Parade ideas If the Toronto Maple Leafs Win the Stanley Cup

Copying Tampa’s Boat Parade

Who doesn’t love riding around on a boat? I can guarantee you the players would love to celebrate their Stanley Cup win similarly to how the Tampa Bay Lightning and Buccaneers did theirs.

Both championship-winning teams hopped on boats and traveled along the Hillsborough River. In doing that, fans followed along on land, and those with boats rode along. Unfortunately, there is not a river the Toronto Maple Leafs can drive boats through. The only one nearby is the Don River, but it is not deep or safe enough to run a boat parade.

The team can have boats run from Ontario Place Marina to the Jack Layton Ferry Terminal. That would run along where the Raptors held their parade, just on water.  There are plenty of parks and little spots that fans can watch the parade. They can even have a beer at Amsterdam Brewery and have a perfect view at the same time.

There is a long stretch that fans can watch in doing this, and it allows those with a boat to follow along. Considering it is common for people to ride along on an average day, Lake Ontario will be full of ships during the parade.

Considering the success Tampa had with the boat parade three times (twice with the Lightning and once with the Buccaneers), it is a real possibility for the Toronto Maple Leafs to follow suit. The idea checks the mark regarding fan engagement and having a different parade, but at the same time, they wouldn’t be doing anything new. Yes, it is a change from the usual bus parade, but it has already happened three times.

I would want the Toronto Maple Leafs to do something brand new (such as the TTC idea). It will not only be great in terms of remembering the celebration, but it would also put the team on a bigger stage.

The NHL is arguably the worst of the major North American sports regarding marketing. Having a brand new parade layout would help promote the sport and the Maple Leafs, because who doesn’t like having a good time?