If you watched any Toronto Maple Leafs games this season, you’d probably seen them in the stands. One young woman and her father are always in the same seats and wearing hockey jerseys.
Nothing special so far, right? But what’s caught the attention of hockey fans across the globe has been that they always—yes, always—wear jerseys of the team that Toronto is playing. They were pictured during Game 1 wearing Tampa Bay Lightning jerseys, and in Game 1 of round 2 of the playoffs, they were yet again seen, this time wearing Panthers jerseys.
When Twitter user @rufus_mcdaniel shared photos of the two non-Toronto fans, it got over 3000 likes, and everyone started asking the same thing: Who are the two people always sharing for the Leafs’ opponents?
It turns out it’s a Toronto-based father-daughter duo by the name of Erv and Dani. Erv is a long-time Leafs season ticket holder, but they also happen to be huge Montreal Canadiens fans. As they can’t travel to Montreal for every game, they’ll simply root for their biggest rival’s opponents.
“We can’t travel to Montreal for every game, so we’ll support the Leafs’ opponent,” Dani told the Daily Hive. “It just so happens that this game we were recognized.”
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So it wasn’t a new thing, but her retro Panthers jersey stood out in the crowd, and the broadcasters noticed.
“There’s not that many Panthers fans [in Toronto]… it’s a bright blue jersey,” Dani said. “It’s right near where one of the camera ladies is.”
According to Dani, her father has every single jersey in the NHL, and Dani is starting to gather quite a collection herself. She told the Daily Hive that it brought her closer to her father.
“It’s such an amazing way to connect with my dad,” she added. “I think hockey is very special because when you’re sitting there as a Leafs fan you’re kind of high-fiving everyone [when they score], but for when you’re [cheering for] the visiting team and there’s not many other people around, it’s just you two enjoying the moment.”
