Mark Stone blames narratives around Mitch Marner on Maple Leafs: 'I think it's a Toronto thing'

"After Connor McDavid, Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar finished up the first shift of overtime, Macklin Celebrini, Mitch Marner and Thomas Harley came over the boards as the second trio selected. Celebrini moved his way to center ice before dropping the puck to Marner, who worked his way through all three Czech skaters, before finishing off the solo effort by lifting a backhand past netminder Lukáš Dostál, giving Team Canada a 4-3 overtime win."

"For the second time in two years, Marner scored in three-on-three overtime to give Canada a win on the world stage. Last year at the Four Nations Faceoff, Marner scored to defeat Sweden 4-3 in Canada's tournament-opening game. Marner's heroics weren't done yet at the Four Nations, as he set up McDavid in overtime to give Canada a 3-2 win, picking up the primary assist on one of the biggest goals in Canada's hockey history."

"Marner's linemate at the Olympics, and teammate with the Vegas Golden Knights, Mark Stone, felt the narrative surrounding Marner wasn't a true representation of the former Maple Leaf. "As a teammate, I haven't experienced that," Stone said to Sportsnet's Luke Fox postgame. "4 Nations, he gets a huge overtime goal for us, makes an incredible play for the winner. "Then tonight, when we need him the most, he makes the play. So, I think it's a Toronto thing.""

Team Canada advanced to the semi-finals at the 2026 Winter Olympics with a 4-3 overtime win over Czechia after Mitch Marner skated through three defenders and lifted a backhand past netminder Lukáš Dostál. The winning sequence followed a first overtime shift by Connor McDavid, Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar and a second trio change that included Macklin Celebrini and Thomas Harley, with Celebrini carrying to center ice and feeding Marner. Marner has now scored three-on-three overtime winners on the world stage twice in two years and previously recorded a goal and primary assist at the Four Nations Faceoff. Teammate Mark Stone defended Marner against narratives about playoff shortcomings, calling such criticism a "Toronto thing."

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