Mitch Marner was Canada's unsung hero on Wednesday since he scored the game-winning goal in overtime. Team Canada overcame a pesky Czech Republic team that played much better than the first Olympic matchup, winning in overtime, 4-3.
That brought a lot of people out of the woodwork to chirp at Toronto Maple Leafs fans, who said that Marner wasn't clutch. That included Vegas Golden Knights Captain Mark Stone, who told Matt Porter of the Boston Globe an all-time quote about Marner's abilities.
"As a teammate, I haven't experienced that. 4 Nations, gets a huge OT goal for us, makes an incredible play for the winner. Then tonight, when we need him the most, he makes the play. So, um... I think it's a Toronto thing."Mark Stone on Mitch Marner
Sure, fans will point at Marner's 13 goals and 50 assists in 70 career playoff games as a part of his mediocre play. However, the Maple Leafs have struggled to get out of the first round during Marner's Toronto tenure.
Wednesday proved to be vastly different from the narrative, as the Golden Knights winger continued his terrific Olympics showing. Team Canada remains undefeated while advancing to the semifinal and Marner shakes off any doubt about his effectiveness under the bright lights.
Mark Stone and the Vegas Golden Knights show why their franchise is better for Mitch Marner long-term than the Toronto Maple Leafs
Mark Stone himself is a similar story to Mitch Marner. Back when he was with the Ottawa Senators, the Captain only had five goals and eight assists in 27 playoff games with Ottawa. People bashed him for not performing during the postseason, saying that it would be the same thing in Las Vegas...
...Except it wasn't. The Winnipeg native has 36 goals and 36 assists in 85 career playoff games with the Golden Knights, making him one of the better postseason performers in franchise history. That includes his 2023 performance, where he scored 11 goals and had 13 assists in 22 games.
That should bode well for Marner, who has had similar struggles in Toronto. The only difference is that he was better with the Maple Leafs than Stone was in Ottawa. If the new Golden Knights winger can thrive under the bright lights, imagine what he can do with a competent team.
All hockey fans have to do is look at which franchise won the Stanley Cup most recently. The Maple Leafs are still waiting for their first Stanley Cup since 1967, with numerous fans nearing retirement. As for Las Vegas? Well, they got a team, had it go to the Stanley Cup Final, and finally won it all in its sixth year. It's pretty easy to see which team Marner will thrive with.