via the Toronto Star,

The Maple Leafs have made available “thousands” of tickets to the public for the team’s four pre-season home games.

While the number is uncommon for a franchise with a decades-long waiting list for tickets, the club targeted a large ticket offering to help make the club more accessible to fans.

According to team officials, the Leafs gave season ticket holders the opportunity to turn down some or all of the pre-season games, specifically to open up the opportunity for fans who do not normally attend games.

Some 40 per cent of the season ticket holder base turned down the tickets, resulting in about 15,000 tickets being made available for the four pre-season games.