“It was very special,” Maple Leafs’ William Nylander CELEBRATES playing alongside brother Alex as teammates in NHL
William Nylander and his brother Alex became the fifth set of brothers to play alongside each other for the Toronto Maple Leafs on Sunday.
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William and Alex Nylander (Image via X/Toronto Maple Leafs)
It was a moment to celebrate for William Nylander on Sunday night. During the Toronto Maple Leafs game against the Utah Hockey Club, the Swedish forward got the chance to play alongside his brother, Alex Nylander as teammates. He would call this moment “special“.
Earlier this week, the Maple Leafs announced that they had signed Alex on a one-year contract. This made him and his older sibling the 5th set of brothers to play the Toronto-based franchise as teammates.
Their father, Michael Nylander has also made his mark in the NHL. The senior Nylander played in the major league for 15 years and amassed 679 points (207 goals and 472 assists). He was seen in the stands supporting his two sons as they skated side by side in the NHL.
Teammates ? Brothers
— NHL (@NHL) November 24, 2024
For the first time in the NHL, William and Alex Nylander will share the ice as teammates!
?: @NHLNetwork pic.twitter.com/PCvL3glPxK
Given the occasion, it was fitting for the older sibling to get on the scoreboard. Nylander would steal the puck away in the second period and race along the Utah half before tucking away the puck to make it 3-1 for the Maple Leafs. At the moment, Alex was right behind him.
After the game, Nylander spoke about sharing the ice with his younger brother. In that, he called it a special day and was happy as the team came away as 3-2 winners.
I mean, just the entire day was special and seeing him out there. The first period was kind of just like crazy. It felt pretty crazy and then settled in and it felt more normal. So, yeah, it was very special. And, of course, we got the win, which was nice.
William Nylander said as per Sportsnet
"The entire day was special." ?
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) November 25, 2024
William Nylander on playing with his brother in the NHL for the first time. pic.twitter.com/1ul0Hkpcq8
Mitch Marner cracks up over similarities between Alex and William Nylander
November 24th proved to be a memorable day for the Nylander family as brothers Alex and William Nylander played together as teammates in the NHL for the first time. When asked about the brothers, forward Mitch Marner praised them and even cracked up over the similarities between the two.
In the post-game conference, the 27-year-old winger joked about getting lost thinking who is who as they both dress up the same. However, he also pointed that they have got lot of swagger and confidence in them.
I think you see it from how they dress on the ice. You kind of get lost sometimes, thinking, who’s who? Both got a lot of swagger and then a lot of confidence. That’s what you love to see out of those two and they play with it as well.
Mitch Marner said in the post-game conference
Marner led the line in this game as he scored twice. In the absence of their captain Auston Matthews, he and Nylander have played a huge part in spearheading the team’s offense.
Marner’s two goals from this match took his season points tally to 28 (8 goals, 20 assists). Meanwhile, the Maple Leafs have now won four games on the bounce and will be looking to make it five wins in a row against the Florida Panthers on Wednesday.
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Vinay Dave
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