‘Odd and weird’: Marner reflects on first game in Toronto since leaving Maple Leafs

By Canadian Press on January 23, 2026.

TORONTO — Mitch Marner stepped on the ice for warm-ups and heard some boos during an initial lap around a rink he knows well.

The Vegas Golden Knights winger experienced more jeers on his first shift. That noise only got louder when Marner finally touched the puck, followed by an unexpected ovation after heading to the bench.

In his first game back at Scotiabank Arena since a drawn-out divorce with the Toronto Maple Leafs was finalized last summer, Marner felt a range of emotions Friday.

And left with a victory.

“Passionate fan base,” Marner said after Vegas doubled up his old team 6-3. “They love their team. It was interesting the whole night.

“When warm-ups hit, it really just felt odd and weird.”

The Maple Leafs honoured the product of nearby Thornhill, Ont., who spent nine seasons in Toronto playing for the team he cheered for as a kid, during the first television timeout. There was a mixed cacophony of boos and cheers throughout the 40-second video tribute as many in the crowd rose to their feet. Marner raised his right arm and tapped his chest in acknowledgment with Vegas already up 2-0.

“I was trying to just take it in and not get emotional,” he said. “Still got a lot of love for these fans.”

Asked if there was a sense of relief the homecoming was finally over, Marner replied with a smile: “Completely, definitely, honestly.”

Vegas captain Mark Stone thought the atmosphere hit the right notes all night.

“You’re expecting boos, right?” he said. “(Marner) doesn’t play for the Maple Leafs anymore, but they tip their cap to what he did for this organization.”

Selected No. 4 overall at the 2015 NHL draft, Marner enjoyed plenty of regular-season success with the Maple Leafs, but was a lightning rod of criticism in hockey’s biggest media market for Toronto’s inability to break through in the playoffs.

A slow march out the door from his de facto hometown last season as unrestricted free agency loomed finally ended when he was shipped to Sin City in a sign-and-trade deal that netted Marner an eight-year, US$96-million extension.

“That (booing) was fine,” he said. “I knew was it gonna come … the cheering when I was going off was pretty funny. I didn’t see that one coming.”

Sporting his number from junior — No. 93 in honour of Maple Leafs legend Doug Gilmour, which is retired in Toronto — a helmetless Marner went through his usual twirls during warm-ups. Some fans booed when he emerged from the tunnel, while others along the glass mostly held up signs of support.

Marner appeared to have a friendly word with Maple Leafs defenceman and former teammate Jake McCabe at the red line.

“If you told my younger self, I wouldn’t believe it,” Marner, who registered a career-high 102 points in 2024-25 and had 94 or more on three other occasions, said of playing in Toronto during a pre-game media availability Friday morning at the team’s hotel. “It was a special thing to wear that Maple Leaf jersey — I always wanted to. And to be able to do it for nine years and be a part of that team, and to play in that arena that I grew up trying to go to watch Mats Sundin, all the legends … it was pretty cool.

“Something that I’ll be able to look back on and share with my kids, and just how fortunate I was.”

Marner finished with 741 points (221 goals, 520 assists) in 657 regular-season games, but received that stinging criticism for repeated post-season flops as part of an offensively talented roster that included Auston Matthews, William Nylander and John Tavares.

The six-foot, 180-pound forward produced 63 points (13 goals, 50 assists) in 70 playoff contests, but Toronto made the second round only twice in his nine seasons. In Games 5, 6 and 7 from 2017 through 2025, he scored just once and added 10 assists in 26 outings.

Apart from the string of spring disappointments, Marner was also heavily criticized for the negotiation of his previous big-money contract back in 2019.

The pact included a no-movement clause over the final two seasons that would come back to bite the Maple Leafs ahead of last March’s trade deadline when it became clear he wouldn’t be re-signing.

Marner, who picked up two assists in a 6-5 overtime victory against his old team on the Las Vegas Strip last week, has 12 goals and 40 assists for 52 points in 50 games after Friday’s result.

“Our guys were going to try to bring their best for Mitch,” Vegas head coach Bruce Cassidy said. “And they did.’

Marner’s new club sits comfortably in a playoff position atop the Pacific Division standings, while Toronto is on the outside in the Eastern Conference post-season race.

“The booing I had, it was what I expected,” he said. “Tried to play through it, play with the puck, play my game.

“And do my thing.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 23, 2026.

Joshua Clipperton, The Canadian Press