Auston Matthews made his feelings known about how fans treated Mitch Marner
Photo credit: John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images
Toronto Maple Leafs captain Auston Matthews gave his thoughts on the atmosphere in the building upon Mitch Marner's return and praised the crowd's response.
It was a highly anticipated moment on Friday as it saw the return of Mitch Marner after he was traded away this past offseason and there was expected to be a hostile environment for the former forward.
While there were a smattering of boos, the general consensus seemed to be to acknowledge Marner's time, and accept that he's moved on. There were more cheers than boos, and the star winger himself was appreciative of the gesture.
Matthews impressed with crowd response despite Marner situation
Auston Matthews, who was attached at the hip to Marner for years also had some words to say about everything post-game, and he took time to give the crowd some credit all things considered.
When asked about how he felt the atmosphere was in the building, Matthews admitted that it was a pretty fun night and that while there were some detractors, the fans were more respectful than not:
It was nice that there were some cheers for him during the video tribute. I think it was kinda done the right way there's gonna be the boos when he's on the ice and has the puck and all that stuff.
I think it's pretty expected, I thought it was a good atmosphere. I thought it was fun.
I think it's pretty expected, I thought it was a good atmosphere. I thought it was fun.
While the fans may have had a decent time with Marner, less can be said about the Maple Leafs performance and while it was fun for Matthews; the time for play is coming to an end.
No more fun and games for Toronto; only business
The team has been in a rough patch lately, have a tough schedule ahead and only get a respite of a two-week break hinging on the hopes that none of their players suffer any type of injury or concerns.
If they can't give themselves some stability going forward, whether that be a trade, a winning streak, or both; then it's going to be a miserable time for everyone involved.
When you have fans and die-hard loyalists like Steve Dangle admitting that it may be time to blow things up, you're reaching a critical point.
With or without Marner, this is a team that has time and time again failed to show up when it matters and Friday night was a prime example. They had all the cards in their hand and still decided to fold, and they showed they are nowhere near a playoff team right now.
The atmosphere when it came to Marner's return was actually a lot more relaxed and surprising than you'd think, but the anger and frustration has seemingly shifted from him to the entire team -- with no one to blame but themselves.
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| POLL | ||
JANVIER 24|930 ANSWERS Auston Matthews made his feelings known about how fans treated Mitch Marner Do you think it's time for the Maple Leafs to start rebuilding? | ||
| Yes | 747 | 80.3 % |
| No | 183 | 19.7 % |
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