Mitch Marner and the corrosion of the Ontario Dream

"How many of us get to live out our dreams in actuality? It may be reductive, or perhaps somewhat outdated, but the idea that every Ontario kid wants to play for the Toronto Maple Leafs still largely holds true in this hockey-mad market. Mitch Marner was afforded the chance to live out this dream during his nine seasons with the Maple Leafs, and the erosion of goodwill from the fan base lays squarely on the star winger."

"Marner was ordained from greatness, starting from his minor hockey career. I accidentally scouted Marner, playing for the Vaughan Kings, while waiting for an older age group to get underway in Mississauga. Marner skated circles around everyone on the ice, and a few years later, following an excellent U15 season with the Don Mills Flyers, Marner was selected 19th overall by the London Knights, rebuffing the University of Michigan in 2013."

"We won't go into exhaustive detail, but Marner went onto a tour-de-force career with the Knights, winning Memorial Cup MVP in 2016, a year after being selected fourth overall by the Maple Leafs. Marner was living out the Ontario Dream in real-time, a homegrown top-five pick for the Maple Leafs after winning everything under the sun for the crown jewel of the Ontario Hockey League."

"Marner should've known better. He knew exactly what comes with the territory of being a homegrown star for the Maple Leafs. Marner indeed had every right to maximize the value of his labour, but his camp made it clear that it was always about money, rather than a sense of inherent loyalty. Perhaps this should've been evident from Marner's contract negotiations in 2019, but when you're a homegrown star for a contending Leafs team, the benefit of the doubt is naturally extended."

Mitch Marner rose from dominating minor hockey to becoming a top-five, homegrown pick for the Toronto Maple Leafs after a star career with the London Knights and Memorial Cup MVP honors. Marner spent nine seasons with the Maple Leafs and embodied the Ontario Dream for many local fans. Contract negotiations and public positioning of money over loyalty eroded significant goodwill among the fan base. Fans extended the benefit of the doubt early in his career, but subsequent events changed perceptions. The mounting resentment ahead of his return game stems from those contract-driven decisions and is portrayed as self-inflicted.

Read at TheLeafsNation