to. And I've covered many of them.

It's safe to say the 39,000-seat BMO Field carries that same vibe. But how many stadiums compare to the Big House?

Perhaps Matthews, though, will make this one memorable too. The great players have the knack for doing just that. For those fans willing to fork out big money to see it Sunday, perhaps they'll deem it indeed worth it.