That’s what happened on Saturday afternoon.

The street was lined with ardent hockey fans, but they didn’t seem to mind the cool breeze in downtown Stockholm on this particular day. Hundreds of people waited in line for over two city blocks to get into a room at the XXL store where the forward for the Toronto Maple Leafs was signing autographs.

And he was only too glad to comply.

With a constant smile on his face, Nylander greeted everyone with warmth. In a wheelchair, he posed for a picture with a fan. He chuckled when someone else mentioned that he had traveled from Finland to obtain a signature from the Swedish celebrity, something that is uncommon in this area.

The Swedish forward was already well-known when he arrived, but his three-point (one goal, two assists) player-of-the-game performance in Toronto’s thrilling 3-2 comeback victory over the Detroit Red Wings on Friday catapulted him to new heights. The cherry on top was that he performed it in front of his grandma, who had never seen him perform live.

The way that Nylander has been received here has opened eyes for teammate Morgan Rielly.

The defenseman for the Maple Leafs remarked, “I mean, he’s big in Toronto too, but I think he’s enjoyed his time here.” He’s taken it upon himself, in my opinion, to show the guys around town and give them a taste of Stockholm and Sweden. He has thus done a fantastic job with that.

To address Rielly’s point, Toronto would have won four straight games if they defeated the Wild. It would also be a pleasant way to start the lengthy journey home on Sunday night.

However, this experience has involved much more than just successes and failures.

Reilly discovered that on Saturday.

He noticed a young child carrying a sign declaring that she was named after him while conducting his post-practice press availability at Hovet. With haste, he picked up a stick, brought it over to her, and they posed for a photo.

Just as Saturday was for SDE, Julien Sundin’s minor league hockey team, who watched the Maple Leafs practice from the stands while yelling, “Nee-lan-der, Nee-lan-der.”

Similar to how it felt for the hundreds of admirers who braved the cold a few hours later to get the highly sought-after Nylander signature.

And just as the Maple Leafs team as a whole has felt this entire week, they can cap off their incredible time here with an even greater high if they defeat the Wild on Sunday.