Mitch Marner played 9 years with the Toronto Maple Leafs and was considered one of the team’s most beneficial players throughout his tenure. While Marner was a high-scoring forward who often teamed with Auston Matthews to form a robust 1-2 punch throughout the regular seasons, neither he nor the team had success within the Stanley Cup playoffs.
Mitch Marner takes the ice in Toronto and the boos are out
pic.twitter.com/ud3zZreHz7— SleeperNHL (@SleeperNHL) January 23, 2026
When his contract was expiring on the conclusion of last season, the Leafs traded him to the Vegas Golden Knights, and Marner signed a multi-year contract along with his latest team. Marner made his first return to the ScotiaBank Arena in Toronto Friday night to play in his former home arena.
Leafs offer thankful video for Marner
Marner was greeted by a rousing chorus of boos as he took the ice for warmups, and people boos grew much louder when he took his early shifts on the ice in the primary period and when he had the puck on his stick. Nevertheless, those self same fans modified their tune when the Maple Leafs showed a tribute video at the primary business break throughout the game. The video featured several of Marner’s goals with the Maple Leafs and a few off-the-ice moments along with his teammates.
Leafs fans gave Marner a round of applause throughout the video, however it seemed more polite than heartfelt. There was recognition of his effort during his 9 years with the team, however the fans looked as if it would keep in mind that the Leafs had won just 2 first-round series and had never gotten past the second round.
The Golden Knights were in a position to rating two early first-period goals and took a fast 2-0 lead in the sport. Jack Eichel scored the opening goal for Vegas on the 1:06 mark, while Keegan Kolesar added to the lead when he potted a rebound on the 4:31 mark. Marner didn’t assist on either goal.