Toronto Maple Leafs fans are riding an emotional rollercoaster after Mitch Marner’s dramatic overtime winner for Team Canada at the 2026 Winter Olympics. The former Toronto star, now with the Vegas Golden Knights, buried a backhand far-post goal just 1:22 into 3-on-3 overtime to lift Canada past Czechia 4-3 in the quarterfinal in Milan-Cortina on Feb. 18. Normally, that would be great. Not so much when you’re hated by most of Leafs Nation.
During his tenure in Toronto, Marner took flak for being a player who didn’t show up in big games and wasn’t “clutch”. Now, in two straight international tournaments — the 4 Nations Faceoff and the Olympics — he’s come up with two of the biggest plays of his hockey career. For Marner, it was a statement. For Leafs fans, it was a reminder of what they gave up.
Marner Delivers on the Olympic Stage
On Wednesday, Marner stepped up and became the game-breaker Canada needed. His goal and Nick Suzuki‘s tying marker are the reasons Canada has life and can still win gold. He helped avoid a shocking early exit and sent Team Canada to the semifinals in dramatic fashion. The goal — a silky backhand tucked far side — instantly went viral, replayed across highlight shows and social feeds.
Every replay was like digging the knife into the open wound that was the Marner trade this past offseason.
For critics who long questioned his “game-changer” status during his tenure with the Maple Leafs, this was ammunition in the opposite direction. Marner has now stacked together consecutive strong international showings, proving this kind of production isn’t a fluke.
Maple Leafs Fans Can’t Just Be Happy for Canada
The hosts of TSN OverDrive argued that Leafs fans are so obsessed with their own team that many can’t see the good in Team Canada advancing. Bryan Hayes said Leafs fans are guilty of hammering home the storylines. Jeff O’Neill noted that even the players on Team Canada poked fun at the narrative that everyone said ‘Marner couldn’t get it done and wasn’t a big-game player.’
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Some fans celebrated Marner’s success. Most didn’t. Some took it personally, complaining that Marner didn’t do that when he was with Toronto. Others took a shot at the city, saying it puts too much pressure on players to perform at their best. Marner’s Olympic teammate Mark Stone quipped postgame, “I think it’s a Toronto thing.” Talk about a not-so-subtle jab at the intense media and fan environment.
Either way, one of the biggest goals for Team Canada became, once again, about the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Conflicted Feelings and “What Ifs”
Marner spent nine seasons in Toronto, and he was a good player. Regardless of what some fans want to say, his legacy with the Maple Leafs is that he’s not nearly as toxic or high-maintenance as many would suggest. Marner is proving he has that extra gear that some thought was non-existent and that they learned to despise him for.
Watching him score a clutch Olympic dagger brings up what-if questions.
Comments like, “Bet you wish you didn’t trade this guy now,” and debates over whether Toronto should have reshaped its core differently were everywhere. Given how poorly the Leafs’ season has gone, this reaction is understandable.
What’s left now is a need for Leafs fans to balance national pride with franchise heartbreak. They’ll have to find a way to be happy for Team Canada and Marner, while dealing with the fact that their franchise might have let a dynamic game-changer get away.
