WARMINGTON: Glasses, patios and squares completely empty this playoff season

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This really should be Miller time.

But at the Miller Tavern on Bay Street, it’s a glass-completely-empty scenario.

“It has been pretty devastating for business,” says assistant general manager Justin Murray of the venerable establishment, located kitty corner to ScotiaBank Arena.

“We are at about 10% of our usual business.”

When you have the Leafs playing Montreal in the playoffs with hopes for a long Stanley Cup run, these should be good times for all restaurants in the area.

But COVID-19 kills people and business — you can’t pay the rent when you’re basically closed for a year.

“For games like this we would normally have 40 staff on,” said Murray.

“We love being part of it.”

For now, the Maple Leafs play in front of a vacated Vault with next to nobody hanging around outside the arena.

Maple Leaf Square is normally a beacon for fans for big games like these because of the big screens, great atmosphere and no cost.

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On Thursday, it was a ghost town.

One person trying to bring some life back is Brock University fine arts student Lisa Knight, busy creating some fantastic sidewalk chalk art outside ScotiaBank Arena.

She’s drawn tributes to Auston Matthews, John Tavares, and on Thursday afternoon one honouring goalie Jack Campbell’s first NHL playoff shutout.

“I am so glad to hear John was back skating,” said Lisa.

She plans to draw every game, right through to the Stanley Cup finals.

This spirit is what Maple Leaf Square needs, particularly since many have taken to calling it ‘Dead Square.’

Hopefully that will change as the playoffs roll on, and perhaps if the province begins to ease up on lockdowns.

“We will follow whatever the province decides but can be ready in 12 hours,” said Murray.

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Leafs Nation would love it to be Miller time at this great pub and all the others once again soon!

CALL IT THE MacLEAN ASTERISK

He wasn’t in the Coach’s Corner but he certainly had people in his.

Ron MacLean is getting the second chance Don Cherry didn’t, and that’s okay.

It also serves as a lesson, and sets a standard, of how to handle someone who makes an unintentional mistake.

Cancelling everybody for messing up has got to stop, and it’s ironic that this precedent has been set thanks to MacLean.

His poorly-worded “tarps off” and being “positive for something” quip Tuesday night was apologized for and that was pretty well the end of it.

Even though the longtime Hockey Night in Canada and Rogers Hometown Hockey host did not step up to help his Coach’s Corner partner Cherry in 2019 — he learned a lesson of what support can do when someone is down and people are piling on.

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In this case, the You Can Play Project that supports LGBTQ2S+ athletes did for MacLean what he didn’t do for his long-time friend Cherry, who’s “you people” comment meant to remind everybody to support the fallen by wearing poppies on Remembrance Day.

MacLean hadpeople stand up for him when he needed it.

They didn’t abandon him when they could have.

His “deeply sorry” mea culpa and complicated explanation that he was talking about rum and not sexuality was accepted and people are moving on.

It’s right the call for this legendary broadcaster.

For Cherry, however, there were no second chances or understanding, and MacLean was not there to help him out.

It’s doubtful Rogers will bring back Cherry as a result of the new rules on cancellations brought in for MacLean, but the good news is the next person caught in this situation will be able to point to this anomaly.

Just call it the ‘Ron MacLean clause.’