TOP CLICKS: The week that was in viral stories

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The Toronto Sun takes you straight to the heart of the action.

Whether it’s local news, provincial and national politics, or the worlds of celebrity and sports, we have you covered.

Some stories set the world on fire. And these ones are the most popular online stories from the past seven days, clicked on by Sun readers like you.

Here are our top stories:

Homeless man wins $1M lottery prize: ‘Can’t wait to get off the streets’

Let us start by saying that everyone who plays the lottery is deserving if they are declared a winner.

But admittedly, there are some winners who we are happier for when we do see them holding that big cheque.

Like this man in California who was flabbergasted to learn his scratcher was a $1-million prize winner.

The manager of the store where the ticket was purchased recounted details of the man’s discovery, and while he didn’t reveal the longtime customer’s identity, he did share that the man is homeless, Denette Wilford reported.

But not for long, as the man plans on buying himself a house and a car, and saving and investing the rest.

Congrats to this lucky duck!

Any way you slice it, an ex-Leaf is coming home to Toronto for NHL playoffs

Before the Maple Leafs knew that the Battle of Ontario was indeed happening, a faceoff against the Florida Panthers was also a probability.

In any case, a matchup between a former Leaf was always on the menu. But after winning the Atlantic Division, Travis Green it will be.

Lance Hornby looks at some of the other prominent playoff series involving opposing coaches who previously had a Maple Leafs connection.

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WEEKEND RECAP: Liberals say staff ‘regrettably got carried away’ with button stunt

It appears many Toronto Sun readers took last weekend off from politics because the recap of what happened was a popular one.

Here are just a few standouts from the recap:

Buttongate, which the Liberals say was a stunt by staff that “regrettably got carried away,” was first on the agenda, after a bombshell story published Sunday by CBC News reported that Liberal election staffers planted controversial buttons at last week’s Canada Strong and Free Network conference in downtown Ottawa, which the Conservative campaign says was a failed attempt to smear the Tories.

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre promised to tighten financial transparency rules for elected officials, and also sent a message of support to Jewish Canadians in reaction to Canada’s explosion of antisemitism and anti-Jewish hatred since the Oct. 7, 2023 terror attacks in Israel — two of the many things that may have given him a huge boost from some of Canada’s top business titans.

SIMMONS SAYS: Leafs were close to passing on Matthew Knies at 2021 NHL draft

When the Maple Leafs were getting close to the 57th pick in the 2021 NHL draft, Kyle Dubas had a plan in place – swap one pick and get two or three back in return.

But Wes Clark, his chief scout, had other ideas and insisted Dubas pick Matthew Knies and “move on.”

So that’s what happened, Steve Simmons reported, and no trade was made for other picks.

Fast-forward to today where Dubas is now GM of the struggling Pittsburgh Penguins and Clark is his director of player personnel.

Meanwhile, Knies is the fifth-leading goal-scorer from the 2021 draft and he has turned into an NHL difference-maker, emerging as a power forward of note – and he was so close to not being a Leaf.

Reporter goes viral after getting Blue Jays fan’s number live on-air during game

Unlike the Blue Jays, whose bats went silent, a Braves reporter did not strike out during Game 1 of a three-game series between Toronto and Atlanta when he sidled up to two female fans and asked one of them for her number.

It was game on for Wiley Ballard, a reporter for FanDuel Sports Network, who spoke with the two women before being challenged by Braves announcers to “get their numbers,” Dan Bilicki reported.

Ballard not only accepted the challenge but scored – not only by getting the digits but also finding his new pickup line.