Vegas Golden Knights star Mitch Marner was full of praise for his closest supporters after yet another playoff triumph in the aftermath of years of post-season disappointment with the Toronto Maple Leafs.
“There’ve been some dark moments in my hockey career, really. Some tough moments and my parents have been beside me, my wife’s been beside me, so many friends and family,” Marner told Sportsnet’s Shawn McKenzie after the Golden Knights completed a sweep of the Colorado Avalanche in the Western Conference Final on Tuesday.
“Got a lot of love for them, they keep me going, and obviously my son as well. Excited to share this with them right now and get to work and be ready to go (in the Stanley Cup Final).”
Marner’s stellar play has been one of the top storylines of the playoffs.
The winger had an assist in Tuesday’s 2-1 win to push his league-leading point total to 21 points in 17 playoff games.
Marner had 63 points in 70 playoff games for the Leafs, who never advanced past the second round in his nine years with the team.
Marner was Toronto’s first-round pick (fourth overall) in 2015. He helped the London Knights win the Memorial Cup in 2016, but playoff success did not follow when he went east on Hwy. 401 to the Ontario capital.
Like other members of Toronto’s core, Marner faced plenty of criticism for the Leafs’ inability to make a deep playoff run. He opted not to re-sign with Toronto when his contract ran out after last year, eventually going to the Golden Knights in a sign-and-trade.
“You’ve got to have people around you that are amazing and love you,” Marner said. “That’s what my parents are to me, that’s what my wife is to me, my wife’s family. So many of my good buddies, people I’ve worked with through mental stuff. It’s never a one-man battle … It’s been a great road and hopefully this road keeps going.”
