( Photo Credit: PatchCollection.com )


By Carrie Salls | Check me out on Twitter @nittgrl73
Earlier this season, Boston Bruins fan Leanne Baker said she wanted to attend the Stanley Cup Finals if Boston indeed made it to hockey’s holy grail. On Thursday, May 16th, 2019, Boston punched its ticket to the final round of the playoffs.
Kent, England-native Baker said her final decision to fly from London Heathrow Airport to Boston was cemented after the team defeated the Carolina Hurricanes in the Eastern Conference Finals.
Now, Baker is in Boston to attend games one and two at TD Garden.

Finding tickets to the games proved to be one of the easier parts of Baker’s plan.
“I know a few people who I connect with via social media, one lady was a season ticket holder and her friend who is a season ticket holder had tickets to sell, she knew I was coming over from the U.K., and I was asked if I wanted them!” Baker said.
Baker’s road to accomplish her goal was not without its difficulties, however. She said in an interview conducted via Twitter that the small business for which she was working in administration did not like her somewhat sudden schedule change.
“Work had an issue because it was short notice, there wasn’t a problem with it being short-staffed, but they got funny about it,” Baker said.
Baker did not let job loss stand in her way. On Saturday, she embarked on the seven-and-a-half-hour flight, announcing on Twitter that she’d arrived safely at her destination Saturday evening.
Baker first started following the Bruins during the 2014-2015 season. She first got started following the NHL in general.
“Hockey isn’t a massive sport over in the U.K., but it really is a great sport,” Baker said.
Choosing a favorite team did not prove all that difficult for the 23-year-old, as Baker was already a New England Patriots fan before she started following hockey.
“I started watching some Bruins games and everything about them was great,” Baker said. “The way they played, their determination and grit, their character, and the fact that the team has no quit in them is great.”
Baker, who made a previous trip to watch the team play in-person during the 2017-2018 season, named David Pastrnak as her favorite Bruins player.

Even at home, Baker said she often needs to make sacrifices to watch Bruins games.
“I will sometimes catch the games being played at 1 a.m. BST. By the time I go to bed, it’s 4 a.m., and then I was up at 6 a.m. for work,” Baker said. “During the playoffs, I haven’t missed a game no matter what the time, even if it means only having a few hours sleep.”
Since her arrival in the United States, Baker’s Twitter feed has looked much like those of so many Bruins fans who have been not-so-patiently waiting for the final series to begin on Monday night.

We’re all right there with you, Leanne!