Ahead of last night’s game between the Utah Hockey Club and the Toronto Maple Leafs, players on the American team got their steps in as they walked to Scotiabank Arena amid heavy downtown traffic.
It’s a tale all too familiar to Torontonians — it’s often faster to walk to downtown landmarks than it is to sit in relentless rush-hour traffic.
The team shared a video of their players walking street side to the venue on social media.
@utahhockeyclub Walk to work type of night 🚶♂️ #NHL #Toronto #Hockey ♬ original sound - Utah Hockey Club
In the clip, Utah defencemen Maveric Lamoureux said the team had to walk to the rink so they would not miss their 5:15 pregame meeting.
Some of the downtown traffic on Sunday night was a result of the Original Santa Claus Parade, which blocked streets ahead of its conclusion late that afternoon.
Stuntin’ in The Six 🔥 pic.twitter.com/E2wt6gmQip
— Utah Hockey Club (@utahhockeyclub) November 24, 2024
Lamoureux said the team’s bus “was not moving at all” because there was “way too much traffic” enroute to the arena.
“I think that’s a first for everyone,” he laughed. “I never saw that before.”
Some of the players stopped for streetside photos with fans as they strolled to Scotiabank Arena.
Quick selfie 🤳 pic.twitter.com/ok9dmrCCxD
— Utah Hockey Club (@utahhockeyclub) November 24, 2024
Utah's team arrived at the rink in due time but later lost the hockey match against the Leafs, who conquered 3-2.
The Utah Hockey Club players are not the first people to opt for walking to Scotiabank Arena ahead of an event.
Singer Niall Horan in June shared a similar video in which he said he had to walk to Scotiabank Arena before his sold out concert, rather than sit in traffic on a tour bus.
Niall joked in all his years as a musician — including as a member of the boy band One Direction — he’d never walked into a venue on foot.
