Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images
Hockey is a very big deal in Canada, and there isn’t a single team in the country that boasts a higher number of passionate fans than the Maple Leafs. Unfortunately, more than a few of them have a tendency to take things way too seriously, and former winger Mitch Marner shed light on what he had to deal with during his time in Toronto.
The Maple Leafs are second only to the Canadiens on the list of the NHL franchises with the most Stanley Cup victories, as the Original Six team that calls The 6 home has earned the right to hoist that hallowed piece of hardware on 13 occasions.
However, Toronto also has the dubious distinction of being responsible for the longest Stanley Cup drought in NHL history. It’s been 57 years and counting since the Maple Leafs won it all, and they have not even been able to advance to the Stanley Cup Final since then.
There was plenty of optimism in Toronto thanks to the “Core Four” that formed when John Tavares arrived in 2018 to join an already formidable trio of offensive stars that consisted of Auston Matthews, William Nylander, and Mitch Marner.
The Maple Leafs had made the playoffs in back-to-back seasons heading into their first campaign together, and while that streak was extended to nine years in a row in 2025, that nearly decade-long run has been defined by disappointment due to seven one-and-done postseason appearances and two others that ended in the second round.
The Core Four officially disbanded when Marner headed to the Golden Knights after free agency kicked off this summer, and you have to imagine he’s looking forward to that change of scenery based on what he had to say about his time in Toronto.
Mitch Marner needed a full-time security team at his house for two weeks after the Maple Leafs were eliminated from the playoffs
Toronto was able to make it out of the first round of the playoffs this season by beating the Senators in six games, but they subsequently ran into a Panthers team on its ultimately successful quest to defend its Stanley Cup crown.
It looked like the Maple Leafs had finally turned the corner after pulling out to a 2-0 lead over Florida, but the Panthers responded with three straight wins and ended up advancing with a victory in Game 7—a contest where none of the members of the Core Four recorded a single point in a 6-1 thrashing.
Marner decided to take his talents to Las Vegas in the sign-and-trade that brought his tenure in Toronto to an end after nine seasons, and he recently got the chance to reflect on the highs and the lows during a sitdown with TSN where he outlined the harassment and threats he and his family were forced to endure due to the behavior of some unhinged fans.
“Having full-time security, pretty much, at your house for two weeks after the playoffs just to make sure no one’s coming to your house”
Mitch Marner on dealing with the scrutiny from fans after the playoffs. pic.twitter.com/CM3w22x7CA
— TSN (@TSN_Sports) August 29, 2025
The forward (who also had his car stolen at gunpoint at a movie theater in the Toronto area in 2022) said someone leaked his address online along with a thinly veiled threat after he defected to the Golden Knights. He also noted he’d previously needed security guards posted at his house around the clock for weeks on end in the wake of playoff eliminations and said he was paranoid to the point where he was hesitant to take walks with his dog or his newborn son.
It goes without saying that the people responsible for terrorizing Marner represent a very small minority of the Maple Leafs fanbase, and Toronto is far from the only team (NHL or otherwise) with followers who are unable to keep their emotions in check over a game. However, it’s a shame anyone has to deal with that kind of behavior.