Mitch Marner and William Nylander Facing Backlash for Comments After Being Booed by Leafs Fans
Photo credit: John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images
Maple Leafs stars Mitch Marner and William Nylander have broken their silence and responded to fans booing them off the ice following the team's 3rd straight loss on Tuesday.
Heading into last night's home game versus the Dallas Stars, the Leafs were looking to end a 2-game losing skid and get back into the win column, betting their success on a rebound performance from Joseph Woll, who allowed 5 goals in a 6-3 loss to Carolina in his last start.
With Woll receiving the start, it also marked the second time this season that he has faced off against friend and former teammate Jake Oettinger, getting the better of Oettinger the first time around. Unfortunately, it was Oettinger who got the last laugh.
The Leafs dropped a 4-1 decision to the Stars last night, much to the dismay of the Leafs' fans in attendance at Scotiabank Arena, who chose to vent their frustrations with a chorus of boos for the home team.
Leafs head coach Craig Berube understands that it's not personal and that the fans have every right to boo if they want to boo, given the exorbitant ticket prices that they pay to see the team play in Toronto.
"It's everywhere. They do it in every rink, don't they? I mean, it's part of the game. They pay good money, and they come to see hockey, and they want to see us win. So, that's, you know, that's the way it goes."
While Berube seems to have his finger on the pulse, Mitch Marner certainly does not.
Not only has Marner been in the spotlight recently for some questionable comments he made following a loss to Vancouver on the weekend, he's likely to experience some additional backlash for essentially admitting to tuning the fans out entirely on Tuesday.
"Just try to ignore it," Marner said after being booed at home during a loss to the Dallas Stars. "We're just trying to do our job out there and go out and put together a full 60. And, you know, we got a good practice today, a good video session. We've got to get to work tomorrow."
Similarly, Nylander didn't seem bothered by the fans expressing their frustrations so outwardly, going so far as to suggest that their reaction to the team's poor play doesn't matter.
"It doesn't really matter if they boo. I mean, we know we're a good team, so, yeah."
Obviously, these sentiments from Nylander and Marner will not sit well with fans, who are entitled to feel let down by the team when they drop the ball on home ice for the second consecutive game, capping off a 3-game losing streak.
Marner, especially, has some PR work to do, as he constantly seems to say the wrong thing when there's a microphone in front of his face.
In this case, both players would have been better off to just tell the fans that they understand the frustration and that they'll make the adjustments that need to be made and put forth a better effort on Thursday. It would certainly have made it a little easier for fans to stomach the third consecutive loss from a team who has historically proven itself to be a bit of an underachiever.
| POLL | ||
JANVIER 15 | 2612 ANSWERS Mitch Marner and William Nylander Facing Backlash for Comments After Being Booed by Leafs Fans Were the fans right to boo the Leafs after Tuesday's loss to Dallas? | ||
| Yes | 2146 | 82.2 % |
| No | 466 | 17.8 % |
| List of polls | ||
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