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.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories

Mother of 2 and 4 exchange students identified as victims killed in crash in Huntsville, Ont.
The woman killed in a head-on collision in Huntsville over the weekend that also claimed the lives of four teenagers has been identified.
How Western Canada's sugar shortage is affecting bakeries, chocolatiers
Amid an ongoing strike at Western Canada's largest sugar refinery, bakery owners and chocolatiers are finding it hard to locate the amounts of sugar they need to keep their businesses going as we head into the holiday season.
Danielle Smith invokes sovereignty act on green electricity, concedes it's for symbolic effect
Premier Danielle Smith invoked Alberta’s sovereignty act on Monday to implement new measures in her fight against Ottawa’s looming clean electricity rules while conceding she didn't need the act to put the changes in place.
Sandy Hook families offer to settle Alex Jones' US$1.5 billion legal debt for a minimum of US$85 million
Sandy Hook families who won nearly US$1.5 billion in legal judgments against conspiracy theorist Alex Jones for calling the 2012 Connecticut school shooting a hoax have offered to settle that debt for only pennies on the dollar -- at least US$85 million over 10 years.
Trump says he will renew efforts to replace 'Obamacare' if he wins a second term
Former U.S. President Donald Trump threatened over the weekend to reopen the contentious fight over the Affordable Care Act after failing to repeal it while in the White House, saying he is "seriously looking at alternatives" if he wins a second term.
Six teens in court in connection with beheading of French teacher
Six teenagers go on trial behind closed doors on Monday in connection with the beheading of French history teacher Samuel Paty in 2020, a murder that shocked the country.
No injuries after plane destroyed in airport crash in Wawa, Ont.
The Transportation Safety Board has sent a team of investigators to northern Ontario following a crash on Monday that destroyed an aircraft.
B.C. boy dies by suicide after online sextortion: RCMP
Mounties in northern British Columbia are investigating after a 12-year-old boy died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound following an apparent case of online sextortion. Warning: This story is about a child who died by suicide and may be distrubing to readers.
The Last of Us named the 'largest series ever filmed in Canada'
The monumental effort it took to bring the first season of The Last of Us to the small screen paid off big time for Alberta, a new report says.