Fans in the stands at Rogers Place are actual appliances

There were some real fans in the building at Rogers Place on Sunday, but they were inanimate.

The NHL put up a special message thanking all the fans during the Stanley Cup Qualifiers for their support on the video screen at center ice during the Dallas Stars 2-1 overtime win against the St. Louis Blues, part of the Western Conference Round Robin to determine playoff seeding.

After the announcement, the television cameras panned down to the stands where there were four large circular cooling fans placed on seats.

The event crew at the Western Conference hub have been having some fun during the Qualifiers by announcing a crowd of zero, reminding fans to be safe while exiting their couches and that concessions were open throughout the game.

A couple of NHL employees even

made sure some hats hit the ice

after Connor McDavid's first postseason hat trick.

This time around, props were added to the joke.

After a sincere thanks to all fans for their support during the NHL's Return to Play, it was time to shine for the perfectly situated and unplugged appliances who were unperturbed by the attention.