“Dart Guy” is the only hockey champion Toronto needs
The Maple Leafs won Saturday night’s playoff game against the Washington Capitals, but the evening’s real success story was Jason Maslakow, a Waterloo-based fan who travelled to Washington, D.C. for the game, donned a jersey and full face paint, dyed his beard blue, and shaved an outline of the Stanley Cup onto his scalp. The ridiculous getup may not have been enough, in itself, to rocket Maslakow to internet fame—but, as luck would have it, when the camera panned over to him during the game broadcast, he happened to have an unlit cigarette dangling from his lip. Within minutes, he had a new name, “Dart Guy,” and a Twitter meme was born.
Dart Guy is now an unofficial playoff mascot, of sorts. He’ll even be attending Game 3 as a guest of the team. Here’s what people were saying about him:
Some fans immediately seized on Dart Guy’s passing resemblance to a certain former Toronto mayor. (We don’t see it, though.)
Fitting how it's Easter and the Leafs Dart Guy looks like Rob Ford risen from the dead. pic.twitter.com/9TFpNfsBx6
— zack (@zacklemore92) April 17, 2017
Others raced to be the first to photoshop his face onto the $5 bill. The colours work:
The new Canada 150 five dollar bill is lit pic.twitter.com/iWSygYXM88
— Matty Go Sens (@Gerv_Rebrand) April 16, 2017
Truly, Dart Guy was an Easter miracle:
@ATFulemin EXCUSE ME SIR HAVE YOU HEARD OF THE GOOD WORK FROM OUR LORD AND SAVIOUR DART GUY pic.twitter.com/TeTmOL3nhm
— x – Brian Stewart (@brigstew86) April 16, 2017
Still not as bad as the Ted Rogers statue at Rogers Centre:
Can’t believe the @MapleLeafs updated Legends Row already pic.twitter.com/PLmUmLYQYe
— Chemmy (@felixpotvin) April 16, 2017
It’s not totally clear whether Dart Guy should be offended to be associated with Mel Gibson, or vice versa:
@mike_jowett Dart guy. pic.twitter.com/VjnAfZq1e9
— x – K (@skyleeklus) April 16, 2017
Did MLSE miss a marketing opportunity here?
All I'm saying is, if the @MapleLeafs don't have a Dart Guy snap chat filter tonight, somebody messed up
— Marc Pannia (@MarcPannia) April 17, 2017
Just think of the merchandising possibilities. Free cigarettes for all the kids!
They should hand-out Dart Guy bobbleheads to the first 2000 fans at the ACC tomorrow night.
— Ryan (@daftpuck) April 17, 2017
Of course, it was only a matter of hours before the Dart Guy backlash began:
This dart guy thing is lame. Calling it a dart is also lame. They should call him fat cancer stick slob.
— TORHABSFAN- 14 TO GO (@TORHABSFAN) April 17, 2017
Some began to wonder if Dart Guy’s festive face paint conceals any dark secrets:
Has anyone found neo nazi tweets by the dart guy yet
— von hayes (@freehugs4franky) April 16, 2017
Probably not, though:
This whole Dart Guy thing is undoubtedly gonna end in a "We regret to inform you Milkshake Duck is racist" scenario
— prodigal failson (@itwasthreezero) April 16, 2017
So much attention was paid to Dart Guy’s face that it’s easy to lose sight of the fact that his mohawk is shaped like the Stanley Cup:
@felixpotvin you know this is on the top of my man's head right pic.twitter.com/fJJHzr1Axe
— Dan Steinberg (@dcsportsbog) April 16, 2017
A parting thought:
I love you dart guy.
— Christopher Dunn (@denverdunn) April 16, 2017