TORONTO — In his first game in Toronto since moving to the Vegas Golden Knights, former Maple Leafs All-Star Mitch Marner was booed by the Scotiabank Arena crowd.

Marner was one of the last players to hit the ice for pregame warmups for the Golden Knights. When he exited the tunnel, boos came from a sparse crowd. As warmups concluded, Marner was the second-last Golden Knight to leave the ice. Boos were again heard, louder than when Marner took the ice. Marner was also booed again when he returned to the ice with the Golden Knights prior to the national anthems. With Marner’s first touch of the puck 20 seconds into the game, the boos rained down louder than before.

During a lengthy and touching tribute video for Marner during the first TV timeout, a mix of boos and cheers was heard. As the video ended, the cheers could be heard louder. Marner skated toward center ice and raised his hand in appreciation. Multiple Maple Leafs and Golden Knights players tapped their sticks. Marner placed his hand on his heart before returning to his bench. No boos were heard as he did.

Leafs Nation thanks Mitch Marner in his return to Toronto! 👏

📺: @Sportsnet or stream on Sportsnet+ ➡️ https://t.co/4KjbdjVctF pic.twitter.com/bZrDYLL8hd

— NHL (@NHL) January 24, 2026

In the days leading up to Marner’s return, debate continued both online and on Toronto radio stations about whether Marner would be welcomed or not by the crowd. On Friday, the reaction to his return was split. While Marner was booed in warmups, there were also multiple signs celebrating Marner’s return.

On Friday morning, Marner addressed his return to Toronto and how the Scotiabank Arena crowd might react.

“I’m not sure,” Marner said. “We’ll see as soon as warmups start. I am just excited to get back there. The building has meant a lot to me.”

Marner’s return to Toronto made for this year’s most anticipated regular-season Leafs game. In his first game against the Leafs this season in Las Vegas on Jan. 15, Marner had two assists in a 6-5 overtime Golden Knights win.

Marner’s acrimonious departure hung over the Leafs toward the end of last season. And if the response from the Scotiabank Arena crowd was any proof, continues to hang over the franchise and the fan base. Toward the conclusion of a six-year contract, Marner was offered a long-term extension by the Leafs but did not re-sign. With an extension then unlikely, Marner was asked to waive his no-movement clause ahead of the 2025 trade deadline to accept a trade to the Carolina Hurricanes. The Leafs could have fetched a return of Mikko Rantanen, one of the best wingers in the world. Marner declined with his first child soon on the way.

Questions about Marner’s future persisted through the end of last season. Marner was eventually traded hours before NHL free agency opened to the Golden Knights as part of a sign-and-trade deal. Veteran center Nicolas Roy was sent to the Leafs in return.

Marner was one of the defining faces of an era of Leafs hockey. Born and raised in the Greater Toronto Area, Marner was a Leafs fan growing up. Drafted fourth by the Leafs in 2015, he was the team’s highest pick since 1989. Marner became one of the key pieces of then-Leafs president Brendan Shanahan’s rebuild. After nine seasons in Toronto, Marner rose to sixth in franchise scoring all-time with 741 points in 657 regular-season games.

Marner’s elite playmaking and vision saw him named to three All-Star Games and he was twice named to the NHL’s First All-Star Team.

Yet Marner became a polarizing player due to continued playoff disappointments. Marner struggled to produce at his regular-season rate in the playoffs. While Marner was effective in some of the Leafs’ playoff rounds, his mistakes placed him under the microscope more than his teammates. Though the Leafs qualified for the postseason in all nine of Marner’s seasons in Toronto, they won just two playoff rounds in that time.

After his departure from Toronto, Marner claimed to have been subject to online harassment following the Leafs’ Game 7 loss to the Florida Panthers.

“I’m pretty disappointed, devastated. The thought also of it being my last Maple Leaf game at home,” Marner told TSN in the summer. “And then I get a phone call, probably five or so minutes after, from my wife’s father. He goes, ‘I just want to let you know we’ve got people sending us screenshots of a guy posting your address online, saying if people want to come pay us a visit and say their goodbyes in a quotation way, here’s the address.’”

“Having full-time security at your house for two weeks after the playoffs, just to make sure no one’s coming around, even worrying about the safety of walking your dog and your child,” Marner added. “It’s unfortunate, but we all deal with this stuff sometimes.”

Leafs fans let their feelings be known about Marner on Friday.