Scottish woman stays awake into the wee hours to watch the Leafs
A young woman is cheering for the Toronto Maple Leafs from across the pond.
It is a long way from Toronto, but Victoria Stewart of Dundee, Scotland, said she loves the Toronto Maple Leafs and posts online after every game.
"I started watching my local team -- the Dundee Stars -- back in 2016 and found out about the NHL shortly after that," said Stewart, a diehard Leafs fan.
"Immediately when I downloaded the NHL app, the Leafs basically picked me. They were the first team that I watched a game of and the only team I’ve every supported."
Stewart said she started posting about the Leafs a long time ago and no one really cared about it until the Leafs had some success in the playoffs.
"People in Toronto started seeing my posts and my content on Twitter and YouTube, and they seem to really enjoy them," she said.
The time difference between Scotland and Ontario is five hours. When a game starts at 7:30 EDT, it is 12:30 a.m. in Scotland. Stewart is so obsessed with the Leafs, she said she will stay up until the wee hours of the morning to watch most of the team’s games.
"I’ve only missed a few games during the season, but I’ve watched almost every single minute of Toronto’s playoff games. It makes for late nights and early mornings," said Stewart.
When asked about what her friends and family think about her cheering on her favourite NHL team, Stewart had this to say.
"There are a lot of hockey fans in Scotland so they understand a little bit more but definitely some people think I’m slightly insane when they see me up at 3 a.m. watching hockey."
Stewart has Leaf jerseys and other clothing items to show her team pride, and she is not shy about who her favourite Leaf player is.
"Definitely, Auston Matthews -- I started watching the Leafs the same year Matthews was drafted," she said.
Toronto is up 3-2 against Tampa in the best of seven series. As for a guess as to who will win game six, her answer was predictable.
"In playoff hockey, anything can happen. I’m thinking it might even go into overtime and Toronto will win," said Stewart.
If that is the case, it is going to be a very long night, or early morning for Stewart.
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