Anyone love hockey THIS much?

[Bhelliom]

TORONTO (CP) - A Toronto-area businessman is testing the dedication of avid Leafs fans by offering his behind-the-net seats on EBay for $250,000.

Todd Frankland set a minimum bid of $125,000 for a pair of platinum seats two rows from the ice.

Bidding began Monday and closes Aug. 18, at 1 p.m. EDT.

A second adjoining pair is expected to be auctioned off Aug. 15, ending at 4 p.m. on Aug. 25.

There were no offers as of Monday afternoon.

Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment reportedly has a waiting list of more than 6,000 hockey fans desperate to have seats in the platinum section of the Air Canada Centre - a cushy spot with perks like privileged access to the Platinum Restaurant and an entrance separate from the masses.

Frankland hopes ardent fans are desperate enough to pay several times the tickets' face value - four platinum season tickets and a club membership would normally sell for $41,160.

"We've held these rights since the 1940s," Frankland writes in the ad.

"When the Maple Leafs Gardens closed, we paid $30,000 per seat to maintain these rights for the opening of the Air Canada Centre."

Frankland is president of a Brampton, Ont., business that designs and builds modular space items including interior wall systems and prefabricated buildings.