The Edmonton Oilers take on the Toronto Maple Leafs Tuesday night at Rogers Place. The Leafs only come to Edmonton once a year, which is a big deal for Leaf fans, as it turns out, from around the world.
Roland Baptiste travelled to Edmonton from North Battleford, Sask. The -40 C weather did not stop him from travelling to see his favourite team. He has been a fan of the Leafs since 1988.
Baptiste arrived at Rogers Place early Tuesday morning in hopes of seeing some of the Maple Leaf players. His plan worked and he was able to get autographs from most of the players.
This is the second time he has made the trip to Edmonton to see his team play.
“It was just like I was in Toronto, more Leaf fans attend these games than the home team fans so that was a good atmosphere for me,” Baptiste said.
Last year, the Maple Leafs lost against the Oilers. While this year Baptiste does not have high hopes for the team, he does not love the team any less.
When asked about the team’s chances, Baptiste laughed, saying, “pretty slim, pretty slim. Let’s just hope they have a turnaround, a good little break out to gain them points and get them at least in the eighth spot.”
Sophia Hitzbleck and her family travelled quite a bit farther than Baptiste. She is from Waiheke Island in New Zealand. When asked what brought them to Edmonton, Sophia answered: “The Leafs, obviously.”
She said her friends don’t understand why she loves hockey so much.
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Last year, she went to her first ever NHL game in Toronto. She said her dad dragged her there, but it didn’t take her long to fall in love with the game.
“Dad played ice hockey in Germany because we are originally from Germany. We were watching a game in Toronto from the Leafs last year and I just kind of fell in love with it and I have been annoying the entire family to watch more games, so here we are,” said Hitzbleck
Hitzbleck and her family will head to Vancouver for the next Toronto Maple Leafs game.
Captain Connor McDavid grew up in the Toronto area so he says the matchup is always exciting.
“It’s always fun. Obviously it’s my hometown team, grew up watching the Leafs closely.”
The Edmonton Oilers are hoping to win their 11th game in a row. It is would be another franchise record-breaking winning streak.
Oilers Coach Kris Knoblauch said it’s been exciting playing the original six teams.
“I think we’re excited to be back home playing in front of our fans, we had a good road trip and also we’re playing a pretty good team with some really good players.”
Toronto Maple Leafs Captain Auston Matthews is not getting too caught up in all the fan excitement and is focusing on Tuesday’s game.
“They’re playing some really good hockey obviously on both sides of the puck. And like you said, they’ve been on a roll. So it’s obviously going to be a good challenge for us tonight in our situation trying to get back on track,” Matthews said.
The puck drops at Rogers Place at 7 p.m.