A campaign has been launched by the Lake Shore Village BIA to welcome NHL players arriving in town this weekend for the start of a shortened season of hockey.

BIA officials say as many as 12 National Hockey League (NHL) teams from the Eastern Conference will be Toronto for games. The Leafs usually practice at the Ford Performance Centre, on Kipling Ave.

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.

The teams are to touch down on July 26 and will play their games without fans at the Air Canada Centre. Some of the exhibition games start on July 28.

Chris Korwin Kuczynski, Chair of the Lake Shore Village BIA, says two large banners are being made to welcome the Eastern Conference Players.

He said dozens of smaller posters will be circulated to businesses and other BIA members.

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

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

The NHL playoffs this year is slated to begin on July 30 after two weeks training camp.

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