Seemingly unchastened by the experience of acquiring Jesperi Kotkaniemi, the Carolina Hurricanes are once again looking north of the border for a distressed asset: Toronto Maple Leafs fans.<\/p>\n
Ahead of their Eastern Conference final matchup with the Montreal Canadiens, the Hurricanes announced on X that they were \u201cwelcoming all Leafs fans with open arms.\u201d<\/p>\n
welcoming all Leafs fans with open arms<\/p>\n
\u2014 Carolina Hurricanes (@Canes) May 19, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n Rooting for a team in the Eastern Conference final would be a novel experience for Toronto fans, who last saw their team reach that stage in 2002 \u2014 years before Montreal Canadiens rookie Ivan Demidov was even born. (Incidentally, the Leafs were eliminated by the Hurricanes that year.)<\/p>\n<\/p>\n This is somehow not the first time this post-season that an American market has sought to woo the playoff-starved hockey fans of southern Ontario. <\/p>\n During the Sabres\u2019 second-round series against the Habs, Buffalo\u2019s tourist agency put up billboards encouraging fans from north of the border to come visit<\/a>.<\/p>\n To be fair, the Canadiens enjoyed visiting Buffalo \u2014 especially in Game 7<\/a>. <\/p>\n So now, with or without the support of Leafs fans, the Canadiens will play Game 1 in Carolina on Thursday night. <\/p>\n \t\tEditor\u2019s Picks\t<\/p>\n