NHL’s Carolina Hurricanes had to walk to Scotiabank Arena after being stuck in a ‘Toronto traffic jam’

NHL's Carolina Hurricanes seen walking to Scotiabank area before Saturday's game against the Toronto Maple Leafs (@Canes/X &THE CANADIAN PRESS/Arlyn McAdorey)

The Carolina Hurricanes had to ditch their bus and walk to Scotiabank Arena on Saturday due to Toronto’s infamous traffic congestion.

The NHL team shared a post on X documenting their unusual pre-game trek before facing off against the Toronto Maple Leafs, who went on to win 6-3.

“When Toronto traffic means a pregame walk to the rink,” the team wrote on social media.

The incident is the latest in a string of athletes and celebrities forced to ditch their vehicles and travel on foot while visiting the city. In November 2024, the Utah Hockey Club formerly known as the Arizona Coyotes faced the same dilemma.

“I think that’s a first for everyone. Never saw that before,” Utah defenceman Maveric Lamoureux previously said in the video.

Even Hollywood stars like Tom Cruise and singer Niall Horan have noted the city’s gridlock, with Horan opting to walk to his concert venue last summer rather than sit in traffic.

“The traffic’s too bad in Toronto, so we’re walking to the venue,” Horan once said.

The ongoing issue has drawn criticism from notable figures, including Progressive Conservative leader Doug Ford, who has plans for a Highway 401 tunnel and has previously dubbed instances like this situation “embarrassing.”

Recently, Mayor Olivia Chow pledged to bolster the number of traffic agents to 100, at a cost of $3 million, in an effort to ease congestion.

Toronto is far from alone in its struggle with gridlock. In January, New York City implemented a US$9 congestion charge for vehicles entering the busiest areas of Manhattan, aiming to reduce traffic and fund mass transit. However, that plan was short lived after it was recently halted by President Donald Trump.

The financial toll of Toronto’s traffic woes has long been reported and examined by industry experts.

In 2023, a study by the Toronto Region Board of Trade estimated that congestion costs the Greater Toronto Area total $11 billion annually. Another report from the Canadian Centre for Economic Analysis placed the broader economic and social costs for the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area at $47 billion.

With NHL teams and global celebrities increasingly forced to ‘take a walk,’ it’s no secret Toronto’s congestion problem is becoming impossible to ignore. Whether the city’s proposed measures will be enough to alleviate the gridlock remains to be seen.