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lawrence-eagleburger · 17 hours

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Has there ever been a more vilified star in the Toronto market than Mitch Marner?

He carries on his back the weight of an entire city; the weight of an entire country; but heavier yet, he carries the weight of his childhood hopes and dreams.

God, imagine it. You lay in bed at night as a small boy in a full Leafs bedspread and allow yourself to dream about putting that sweater over your head, seeing your last name on the back, and the crest on the front. It’s all you can think about. Surely it gnawed at him; surely it still does.

Winning the Memorial Cup on one of the greatest lines in the history of junior hockey. Lottery draft pick, right to your childhood team. You’re an electric prospect, with a savant’s vision of the ice and an ability to create plays for your teammates out of nowhere — an ability to create magic.

(Colin Cowherd recently talked about a couple of NBA players he thought had more of an artist’s mind than an athlete’s mind — Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant — and it crystallized something for me. Artists are never quite on the best of terms with the media, are they? Why are you asking me why I’m not performing? Why are you demanding so much of me? Do you not see this beautiful picture I’m painting on the ice? Do you not see the artistic vision? How can you not appreciate the beauty in this? Is that not Marner to a tee?)

God above, it’s almost comically unfair. Getting psychologically tormented by Mike Babcock as a rookie to the point where he’s breaking down in front of Tyler Bozak and Nazem Kadri, getting put on the fourth line for reasons divorced from common sense; no wonder him and his agent asked for the sun and the moon. If I had to deal with that, I wouldn’t take a penny less either.

He blossoms into this 200-foot monster with Mark Stone-esque defensive impact, all the while spinning around the offensive zone like a hurricane and making passes that I couldn’t even think to make in NHL 24 on Rookie difficulty. He directly creates John Tavares’ best season of his career — he becomes Auston Matthews’ right hand man, in the most literal sense of the term.

But the playoffs. God, the playoffs. Sod off with all of this nonsense about how he can’t handle the playoff style of hockey — he’s an elite fucking athlete. I think it’s so much deeper than that. I think he remembers how much he’s playing for — WHO he’s playing for. He’s playing for an entire nation, and he is playing for his own past. It’s a lot to carry on one pair of shoulders, no matter who you are. Maybe it might just be best for him to go somewhere with less ghosts. Maybe he’ll enjoy this beautiful game a bit more.

The local media turning you into a kebab at every single possible opportunity. A city that wants to attach you onto a rocketship and send you straight to Mars. A fanbase exhausted.

Do you think, when Mitch Marner daydreamed about being a Leaf as a kid, he had any idea the end would be this…lonely?

#go leafs go #nhl #toronto maple leafs #hockey #leafsforever #mitch marner

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verhaeghes · 3 days

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"watching sports is so fun!" for YOU maybe. me, im about to slam my head through a brick wall over here

#nhl #toronto maple leafs #nhl playoffs #leafs #leafsforever #go leafs go #liverpool #liverpool fc #liverpool football club #formula 1 #formula one #mclaren #mclaren racing #oscar piastri #indycar #arrow mclaren #david malukas #pato o'ward #alexander rossi

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willietheguy · 3 months

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Didn’t have Willy and Pasta reviewing fashion trends on my 2024 bucket list, but I’m here for it 😂😂

#nhl #go leafs go #nhl hockey #hockey #toronto maple leafs #maple leafs #tml #william nylander #david pastrnak #pasta #Willy #fashion #trends

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34papi · 4 months

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#toronto maple leafs #nhl #hockey #maple leafs #toronto #nhl players #tml #go leafs go #leafs #auston matthews

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ayumikeyx · 1 month

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AUSTON MATTHEWS

#auston matthews #papi #hockey #toronto maple leafs #go leafs go #hockey players

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truepinkshape · 26 days

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It's spring! 🫰

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leafsleafsleafsstuff · 1 month

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KING

#leafs lb #toronto maple leafs #maple leafs #go leafs go #auston got me like 👁️👄👁️#i love you auston matthews #king auston #auston matthews

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bedardmatthews9834 · 1 month

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Oh man, every time I see it... EVERY TIME I SEE IT....

#hockey #ice hockey #nhl #toronto maple leafs #nhl players #am34 #auston matthews #am62goals #go leafs go #70goalspapi

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againstthegrainphoto · 4 months

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Ladies and gentlemen, your top line maple leafs.🍁

#i am cackling #toronto maple leafs #go leafs go #auston matthews #mitch marner #matthew knies #againstthegrainphotography #nhl #hockey #🍁🍁🍁

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barzychuk · 5 days

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I knew I was in love with Joseph Woll before, but oh man do I ever now.

#joseph woll #leafs lb #toronto maple leafs #go leafs go #nhl playoffs

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goaliesarethebest · 3 months

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It makes sense Auston gets so many hat tricks bc he wants to make his best friend Mitch Marner happy and his best friend Mitch Marner loves hats

#GO LEAFS GO #i feel like i've said this before but it's still relevant #AUSTON MATTHEWS YOU ARE A TORONTO MAPLE LEAF

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lawrence-eagleburger · 6 days

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The divide between the world of sports fans and the theatre/artsy/musician types seems, at least to me, entirely unnecessary and deeply, deeply tragic.

You will find no better representation of human storytelling than in the narratives of sport. It is a contained microcosm of everything that makes us human; it is a terrarium where you witness the full breadth of our condition — genuine, moving heroics, and equally genuine evil — but, much like fiction, without the real world consequences that follow.

You leap out of your chair when your goalie commits grand theft against the enemy all-star bearing down on him; you throw your hands in the air and curse a higher power when your favourite player makes a mistake so boneheaded it makes you feel a particular shame for having his jersey.

You watch rookies shine, and others burn out, and you reminisce about the hundreds and hundreds of “other guys” that, even if for a second, laid a brick on the history of your favorite team; laid down an offering at the altar of the crest, no matter how small. They mattered to us.

You pore over microstats and imagine yourself a Sportsnet columnist, writing thousands upon thousands of scathing words about exactly how *you* would run a team if given the chance — these words will be read by nobody, but you write them anyways.

Is it that different from a fantasy book after all? Is it all that different from putting pen to paper and creating art?

You and I, we ride this rollercoaster together, and we build a camaraderie over our shared triumphs and defeats. There is something beautiful in this, and if you’re a “sportsball” type — I’ll be the first to say that I understand entirely. There is a pervasive toxicity to so many sports fans, who seem to forget that this is supposed to be fun — more than that! It’s supposed to be beautiful. And my God, it is.

Find a few good people around you; people who appreciate this world for what it is; and learn about a team, and ride the merry-go-round with them for a season. Give it a chance.

It might save your life.

#go leafs go #nhl #toronto maple leafs #hockey #leafsforever #sports #writing #art

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taylorbutnotswift · 1 month

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