The Toronto Maple Leafs are one of the more popular teams in the NHL, but it appears their fans have taken it too far against star player Mitch Marner.
Marner was born and raised in Toronto and grew up a Maple Leafs fan. He was able to fulfill his childhood dream of playing for the Maple Leafs. But, some fans had personal attacks on him and his house while he was a member of the Maple Leafs.
Throughout Marner’s time with the Maple Leafs, fans often blamed him, in large part due to his contract demand six years ago. That has carried on for years, but NHL insider Adam Wylde of SDPN revealed some fans took it too far and did stuff to him and his house.
“This is a guy who, after one of those series, had people dumping their garbage on his front lawn. This is a guy who, at his cottage, had guys throwing Montreal Canadiens gear and garbage on his lawn, and golf balls. But, flat out garbage,” Wylde said on SDPN. “This is a guy who was walking his dog and a kid approaches him on the street and yells at him and says ‘Why haven’t you gotten the contract done?’
“This is a guy who was allegedly robbed at gunpoint for his Range Rover with his wife in the car. They didn’t know who Mitch Marner was… I can understand why you have a sort of (expletive) taste in your mouth about the place that you live. And, also the schedule A bonuses, the Mike Babcock stuff, you don’t forget that,” Wylde added.
It’s stunning news from Wylde, which is why he says he isn’t surprised that Marner wants to leave in free agency.
Another Insider Confirms Marner was Harassed
Marner was often the whipping boy by Maple Leafs fans, and Wylde’s report was stunning.
However, NHL insider Chris Johnston of TSN and SDPN also confirmed that story. He said Marner had personal attacks on his property, as well as his family being attacked by Maple Leafs fans.
Johnston said it was harassment that Marner tried to put behind him and not make it a public story.
“Mitch kind of bristled at his family being brought into it,” Johnston said about Mitch Marner. “Then on top of that, in the six years that followed, when the playoff success wasn’t there a lot of it was aimed his way. But I’m aware of a few incidents that Mitch had to deal with. There’s probably more that I don’t know about, where it bordered on harassment.
“And it was very uncomfortable for him and people he cares about,” Johnston added. “There’s even an incident after this game that we’re not going to get into here because I don’t want to give it any more life. But, it crossed the line.”
Marner completed the final year of his six-year, $65.41 million deal with the Maple Leafs. He can be a free agent on July 1.
Marner Undecided on Future With Maple Leafs
After Toronto was eliminated by the Florida Panthers, the attention turned to Marner’s free agency.
However, at locker cleanout day, Marner says he hasn’t thought about his future.
“I’ve always loved my time here. I’ve loved being here,” Marner said. “Like I said to you guys the other night, I have been so grateful and, you know, haven’t processed anything yet. It’s still so fresh and losing sucks… In the next couple of weeks, I’ll sit down with my wife and we’ll start talking. Trying to figure out what’s next.”
Marner led the Maple Leafs in points with 102 this past season.
Insider Reveals Stunning Harassement Stories From Maple Leafs Fans to Marner