Maple Leafs fan moves son’s Lightning gear and bedroom to front yard | The Canadian News

She may be far from home, but Stacey Saul is a diehard Toronto Maple Leafs fan and her loyalty to her team exceeds that of her own flesh and blood.

The Mississauga, Ont., native, who now resides in Tampa Bay, Fla., moved her son Logan’s entire bedroom out of the house and into the front yard before the start of the NHL playoffs.

“He kept talking trash and I told him I was going to do it and we couldn’t have a Lightning fan in the house so here we are,” Stacey laughed.

Before Game 1 and on her lunch break, Stacey said she took her entire room, including her Lightning gear, and set it up outside under a small tent. She also left him a suitcase and toilet paper in case nature called.

The joke has been well received by Logan, who merely pointed to the success his team has had as back-to-back Stanley Cup defending champions.

“It was good, I’m not too worried about it. We’ve won a lot and it’s all so much fun,” she said.

Stacey said the entire family outside of Logan, including her daughter who was born in Florida, are huge Leafs fans. She said that despite living in Florida for nearly two decades, she rarely misses a Leafs game.

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“We’re a hockey family, but we messed up somewhere with him,” he said of Logan.

Logan’s love for Lightning began in 2010 when he went with his grandparents, who are also Lightning fans, to a game. He was hooked and has been rooting for his hometown team ever since.

“I think I made the right decision. Look at the cups we’ve won. This team is fun and exciting and they pull it off,” he said.

Being on opposite ends of the series resulted in a lot of trash talk between Logan and the rest of his family, which is why the joke happened in the first place, according to Stacey.

“He has a mouth and he loves to rub it in, so we kept warning him and we did,” he said.

With the Leafs dominating the Lightning in Game 1, the family really rubbed the win in Logan’s face knowing there’s still plenty of hockey to play.

While Stacey is wary of making a prediction, she ultimately believes the Leafs will come out on top in the series. She added that until they win four games, she will be sitting on pins and needles.

Logan is anything but, and despite a 5-0 Game 1 loss, he’s confident the Lightning’s championship pedigree will help them get past Toronto.

“Lightning in seven,” he said.

While in enemy territory, Stacey said she and her family would love to come out and support the Leafs when they play Games 3 and 4 in Tampa Bay.

“I’m ready to be there and make it happen,” she said.

Ultimately, Stacey has her eyes on the prize, noting that watching a Leafs Stanley Cup Finals game would be “the best day of her life”, joking that it would mean more than the birth of her children.

“If (the Leafs) make it (to the finals), I’ve already told my husband we’re back, no matter the cost.”