John Tortorella just proved that Mitch Marner never actually blocked out the noise in Toronto
Photo credit: Bob Frid-Imagn Images; Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images
Mitch Marner may be a hypocrite for his stance on reacting to social media. He says he doesn't care, but some comments from his head coach definitely say otherwise.
Fan criticism is always going to be an integral part of the hockey experience. They're going to boo, they're going to have opinions, and while it's best try and block out the noise; these players are only human.
However for Mitch Marner it never seemed to bother him as he repeatedly told the Toronto media and fans that he didn't care what criticisms or negative thoughts were thrown his way, he wanted to just play the game.
He was critical of the constant badgering, and many point to it as a reason Marner left town.
John Tortorella had to pull Mitch Marner aside this week because of the outside noise
Though many fans now may feel vindicated knowing that Marner is acting pretty hypocritical.
When John Tortorella was hired as coach of the Vegas Golden Knights, it immediately ignited a debate over whether or not Marner and him would get along as the head coach doesn't take any guff and isn't afraid to go after his stars.
So far, Marner has seemingly thrived under Torts however completely backtracked on his previous comments because he was definitely listening to the chatter according to the Golden Knights broadcast team:
Marner told me he saw and heard all of that. Torts actually pulled him aside and talked about it right away. He said, don't listen to any of the crap people are saying. He said, ‘I'm here to help you.'
Maple Leafs fans were quick to make note of the fact that Marner really needs to walk the walk if he's going to talk the talk:
Though many fans are tired of the Marner narrative, it's still a very interesting look into his mindset. Obviously he cared when he was in Toronto but in trying to ignore it he thought he found bliss. It was the complete opposite.
The reason those quotes from Mitch Marner about blocking out the media are aging so poorly
So you're not listening to the media in Toronto because it doesn't matter, but you're aware of the noise and needed your coach to calm your nerves? Which is it Mitch?
Everything felt like an excuse when it came to Marner. It was his teammates not pulling their weight, the media was too harsh, the fans were too loud...it was and still is exhausting.
The Marner contingent which includes agent Darren Ferris and his father Paul are a group that really don't take kindly to any negative perception and Marner's insistence he didn't care was a bold-faced lie to fans who knew otherwise.
We know his camp wasn't happy about being passed over for the captaincy, and he was already looking for an out halfway through last year; we have the receipts.
It's absolutely okay for Mitch Marner to ignore the media, but only doing so when he feels like it's easier is not the way to go about it.
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