William Nylander reveals his grand gesture to ensure his grandmother gets to see him play in an NHL game

William Nylander, who left for Sweden on Monday, made an exciting annoucement after securing 90-100 tickets for the upcoming Leafs game, underlining his status as a Toronto Maple Leafs record holder and the NHL's third star of the week.

This move essentially guarantees that Nylander's family, including his grandmother, will have the opportunity to see him play in a NHL game for the first time.

Through his gesture, William Nylander underlined the significance of familial backing in the context of professional sports.

David Alter, Maple Leafs Reporter/Site Manager, announced this exciting development through his X account (formerly known as Twitter);

"Nylander says he's secured about 90-100 tickets for both Leafs games and his grandmother will get to see him play in an NHL game for the first time."

"Asked how old his grandmother is: oh I don't know. Old."

In a roster featuring notable names like Mitchell Marner, Auston Matthews, John Tavares, and Morgan Rielly, the standout performer for the Maple Leafs (8-5-2) has been William Nylander.

Leading the team with an impressive 22 points (10 goals, 12 assists) over a 15-game point streak, Nylander has etched his name in Toronto's history books with the longest such streak to open a season.

William Nylanders' NHL journey and hockey roots

Despite holding Swedish citizenship, William Nylander was born in Calgary and spent much of his youth in North America while his father, Michael, played in the NHL.

Michael had a impressive career with 679 points (209 goals, 470 assists) in 920 games for various teams, concluding in Washington in 2009. In his final years with the Capitals, Michael mentored a young Swedish forward, Nicklas Backstrom, who later engaged in intense table tennis matches with William and his siblings during visits to the Nylander household.

In 2013, William Nylander fulfilled a childhood dream by playing alongside his father for several weeks with Sodertalje SK in Hockey Allsvenskan, Sweden's second league.

In 2016, Nylander was making a mark with the Maple Leafs after being chosen at the No.8 spot in the 2014 NHL draft. Back then, his brother Alex, a fellow forward, was carving his path with Rochester, the AHL affiliate of the Buffalo Sabres, and was selected with the No.8 pick in the 2016 NHL Draft.

To witness both sons in action, Michael ingeniously set tup a TV and a laptop on either side at their family home in Sweden, staying up well past midnight.

Now, William Nylander seeks to extend his exceptional run in the familiar surroundings of Avicii Arena in Stockholm, Sweden.

The Maple Leafs are scheduled to take on the Detroit Red Wings on Friday (2 p.m. ET; BSDET, NHL, TSN4), and the Minnesota Wild on Sunday ( 8 a.m. ET; BSWIX, BSN, NHLN, SNO) as part of the 2023 NHL Global Series presented by Fastenal.

Stay tuned for more updates on the leafs and Nylander's performance in the upcoming games.