When Mitch Marner's father Paul called out Toronto media for snubbing Maple Leafs star during captain race in 2018

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When Mitch Marner
Mitch Marner with father Paul Mitch Marner (Credits: @marner_93 Instagram)

After nine seasons with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Mitch Marner is officially heading west. The forward was traded to the Vegas Golden Knights on Monday in a sign-and-trade deal that saw center Nicolas Roy join the Leafs.

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The split comes years after a notable moment in Marner's early Leafs career: His father, Paul Marner, once publicly criticized the Toronto media for overlooking his son in the Maple Leafs’ 2018 captaincy discussion.

The Maple Leafs were deciding between John Tavares, Morgan Rielly and Patrick Marleau for the captaincy role during 2018-19 season. Ultimately, John Tavares was selected as captain.

However, Paul Marner felt his son Mitch deserved more consideration in the conversations about potential captains. He called out the Toronto media specifically for dismissing Mitch due to his "happy-go-lucky" personality.

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"It drives our family nuts when we hear you guys all talk about who should be the captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs and Mitch never hardly gets any consideration," Paul said to The Athletic.
"It’s because he’s like this happy-go-lucky little kid. But he championed the London Knights to the Memorial Cup with that same happy (personality)."
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Paul argued that Mitch has always had a competitive spirit and killer instinct on the ice, similar to former Maple Leafs captain Doug Gilmour. He suggested Mitch's joyful demeanor shouldn't preclude him from leadership conversations.

Paul later clarified his comments were not meant as a push for Mitch to be named captain, but rather a desire for his leadership abilities to be acknowledged despite his upbeat personality.


Paul remembers his son Mitch Marner's early love for Hockey

Paul recounts the early signs of his son Mitch Marner's deep passion for the sport of hockey. Even as a young infant, just 7 to 9 months old, Mitch would sit transfixed on Paul's lap, captivated by the action unfolding on the television screen during hockey games.

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“Then he was four and five years old he’s watching games on the TV and literally saying things like, ‘I think he should’ve passed to that guy over there.’ And I’m looking at him like, you’re five years old.” Paul said, amazed by Mitch's hockey IQ at such a young age.

Paul also shared that Mitch Marner took his first steps at just eight months old, was already running around with a soccer ball by the time he turned one, and was skating by the age of two.

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Edited by nagpaltusharn25
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