All it took was a single cigarette to transform Toronto Maple Leafs superfan, Jason Maskalow, into an overnight sensation. During an NHL playoff game between his hometown Leafs and the Washington Capitals, Maskalow was caught on camera up in the stands, dangling an unlit smoke from his quirky painted face. The bearded beaut promptly lit twitter ablaze and his newfound followers quickly dubbed the superfan, "Dart Guy".
Armed with a catchy nickname and an obvious passion his favourite team, the 37-year-old became a good luck charm that managed to capitalize on his 15 minutes by landing hockey tickets, radio interviews, and meet and greets. It was a truly a busy few weeks for the unlikely hockey hero, but it looks like Dart Guy is now ready for a bit of a change. Maskalow broke darts everywhere today with an earth-shattering announcement that may force a major rebrand.
Dart Guy took to Twitter to announce that he is officially going smoke-free. The move comes after Maskalow was challenged by folks over at Princess Margaret Cancer Foundation, Road Hockey to Conquer Cancer and the Nicorette. The organizations promised to raise funds for charity if the online star kicks the habit for good. Speaking with the Toronto Sun, Maskalow admits the online buzz inspired him to hunker down and commit. “I’ve been debating quitting for a while and this was the extra boost I needed,” he told reporters. “My grandmother smoked and passed away from lung cancer, so that’s a good reason to quit and I know I’ll have a lot of support. I don’t want to give anyone the chance to say I couldn’t do it.”
Support quickly poured in for the superfan, with Leafs President Brendan Shannahan giving Dart Guy a special shout out. The NHL legend also blessed Maskalow with a brand new nickname, and given today's development we'd say it's rather fitting. You can check out the tweet in question below, which Jason called "one of the coolest things to ever" happen.
