Toronto Maple Leafs fans will feel conflicted as their former superstar Mitch Marner scored the overtime winner for Team Canada on Wednesday, against Czechia.
Mitch Marner’s goal will be remembered by Canadians for a very long time, but for the opposite reasons many Leafs fans will remember him. The narrative around Marner during his tenure in Toronto was his inability to perform during the biggest moments. When the Maple Leafs faltered in the postseason, Marner was the first player to be targeted, and for good reason. Over 50 playoff games from 2019-20, Marner produced a total of eight goals.
Mitch Marner Changing the Narrative in Italy
In four games with Canada, Marner has five points, including one goal. Marner’s play is beginning to change the narrative of the player he is. Performing at the Olympic stage, especially in big moments, will do wonders for a player’s career. Canada did not have the smoothest game versus Czechia, to say the least. They went down 3-2 with under seven minutes to go before Nick Suzuki tipped one home past Lukas Dostal to tie the game.
Overtime saw, Canada and Czechia traded chances at the beginning, before Marner’s rush ended the contest. Marner’s goal signalled change, he was able to dance around the entirety of Czechia’s group, while roofing it. This is not the first time Marner has had some overtime heroics while repping Team Canada. During last years Four Nations Face-Off Marner scored the overtime winner versus Sweden in the opening matchup. He was also able to set up McDavid for the overtime winner that saw Canada bring home the gold medal. Most of Canada will celebrate the fact that they were not embarrassed on the national stage, while Leafs fans may feel the internal disappointment of Marner scoring the winner.
GettyMitch Marner – Milano Cortina Olympics
Leafs fans ultimately ran him out of town, leading him to join the Vegas Golden Knights in a trade during the offseason that saw Nicolas Roy coming back the other way for the Maple Leafs. In Marner’s first season with the Golden Knights, he has played well enough to secure a spot on Canada’s Olympic roster. While this did not come as much shock, what he did during Wednesday’s Quarterfinals was.
Life Without Marner for the Maple Leafs
Toronto’s first season without Marner has not gone as planned. The Leafs sit towards the bottom of the Atlantic Division, while trailing the Boston Bruins by six points for the final wild card spot. Marner’s absence has been felt as the Leafs have dealt with countless injuries to their star players, which has led to the Leafs being in this position. The Leafs have struggled with depth at times this season and have not been able to find a player with the ability to take over games.
As the Olympic Games carry on for Team Canada, Leafs fans will cheer for Marner and praise his good deeds. They will have to be able to come to terms with Marner playing a massive role in their chances at gold. He is one of the more dynamic players on their roster alongside Connor McDavid and Nathan MacKinnon. Canada will continue their run to gold on Friday against Team Finland.
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