The Toronto Maple Leafs are getting some extra support from hockey fan and Brock University student Lisa Knight, fine arts-style.

The third-year Concurrent Education student with a major in Visual Arts is cheering on her team and turning heads with her creative sidewalk art at Maple Leaf Square in downtown Toronto.

Knight, who inherited her love for hockey from her dad, wanted to find a way to support the Leafs while they played in the first round of the NHL playoffs during the pandemic. After Leafs captain John Tavares was seriously injured in the first game of the series against the Montreal Canadiens last week, Knight was inspired to use her art to show support.

Lisa Knight’s portrait of Toronto Maples Leafs centre Auston Matthews and Montreal Canadiens defenceman Shea Weber outside of Scotiabank Arena in Maple Leaf Square in Toronto.

Using Crayola sidewalk chalk, Knight drew a portrait of Tavares outside Scotiabank Arena in Toronto. Her portrait was shared through the media and became an instant hit for fans in the city. She has returned numerous times to draw more chalk portraits, with her favourite so far being the image of  centre Auston Matthews.

“I really wanted to show the team that their fans are still out there and cheering them on. I wanted them to feel supported, whether we are in the building or not,” Knight said.

In her visual art practice at Brock’s Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts (MIWSFPA), Knight normally uses pencils for her drawings. When the pandemic hit, she started experimenting with sidewalk chalk, just for fun. She would draw images outside her home in Brampton, watching for people’s reactions as they walked by. It was so successful, Knight wanted to shoot for a bigger audience.

She has also done drawings of Toronto hockey players outside the Hockey Hall of Fame, which she completed the week before the playoffs started.

“The players put their hearts and souls into playing on the ice, and I put my heart and soul into my art,” she said. “This is my way of doing what I can to give back.”

Knight says she will continue her drawings during the playoffs (weather permitting) and hopes for a big win for the Leafs during game six on Saturday night.

Knight’s sidewalk art has been picked up The Toronto Sun and BarDown, a digital platform from TSN Sports putting a pop culture spin on sports news. More images of Knight’s artwork can be found on her Instagram page.