In what was likely Mitch Marner`s final shift as a Toronto Maple Leaf, a sequence that felt interminable, the very fans of the team he cherished since childhood voiced their disapproval with boos whenever he controlled the puck.
Physically spent from a futile 106-second six-on-five power play and demoralized by the arena`s video screen repeating the haunting 6-1 score—a score echoing past failures—Marner finally surrendered possession and skated towards the Scotiabank Arena home bench, likely for the final time on that Sunday.
Before reaching the bench, his skates had to navigate around yet another replica jersey thrown onto the ice during play. His path also took him through a sticky brown stain left by beer, hurled onto the bench area in frustration before the star player sat down, a spot also targeted by the same expensive beverage.
This moment signifies the conclusion.
For Mitch Marner`s tenure.
And for the era led by president Brendan Shanahan.
This time, the ending feels definitive.
Tristan Blackwood