There has been an ongoing moral conflict among Toronto Maple Leafs fans. Mitch Marner’s overtime winner against Czechia in Team Canada’s quarterfinal matchup has ignited divided opinions.
On the one hand, one group is happy to see a former Maple Leafs player excel on the world’s biggest stage. Another group isn’t entirely convinced about Marner being precisely the one to get that incredible goal.
For the record, I’m on the side of those happy to see Marner excel. There’s no point in holding grudges. As a Canadian, I’m happy to see Canada win, period. That said, I am also a hockey fan. And it has become evident that, after years of heartache, whether his fault or not, Marner deserves a major championship.
Before last year’s 4 Nations Face-Off, Marner had never really won anything at the professional level. Sure, the 4 Nations was nice, but it did not compare to winning a Stanley Cup or a gold medal.
Now, Marner will have that chance. He’ll have a shot at winning a gold medal. Doing so would etch his name in the annals of hockey history. He’ll join a select few who have gone through the wringer of Olympic hockey and come out a champion on the other end.
Even if Team Canada lost on Sunday and took home silver, Marner deserves to have his moment in the spotlight. He endured quite a bit during his exit from Toronto. So, getting gold would be a nice consolation prize, even if he never wins a gold medal.
Marner going head-to-head against Matthews
An interesting bit of subtext in Sunday’s final is the head-to-head matchup between Marner and former teammate Auston Matthews. The US coasted over Slovakia, effectively bursting the upstart nation’s bubble.
While Matthews didn’t play a major role on the scoresheet, he was instrumental on the defensive side of the equation. That’s a role Matthews will play in Sunday’s final game.
Similarly, Marner will have a chance to play a key role for Team Canada. Marner is playing bottom-six minutes at this point for Jon Cooper. That’s, of course, a reality of playing in such a stacked team. The Golden Knights forward didn’t see much action down the stretch in the game against Finland. It was Sam Bennett and Brad Marchand who got major minutes down the stretch.
That said, Marner’s line, along with Nick Suzuki and Mark Stone, played a huge defensive role. So, it wouldn’t be a stretch to suppose Marner playing against Matthews. Matthews has led the United States’ second line. That line has been good 5-on-5, though it hasn’t been quite as dominant offensively.
Regardless of how the matchups play out, Marner will have an opportunity to rise to the challenge. If Marner and Canada skate away with gold, it will be nice to see the former Leaf riding high.
In a way, it’s like being happy about an ex having something good happen in their life. Perhaps the relationship didn’t end very well, but being happy about their success is enough to put any hard feelings to rest.