Mitch Marner was furious as Game 7 of his Toronto Maple Leafs’ Eastern Conference second-round playoff series with the Florida Panthers was slipping away on Sunday at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Ontario.
While no goals were scored during the first period of the game, the Panthers rattled off three goals to go up 3-0 in the second period. Marner skated over to his bench and lit into his team with a furious message after his team had given up the third goal.
“Wake the f–k up!” he could be seen yelling at his teammates.
The message did not help.
Though Toronto scored the first goal of the third period to make it 3-1, Florida scored three more unanswered goals and won 6-1 to clinch the series.
Marner did not have any goals or assists in the game, and he was a -2 with only two shots on goal. This was also speculated to potentially be his final game with the team, so it wasn’t the best showing for him.
He was asked after the game to reflect on having played nine seasons with the Leafs.
“It’s meant everything. You know, maybe a risky pick on a small kid from Toronto, and I’ve been forever grateful to wear this maple leaf and be a part of this — with some of the great legends here — and to wear this jersey. I’ve never taken a day for granted and have always, always loved it,” Marner said.
Marner had a career-high 102 points this season, but his performance in the postseason left many fans disappointed.
