Hockey fans might be getting tired of hearing lockout rhetoric spewed by the National Hockey League and its Players' Association but it seems the appetite for the game is still strong in the GTA.

On Boxing Day, the AHL's Toronto Marlies, minor-league farm club for the Maple Leafs, set a league record for attendance at an indoor game with 18,800 fans packing into the Air Canada Centre.

The Marlies were playing the sell-out game against the Hamilton Bulldogs, affiliate team of the Leafs' arch-rival Montreal Canadiens.  
Toronto and Hamilton have a running tradition of facing off on Boxing Day.  Many fans from the Hamilton area made the trip to Toronto to cheer on their club.

The Marlies' home rink is the Ricoh Coliseum, at Exhibition Place.  It seats just under 7,800 fans.  Wednesday's game was held at the ACC as a special promotion.

Toronto won the game, 3-2.