{"id":408420,"date":"2026-01-15T04:16:24","date_gmt":"2026-01-15T04:16:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/408420\/"},"modified":"2026-01-15T04:16:24","modified_gmt":"2026-01-15T04:16:24","slug":"i-dont-root-for-any-team-other-than-mitch-marner-opens-up-about-his-loyalty-to-maple-leafs-while-revisiting-toronto-roots-that-still-define-him-nhl-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/408420\/","title":{"rendered":"\u201cI don\u2019t root for any team other than…”: Mitch Marner opens up about his loyalty to Maple Leafs while revisiting Toronto roots that still define him | NHL News"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\u201cIMitch Marner opens up about Maple Leafs future while revisiting Toronto roots that still define him (Getty Images) The sound of skates hitting fresh ice still feels familiar to Mitch Marner, even if the colors around him no longer are. For the first time in his NHL career, Marner wakes up without the weight of a city that watched him grow up, cheered his every rush, and questioned his every playoff exit. The move to Vegas has changed his daily rhythm, but it has not erased the imprint Toronto left on him.The past six months have felt like a reset rather than an escape. Marner is no longer skating under the familiar glare of hometown expectations, yet the memories travel with him. New colors, new teammates, and new routines have given him space to reflect on what nine seasons with the Maple Leafs truly meant, and what still lingers as he charts the next phase of his career.<\/p>\n

Mitch Marner confronts Maple Leafs questions as memories of his Toronto roots resurface<\/p>\n

Growing up in the Toronto area, Marner did not just dream of the Maple Leafs. He lived them. Drafted fourth overall in 2015, he stepped into a role that blended hometown pride with relentless expectation. Each shift carried hope, and every playoff loss magnified scrutiny that followed him beyond the rink.That environment eventually became heavy. Years of frustration, nonstop attention, and concerns that reached beyond hockey pushed Marner toward a difficult exit. Now in Vegas, his competitive focus is straightforward. \u201cI don\u2019t root for any team other than my own,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019m only rooting for my team. That\u2019s who I want to win.\u201d The statement was firm, not emotional.What lingers most is family. The everyday comfort of being close is gone, replaced by planning and screens. \u201cNow, it\u2019s more FaceTime calls and trying to book trips and plan times for people to come out and visit you,\u201d Marner said. Sundays are reserved for long video calls, a small ritual that keeps him anchored. \u201cThat\u2019s the part I think you miss the most is not being around your family as much and not being able to see them every day,\u201d he added.On the ice, the change has unlocked growth. Marner has taken on more responsibility at center, a role that remained limited in Toronto. With 46 points in 44 games, his comfort is rising with each week.Vegas meets Los Angeles next, followed by a matchup that will draw heavy attention. When Marner faces Toronto again, it will not be about looking back. It will be about how far he has already moved forward.Also Read: Connor McDavid\u2019s father reveals the hidden mindset fueling the Oilers captain\u2019s jaw-dropping career-high scoring streak<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Mitch Marner opens up about Maple Leafs future while revisiting Toronto roots that still define him (Getty Images)…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":408421,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5106],"tags":[5,20,5172,533,4,4073,106,66,31,5171,39],"class_list":{"0":"post-408420","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-toronto-maple-leafs","8":"tag-hockey","9":"tag-maple-leafs","10":"tag-mapleleafs","11":"tag-mitch-marner","12":"tag-nhl","13":"tag-nhl-career","14":"tag-nhl-news","15":"tag-toronto","16":"tag-toronto-maple-leafs","17":"tag-torontomapleleafs","18":"tag-vegas-golden-knights"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nhl\/115897184579151795","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/408420","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=408420"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/408420\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/408421"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=408420"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=408420"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=408420"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}