Burke confirms Leafs want to host outdoor game

TORONTO --  Maple Leafs GM Brian Burke confirmed a report from the National Post earlier Tuesday that the team is looking to host an outdoor game at BMO Field, home to Major League Soccer's Toronto FC.
 
BMO Field seats 20,000 for soccer and is located on the site of the old Exhibition Stadium, where the Toronto Blue Jays and CFL's Toronto Argonauts used to play.
 
The National Post reported that Burke gave NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman a tour of the Leafs' new practice facility on Tuesday and that's when he brought up the idea of hosting a game at BMO Field.
 
"I don't know how this story got out there," Burke started after being asked about the report following Tuesday's GM meetings. "We have told the NHL that we'd like to host an Entry Draft, an outdoor game and an All-Star Game. We think Toronto is a pretty important market, and we think we could do a good job with those things and we'd like to host them.
 
"We'd like a chance for our fans to boo Bob Gainey the way I got booed in Montreal last year," he added jokingly.
 
However, Burke said research into hosting a game at BMO Field is "limited to this point." He said adding to the attraction is the "surrounding facilities for hospitality."
 
"If it's a bitterly cold day, there is underground parking and there are indoor facilities where fans can get out of the cold weather if they had to," Burke said. "We think we could put something attractive together."
 
Contact Dan Rosen at [email protected]

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