{"id":424229,"date":"2026-01-23T20:45:16","date_gmt":"2026-01-23T20:45:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/424229\/"},"modified":"2026-01-23T20:45:16","modified_gmt":"2026-01-23T20:45:16","slug":"i-dont-want-to-look-back-anymore","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/424229\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018I don\u2019t want to look back anymore\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

Vegas Golden Knights<\/a> forward Mitch Marner is not interested in looking back as he gets set to play at the Scotiabank Arena as an opponent of the Toronto Maple Leafs<\/a> for the first time.<\/p>\n

Marner met the media Friday ahead of his highly anticipated return to Toronto, but said his focus is on moving forward. <\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t want to look back anymore,\u201d Marner said. \u201cI don\u2019t want to look in the past. I\u2019m focused on what\u2019s going on right now.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s another hockey game. Just go out there and play.\u201d<\/p>\n

Marner will have to look back briefly, though, when he receives a video tribute from the Maple Leafs, honouring the time that left him fourth all-time in assists and sixth in points with the franchise. <\/p>\n

\u201cThat one I\u2019m not trying to think about too much. I\u2019m sure it\u2019ll really hit once it starts going,\u201d Marner said. \u201cI think it\u2019s gonna be a cool moment. I\u2019m gonna try to enjoy it and then try to get back to hockey right away. But yeah, I don\u2019t know, I haven\u2019t thought of that too much. I\u2019m trying not to. <\/p>\n

\u201cI know it\u2019s gonna be a weird, cool, special moment, all in one.\u201d<\/p>\n

The winger added he\u2019s excited for his first game back, but is not sure of the reception he will receive in his first game back, but figured he\u2019ll feel the tone early.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ll see in warmups,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Marner saw his nine-year tenure with the Maple Leafs come to an end this past summer in a sign-and-trade deal just as he hit as unrestricted free agency.<\/p>\n

He has 12 goals and 52 points in 49 games with Vegas after posting 27 goals and a career-best 102 points in 81 games with the Leafs last year. The Golden Knights have surged out of a December slump to reclaim first place in the Pacific Division entering Friday\u2019s game.<\/p>\n

The 28-year-old Markham, Ont. native faced the Maple Leafs in Vegas last week and was booed regularly by Toronto fans in the crowd.<\/p>\n

\u201cMitch got a small taste in Vegas last week of what to expect, which is disappointing,\u201d Golden Knights coach Bruce Cassidy<\/a> told NHL.com. \u201cSo this game is going to be tough for him. It really is.<\/p>\n

\u201cI wasn\u2019t around for nine years in that market, so I don\u2019t know. I just know what I\u2019ve experienced since he\u2019s been here, that his teammates love him and he\u2019s been a good player for us. And this is not just another game for our players. They knew how important a game it was to him in Vegas. And they know there will be nothing ordinary about this one. And they are fully behind him.\u201d<\/p>\n

Leafs fans, are you Team Cheer or Team Boo for Mitch Marner’s return to Toronto tonight? \ud83e\udd14<\/p>\n

\u2014 BarDown (@BarDown) January 23, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

Marner posted two assists in a 6-5 overtime win for the Golden Knights over Toronto last week, admitting that one was more important to him at the time.<\/p>\n

\u201cObviously, [my teammates] knew this one meant a little more to me,\u201d Marner said after the victory. \u201cSo, I\u2019m grateful to get the win. A lot of guys put in an effort, and you know, it\u2019s a team game out there.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think once the puck dropped it just felt like another hockey game out there. Obviously, I know a lot of those guys very well, and I tried to read off some of the plays and some of the things that I think they might do. But it\u2019s a competitive game, you always want to try to beat your buddies.\u201d<\/p>\n

Marner\u2019s time with the Maple Leafs was filled with individual and team success in the regular season, but ultimately was marked by Toronto advancing past the opening round of the playoffs just twice in trips to the postseason and no appearances in the Eastern Conference Final or beyond.<\/p>\n

The Maple Leafs enter Friday\u2019s game sitting three points back of the Boston Bruins<\/a> for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference with one game in hand. The team that made the postseason in every year of Marner\u2019s tenure remains at risk of missing the dance in their first year without him.<\/p>\n