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Marner's Canada teammates couldn't stop praising Toronto Maple Leafs star

Adam Laskaris
Adam Laskaris
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Feb 13 2025, 3:18 pm
Marner's Canada teammates couldn't stop praising Toronto Maple Leafs star
David Kirouac/Imagn Images

For the first time in his professional career, Toronto Maple Leafs forward Mitch Marner became a star in Montreal.

While Canada looked like they’d perhaps run away with a blowout victory over Sweden in the opening game of the 4 Nations Face-Off after Nathan MacKinnon found the back of the net in the opening minute, the hockey gods had other plans.

And with the game eventually going to overtime tied 3-3 after a two-goal Swedish comeback in the third period, the Leafs forward ended up getting the glory of the game-winning goal.

Fresh off a pass from Sidney Crosby — his third assist of the night — Marner found the back of the net to give Canada an iconic victory on the opening night of the four-team tournament.

“Super cool. Tried to just really enjoy that moment after, to be honest. The building was rocking. It was nice to have them cheering for me instead of against me,” Marner said of the goal. “It was a great play by Sid. He carried the puck all the way up the whole ice. I just tried to get space off him, keep my feet going, and get a shot.”

Marner was just 12 when Crosby scored his iconic golden goal for Canada to win the gold medal at the Vancouver 2010 Olympics, and the gravity of the moment was not lost on him.

“I mean, you tell eight- or 10-year-old Mitch that he’s scoring an overtime goal assisted by Sidney Crosby, a guy he looked up to since Day 1… it’s pretty crazy,” Marner said.

And though Marner might’ve had some first-time fans on the evening, Canada coach Jon Cooper — who’s coached against him his entire career while behind the Tampa Bay Lightning bench — had plenty of praise for the 27-year-old star.

“Mitch can do it all,” Cooper said. “I’ve just watched this kid grow from when he was a young kid in pro hockey to what he is now — and just keeps getting better.”

For Mark Stone, who also scored for Canada on the evening, he wasn’t surprised at all by Marner’s cojones in the big moment. Facing off against Marner for three years as Atlantic Division rivals during his time with the Ottawa Senators, Stone made a big claim about his now-teammate.

“I would take him on my team any day,” Stone said. “That’s a big-time goal. That’s a big-time play, just the way he could create space for himself and make that play. But the game’s hard. So, those kinds of moments can build your confidence.”

And the same sort of praise came from Canada’s captain.

“I was really happy to see him put that one in,” Crosby said. “We had some great looks. And you know, I’ve got to know him over the years. He’s a special player who brings a lot to the rink every single day.”

Canada returns to the ice on Saturday at 8 pm ET, when they take on the Americans for their second contest of the round robin. If the atmosphere is anything like Wednesday night’s, we should have another game for the ages.

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