Toronto Maple Leafs ex-star player Mitch Marner stopped by TSN this week. During the interview, he discussed his time with the Leafs, the scrutiny he faced as a player and what he’s looking forward to in the future. Marner, who became a father in May, opened hte interview talking about why he chose to move to the Vegas Golden Knights.
“It was time for a new chapter,” Marner said. “We loved being in Toronto full time and being close to family and friends, but we just thought it was time for a new chapter in life, and having Miles, our son, we wanted to look at other options and see what was out there. We found one we really liked.”
Marner, 28, was the fourth overall pick in the 2015 NHL draft. He played his whole career up to this point with the Maple Leafs, scoring 741 points in 657 games.
Marner Discusses Media Scrutiny
When asked whether Maple Leafs media scrutiny played a role, Marner quickly shut down any speculation.
“It is tough sometimes because it’s everywhere,” Marner said. “But I wouldn’t say that really, no. Like I said, it’s just time for a new change.” Later in the interview, he mentioned hiring a mental coach for the last three years.
“For all the negative comments out there, you know there’s so many love comments,” Marner said. “The problem is that the love comments don’t come out as much as the hatred ones, and that’s just the way life goes, and that’s the way the social media has turned into in a way.”
“That tires you out physically-wise as well,” he added.
Marner Faced Threats During Playoffs
The scariest part of Marner’s time with the Maple Leafs, however, came during the playoffs.
“We lose Game 7 as we do in [the most] non-enjoyable way of all time probably,” Marner said. “You know, get home, you’re pretty disappointed, you’re pretty devastated at that. You know, the thought also of it being my last Maple Leaf game at home.”
His father in law called him five minutes later.
“[He] goes, ‘I just want to let you know, we’ve got people sending us screenshots of a guy posting your address online saying that if people want to come pay us a visit and say, you know, their goodbyes, in a quotation way, here’s the address.’ And it was a little tough, obviously.”
“I mean, we kind of dealt with it for the last two years in a way. The market’s very passionate. They love the team. I mean, I know it. I was born and raised there. I’ve been a part of the Leafs Nation for a long time. But, yeah, when your family’s safety comes into question, especially having a new son, I don’t think it’s acceptable.”
Marner hired full-time security for two weeks after the Florida Panthers eliminated them.
“Just to make sure no one’s coming to the house,” he said. “Also the safety of trying to walk your dog or child so that was a little unfortunate. Yeah, we all deal with this stuff. Sometimes it happens.”
Still, despite all this, he’s thankful for his time with the Maple Leafs. “I’m forever grateful to wear that crest on my chest for nine years,” he said. “I mean, I tried to give everything I had for those nine years and, you know, it sucks that we weren’t able to get it done.”
Mitch Marner Opens Up About Maple Leafs Scrutiny