The Toronto Maple Leafs were grateful for all of the fans who travelled to watch the team play during their Western Canada road trip.
Leafs fans certainly made their presence felt throughout Saturday’s game against the Vancouver Canucks as their ‘Go Leafs Go’ chats were noticeably loud during the broadcast. It has long been a common scene when the Leafs head out west that their fans show up in droves to watch them play, and this year was no different.
While the fans who went to see the game in Vancouver did not get to see the team win, the other three stops left Leafs Nation feeling satisfied as they concluded the road trip with a 3-1-0 record heading into the 4 Nations break.
“It’s unbelievable. The three Canadian cities we played, it’s almost like a home game,” goalie Joseph Woll told reporters after the game. “So that’s a testament to our fans and it’s awesome they got out here and support us. All I can say is, when that energy is there and when our fans are rooting for us like that, it changes the game for us and it brings us so much momentum. So I love it, keep it going.”
Whether they were facing the Edmonton Oilers, the Calgary Flames, or the Seattle Kraken, Leafs fans travelled in droves and took over the respective arenas. Not only that, but the noise from them when the Leafs scored a goal oftentimes was louder than when the home team scored. There are not too many away arenas that don’t have a significant portion of fans wearing Blue and White when their favourite team comes into town.
The Leafs are certainly aware of how well their fans travel to watch them play, but they nonetheless remain grateful to a lot of people coming to support them and give them the extra boost.
“It was electric. Every building was an incredible atmosphere to play in,” forward Matthew Knies said. “It’s pretty fun going out for warmups and it is already packed. To see the blue jerseys everywhere, it’s pretty special to play here for sure.”
It is no secret that other teams are well aware that Leafs fans will take over their arenas and the mental impact it has on their game plans. Guys such as Flames forward Ryan Lomberg know that the key to keeping the opposing fans quiet is to perform well, as failing to do so is what gives the Leafs some juice. This was certainly evident in the Leafs’ win in Calgary, which included a hat trick from William Nylander that saw many fans throw hats onto the ice afterwards.
This won’t be the last time that Leafs fans overtake arenas around the NHL, especially in Western Canada. But the players know that they can’t take for granted how lucky they are to have so many people travelling to cheer them on.
“Yeah, it’s amazing. Fans are great,” defenceman Chris Tanev said. “Seems everywhere we went, even in Seattle, we had a ton of support and fans. It’s amazing and it’s awesome to see. We can’t thank them enough for sure.”