The day that fans of the Toronto Maple Leafs and Vegas Golden Knights immediately circled on their calendars with the 2025-26 NHL regular season schedule was released has arrived, as former Maple Leafs forward Mitch Marner made his return to Toronto’s Scotiabank Arena for the first time since his highly publicized tenure with the club came to a close during the offseason.
Not long after the latest postseason disappointment by the Maple Leafs and Marner that was ended in yet another Game 7 loss, he was dealt to the Vegas Golden Knights as part of a planned trade shortly after signing an eight-year, $96 million contract. In return for Marner, the Maple Leafs received forward Nick Roy.
Marner and the Golden Knights have already defeated the Maple Leafs once this season, a thrilling 6-5 overtime triumph at T-Mobile Arena in Sin City earlier in the month.
Friday evening marked Marner’s return to the venue he called home for nearly a decade, and from the moment he stepped onto the ice in the pre-game warmups, it was clear how his former supporters felt about him, raining down a chorus of boos.
The booing continued as the contest began every time Marner touched the puck.
As has become tradition in the NHL, Marner received a special video tribute on the scoreboard, an honor typically given to notable players in their first game back at their former arena.
While there was noticeable booing during the tribute, those boos eventually gave way to noticeable cheers.
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Former Maple Leafs Forward Mitch Marner’s Homecoming Turns Ugly With Hostile Crowd