There is a certain subsection of hockey fans who want to see Mitch Marner fail. After the Vegas Golden Knights acquired the superstar center from the Toronto Maple Leafs last summer, he started hearing it all. They talked about how he'd fail and squander all of his opportunities.
Specifically, this came from Ontario, where it was like they saw Marner in a Canadiens uniform. While that would've been the funniest thing on earth, it still reflected how many fans felt about the hometown kid leaving.
You know what the funny thing about Marner is? He broke yet another franchise record on Saturday. This time, it came in the form of the most single-season points with 79. He broke William Karlsson's mark in 2017-18 (78 points), the season Karlsson also scored the most goals (43).
This season, Marner has 23 goals and 56 assists with the Golden Knights. Five goals and 19 assists have come on the league's fifth-best power play entering Sunday (24.7%). It's safe to say that he's made an impressive impact on the Golden Knights, making him one of the team's most important players.
Mitch Marner continues to silence the critics with his latest Vegas Golden Knights' achievements
Do you want to know the funniest thing about Mitch Marner hitting this achievement is? People will still say that it isn't enough. They'll still lambast him and point to the amount of points he scored.
"OH mY gOd, ThAt IsN't ThE mArNeR wE kNoW."
Like, dude, do you realize that the Vegas Golden Knights aren't supposed to have a dominant goal-scorer? The team's entire MO has been around a balanced attack, focusing on getting key depth pieces as many goals and assists as possible. This isn't the San Jose Sharks, where Macklin Celebrini has 110 points, and everyone else has less than 57, you know.
Heck, this would still be the case if Marner hit the century mark in points. These critics will point to his past playoff failures, despite having a good showing last season (two goals and 11 assists). While it remains to be seen whether he shatters that stereotype as well, it would go a long way in putting him on track to proving his skeptics wrong even more.
Fans can point to the five-point game that he posted on April 2 against the Calgary Flames. Here, he had a hat trick and two assists, establishing himself as a bona fide NHL player. I mean, those are games that you show that you're an Olympian, right? Just ask Sidney Crosby how Marner did with Team Canada while he was around.
You know how the old saying goes: "Haters gonna hate." That has been the story for Mitch Marner throughout the 2025-26 season, dealing with a wide array of skepticism and criticism. Marner held up his end of the bargain for the Golden Knights while watching others (think Adin Hill) fall short. Still, the funny part is that he won't get his flowers in the business. Life can be cruel sometimes.