Let our national sport begin!

Two large banners and dozens of smaller posters welcoming NHL Eastern Conference players, including our beloved Toronto Maple Leafs, were placed on businesses in New Toronto.

Area residents are hoping the NHL stars will see the banners and posters from their ‘Toronto bubble’ as they travel by team bus along Lake Shore Blvd. W. for a skate at the Ford Centre for Performance, on Kipling Ave.

“We want the players to know that they are welcome as they drive by,” says Chris Korwin Kuczynski, Chair of the Board of the Lakeshore Village BIA. “We want them to have a good time and some good games in Toronto.”

One of the banner was placed outside the Maple Leaf House Grill & Lounge, at First St., where there was a well-attended media conference.

The NHL and NHL Players’ Association have announced return-to-play protocols, which features Toronto and Edmonton acting as hub cities for players to better fight COVID-19.

Most of the Eastern Conference players are expected to arrive in Toronto on Sunday, July 26.

Some are expected to practice at the Ford Centre, which is used by the Leafs.

Many spots where fans can usually see their favourite players have been shut or are non-accessible due to the pandemic.

“We want to welcome all the players on behalf of the Lake Shore Village BIA,” Korwin Kuczynski says. “We want them to have an excellent season.”

The teams will be isolated and confined to ‘a bubble’ to avert the spread of the COVID-19 virus.

The NHL playoffs this year is slated to begin on July 30 after a week of training camp.

The league consists of 31 teams, 24 of which are based in the U.S. and seven in Canada.