O'Reilly's grandmother leading cheers for Maple Leafs at 103 years old

TORONTO -- Ryan O'Reilly's grandmother is helping support for the Toronto Maple Leafs reach all the way to Seaforth, Ontario.

At age 103, O'Reilly's grandmother, along with other residents and staff, gathered together wearing Maple Leafs gear to watch Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Second Round against the Florida Panthers at her old age home about a two-hour drive west of Toronto.

Ryan's dad, Brian, tweeted photos of Maple Leafs fans, along with a video of "Snook's Granny" chanting "Go Leafs, Go." Snook is Ryan's nickname.

"I saw the picture," O'Reilly said prior to Game 5 on Friday. "It's incredible. As playoffs goes, we're kind of sheltered and as a group we're together but when you see pictures like that, you realize how special this is not just for us but for everyone to be a part of it. My granny, she's 103 and for her still she's probably my biggest fan so just having the support means so much."

Not only is O'Reilly's grandma doing her best to support the Maple Leafs, so too is his mom, Bonnie, who hung a Maple Leafs flag on the fence at their home prior to Game 4, a 2-1 Maple Leafs win. Toronto trails the Florida 3-1 in the best-of-7 series and need to win on Friday to keep their season alive.

O'Reilly, who was born in Clinton, Ontario, is in his first season with Maple Leafs, having been traded there from the St. Louis Blues on Feb. 17. He has nine points (three goals, six assists) in 10 postseason games. He won the Stanley Cup with the Blues in 2019.

"My mom takes it more serious than I do," O'Reilly said. "If we lose, she can't talk to anyone for a day or so. I'll call her after and she's more upset than I am after a loss but that's the way she is. It's great."

For a mom as passionate as O'Reilly's, do not think for a second that she hesitates to offer advice to her son.

"Yeah (she gives me advice)," O'Reilly said. "Kick some [butt], pretty much."