Alexa, play The Hip! The Milano Cortina Winter Olympics are underway, and, as usual, Canadians everywhere are feeling a little extra patriotic. The Olympics are a time when all Canadians come together and cheer on our Canadian athletes, whether it’s the Winter or Summer Games.
On Feb. 12, 2025, Toronto Maple Leafs superstar Mitch Marner was the overtime hero for Team Canada as part of a 4–3 win in Canada’s first game of the 4 Nations: Face-Off against Team Sweden. Exactly one year later, Marner joined Canada’s men’s hockey team as they won their opening game, 5–0, against Team Czechia in the 2026 Winter Olympics. However, there’s one key difference. Marner is now a member of the Vegas Golden Knights.
Marner’s nasty divorce
Just months ago, the Leafs went through with a franchise-changing move, trading Marner to Vegas. The belief was that he would’ve walked in free agency anyway, so people weren’t necessarily shocked. It was a move that fractured the fan base and turned one of the most gifted players in franchise history into public enemy number one. When Marner was drafted in 2015, many fans and members of the media thought he’d play a pivotal part in bringing a championship back to Toronto.
To some fans, Mitch Marner quit on the Leafs. To others, he was the newest scapegoat to an already broken system. Either way, the relationship between Marner and his hometown team ended, leaving a sour taste in the mouths of both sides.
However, here we are about seven months later, and Marner once again has a Maple Leaf on his chest, but this time it’s red! Every hockey fan knows that international hockey brings out an extra sense of pride, not only in the players but also in the fans. Sometimes, international hockey can become more than just a sport, as it did in 1980, when the United States, during the Cold War, miraculously defeated the Soviet Union and went on to win the Gold Medal.
Olympic glory trumps all, so cheer for Marner
Even as recently as last year, with the 4 Nations and the hostilities between Canada and the USA, it became about more than just hockey, and that victory brought Canadians closer together. The Olympics will always have the ability to bring people closer together.
NHL fan bases are very rabid, and so many fans will understandably be holding a grudge against Mitch Marner. But the Olympics are a time when fans should rally behind Canadian athletes and support them, no matter the sport. Ben Johnson took steroids, so now some people may say he’s not as likable as he once was. Even though Johnson was eventually caught for using PEDs and disqualified, everyone old enough to remember likely remembers where they were when he ran the 100-meter dash in 9.79 seconds to win gold in 1988. I think it’s time Leaf fans reverse the roles and reconcile with Mitch Marner (at least during the Olympics).
For example, Calgary Flames fans hate Connor McDavid because he basically has run their show for the last few years, but if you think those same fans won’t cheer for him when Connor McDavid does Connor McDavid things, I think you’re crazy!
The Olympics have provided Canadians with many “where were you when?” type of moments, including Sidney Crosby’s Golden Goal against the US in 2010, Hayley Wickenheiser’s unforgettable post-game interview in 2002 after the Gold Medal Game, or even Jamie Salé and David Pelletier’s Gold Medal win in Salt Lake City, after the infamous cheating scandal. All those moments united our country, and who’s to say there won’t be another “where were you when?” moment in 2026?
Leafs fans supported Mitch Marner for nine years… what’s another two weeks?
I’ll be cheering more for McDavid, Crosby, Celebrini, MacKinnon, Horvat and Stone than Marner. No surprise Marner has 0 goals as he’s probably played the perimeter the entire time and passed to those others mentioned to do the heavy lifting!