William Nylander Anticipates a Memorable Moment as 90-100 Family and Friends Attend His Maple Leafs Games in Stockholm, Sweden, Grandmother Will Attend First NHL Game
The Maple Leafs have landed in Stockholm as part of the annual NHL Global Series and it promises to be a special event for William Nylander, among other Swedes.
STOCKHOLM — William Nylander is a man in demand.
Immediately after touching down in Stockholm, Sweden on Tuesday, he along with other members of the Toronto Maple Leafs gathered at the team hotel for a quick lunch, followed by an afternoon skate to help curb jet lag.
Nylander secured between 90-100 tickets for both games the Maple Leafs will play at Aviici Arena on Friday and Sunday. His grandmother will be one of those in attendance for the games, marking the very first time she will see her grandson play in an NHL game.
"That will be special."
When asked about how old his grandmother is, Nylander wasn't sure.
"Oh, I don't know," he said with a smile. "Old."
Nylander is one of several Swedish players who play for the Maple Leafs as one of four teams taking part in a weekend full of games. He's expected to be leaned on for travel advice and tips but didn't share much in terms of details.
"We just had to do something, so we'll figure it out," Nylander said.
In his typical calm and cool fashion, Nylander was sparse on details about Sweden to Maple Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe.
"Willy's the guy I talked to the most about it but as you can imagine he's pretty chill," Keefe said. "'Walk around and take in the sights,' that was really all really Willy had to offer but it already sounds like Willy's got a full plate while we're here."
Right after taking questions from a large contingent of Swedish media, including one where a reporter jokingly asked if he had taken the team to Swedish furniture store Ikea yet — the forward was on his way to a screening for Borje, a documentary about late Maple Leafs legend Borje Salming.
Nylander's father, — former NHLer Michael Nylander — also attended the team's practice in Stockholm. While William got Maple Leafs fans talking with his subway commute to games over the last week, his father, like many others, enjoyed the convenience of Stockholm's Metro (Tunnelbana) service.
William Nylander has been off to a red-hot start to begin the year. He holds the franchise record season-opening points streak that sits at 15 games. An unrestricted free agent at the end of the season, Nylander leafs the Leafs with 22 points (10 goals and 12 assists).
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