A Nova Scotia resort is taking a lighthearted swing at the Toronto Maple Leafs’ missing the NHL post-season — and extending an open invitation at the same time. Fox Harb’r Resort, located near Wallace, N.S. along the province’s north shore, has launched a new ad campaign aimed at the Greater Toronto Area, playing off the long-running joke that hockey season ends with golf. One ad reads: “Don’t worry… there are 18 cups waiting for you here.” Others lean into the same theme, suggesting the end of the NHL season simply means more time for the short game. The idea, according to resort president Kevin Toth, came naturally. “As soon as the hockey season is done, you know, hockey players and hockey fans typically start thinking about golf,” he said. The campaign is designed to catch the attention of Leafs fans after a disappointing season that will see the team miss the playoffs for the first time in nearly a decade. While the tone is playful, the frustration in Toronto is still real and some believe it could carry into next season. TSN Radio host Matt Cauz says the Leafs missing the playoffs may not be a one-off, pointing to how competitive the Atlantic Division has become. “There’s a level of anger, and there’s a level of, ‘really, we pay this much for tickets?’” Cauz said. “And there was so much underachievement by so many players, especially the stars.” At the same time, Cauz says Leafs fans have developed a thick skin over the years. “Here’s the thing, Leafs fans are dead inside. There’s nothing the East Coast is going to do. There’s no beautiful resort troll job that’s going to impact Leafs fans as much as what they’ve already been through. I thought it was funny, but it’s low-hanging fruit,” he said. Closer to home, some fans are taking the whole thing in stride. Darren White, a lifelong Leafs fan from Amherst, N.S., says the way people in the Maritimes attach themselves to teams is part of what keeps those rivalries alive. “My father was a Montreal Canadiens fan, and I realized at an early age it would be more fun to go against him,” White said. He says the season didn’t end the way many had hoped, but it didn’t hit quite the same as past playoff losses. While the jokes keep coming, he says they don’t land any differently than usual. “It’s always been a joke. You see it all the time on the Facebook or on Instagram,” White said. He says he’s seen pictures of golf bags with Matthews’ name on it thousands of times. “It doesn’t bother me at all,” he added. “If Fox Harb’r can put something out to make people think about it or chuckle about it, maybe, yeah, we should go.” If the resort ever managed to bring the Toronto Maple Leafs to the course, White says it would draw attention from across the region. “If there’s two or three guys coming down here to golf… they would come from all over the Maritimes to watch,” he said. While the campaign may be playful, staff at Fox Harb’r say the welcome is genuine. The resort has a long history of hosting hockey players and says NHL talent is always welcome. “We’ve got a long legacy of having hockey players play at Fox Harb’r Resort,” Toth said. “Anytime we have the opportunity to welcome NHL players, they’re always welcome.” For more Nova Scotia news, visit our dedicated provincial page
