Mitch Marner ended his Toronto Maple Leafs tenure on bittersweet terms, to say the least. The 102-point winger will start the next chapter of his career with the Vegas Golden Knights this season, where he’s expected to play a central role on a leading Stanley Cup contender.
Marner sat down with TSN’s Mark Masters, revealing that he required full-time security at his house for two weeks, following the Maple Leafs’ loss to the Florida Panthers in Game 7.
“It was a lot. Game 1 and 2 went amazing against Florida,” Marner said. “Game 3-5 went really bad. (Game 3) was a really good game, it went to overtime, they scored late in the game to win it. We lose Game 7 as we do, in a non-enjoyable way of all-time, probably. Get home, you’re pretty disappointed, devastated at that, and the thought of it also being my last Maple Leafs game at home. And then I get a phone call, probably five minutes after, I think it was my wife’s father, called me and goes ‘I just want to let you know we’ve got people sending us screenshots of a guy posting our address online, saying that if people want to say their ‘goodbyes’ here’s the address’.”
“We kinda dealt with it for the last two years, in a way. The market’s very passionate. They love their team. I know it, I was born and raised there. I’ve been a part of Leafs nation for a long time. But, when your family safety comes into question, especially having a new son, I don’t think it’s acceptable. Having full-time security two weeks after the playoffs to make sure no one’s coming to the house.”
Marner submitted the worst performance of his career in Game 5 against the Panthers, and was booed off the ice in Game 7. Criticism of Marner’s game was always valid, but threats against Marner and his family’s safety completely crossed any line of decency. The 28-year-old further expanded on why he decided to leave the Maple Leafs, citing a more relaxed lifestyle.
“We’re looking for a new chapter, a new peaceful way of life sort of way, and we’re going to enjoy watching our son grow up outside more, too. We’ll have to bring him back (to Toronto) a couple of times in the winter just so he can see the snow, but we’re looking forward to the relaxed side of things for sure.”
Marner spent his entire professional career with the Maple Leafs and built strong bonds with the Core Four. He explained his process to join the Golden Knights, and
“Obviously, the phone call to Auston was pretty tough. It was emotional. He had to get back to Arizona pretty quickly after the season. I tried to get a sit-down with him before, but it didn’t pan out with everything happening. That phone call to him was pretty tough, it was pretty emotional. Obviously, we came in together, we did a lot of things together. Saying goodbye to Morgan as well, JT, Willy, all those guys as we really came in together, grew together, leaned on each other for a lot of things. The market was tough to all of us at times, and we needed to lean on each other. It was tough to call those guys and let them know it was going to happen.”
Marner also reflected on the good times as well, knowing that he was beloved by many factions of the fan base. He’s the fifth-leading scorer in Maple Leafs history, coming off a 102-point campaign, and spoke about the duality of Leafs Nation.
“Bittersweet. For all the negative comments out there, you know there are so many love comments. The problem is that the love comments don’t come out as much as the hatred ones, and that’s the way life goes and the way social media has turned into in a way. I’m forever grateful to be a Maple Leaf and wear that crest on my chest for nine years.”