Toronto's Mitch Marner has a message for the “haters”

Toronto Maple Leafs forward Mitch Marner is one of the "Core 4" of the team along with John Tavares, Auston Matthews and William Nylander. And he knows as good as anyone the pressure that comes with playing in the NHL's biggest media market. 

He's also well aware of the Leafs detractors who are all-too eager to point out the fact that despite their postseason victory this past spring over the rival Tampa Bay Lightning, it still makes only a single occasion of advancing to Round 2 since 2004. 

But as far as he's concerned, the entire team has love for one another and isn't concerned with what the "haters" have to say. 

"I think you can see the excitement and how much enjoyment I have, whether it's having fun around the rink or just wearing that jersey," Marner said in a recent interview with NHL.com's Mike Zeisberger. "I know there are more lovers than haters out there. Far more. The haters are just louder. There's nothing you can really do about that. There are people who are friends to your face but say a lot of things behind it." 

"So for me, it's about staying away from all that stuff. I know our team loves each other. I know every guy in that locker room has a lot of trust in the guy beside him and the guy across from him. We've got a lot of joy and excitement in our locker room and that's what keeps you going."

Along with Tavares, Matthews and Nylander, the four players take up a huge chunk of Toronto's salary cap space - and the thought is that major changes could be made if they once again fall short in 2023-24. 

"Look, we want to take a lot of responsibility," Marner said. "Yeah, we definitely have a lot of weight on our shoulders, but it's weight that we've all wanted and have asked for pretty much with what we do on the ice.

"At the same time, it's definitely a team sport, you need everyone out there, and we all know that we need to be better to achieve our ultimate goals. So there's nothing you can really do about it other than just kind of ignore the outside noise and know that everyone in that locker room appreciates each other."

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