DarkKnight
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Confirmed with Link: Mitch Marner Discussion Thread II - First Team All-Star
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ORRFForever
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- Oct 29, 2018
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I NEVER thought he was capable of being this complete a player. My bad.
nuck
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- Aug 18, 2005
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Looks good tonight and in full playoff mode. Its amazing what not being skated into the dirt can do. Bolts are just backing up and watching him go. Next game will be totally different I know but won't matter when the second line shows up.
Le Cobra
Rent A Goalie
Marner's body language in previous playoffs was like a rookie who knows they are a rookie - intimidated, afraid to make a mistake, they are in over their head, and playing like they are not on the better team (basically a dark cloud over his head). The Marner i saw tonite looked like the regular season Marner - relaxed full of confidence and giving it his best effort. When Marner is doing well the whole team rises and you can feel it in the air.
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Marner, I am sorry I doubted you.
It feels amazing to have two of the best young superstars who also happen to be two of the best two way players in the league.
He’s the leader on the PK along with Kampf.
It feels amazing to have two of the best young superstars who also happen to be two of the best two way players in the league.
He’s the leader on the PK along with Kampf.
Le Cobra
Rent A Goalie
Gary Nylund
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- Oct 10, 2013
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No need to be sorry, there was never any guarantee that he would reach this level in the playoffs, plus it's only been one game. Having said that, ever since he finally scored a PP goal this season to end his drought, he's looked like the player we always hoped he could be. I've been as hard on him as anyone but I did say that it felt like things were going to be different this spring as he just had a different, more confident look about him plus he started scoring goals on a regular basis.
Like I said, it's just been one game but damn, this version of Marner is freaking awesome, Keep up the good work Mitch, 1 down, 15 to go.
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DarkKnight
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Mess
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It doesn't get any better than that.
That is the way to elevate your game for the playoffs.
You could just tell from the way he's playing every shift that he's taken the next step. Yes it's only a game but it just felt like his confidence wasn't high in the playoffs before and now he's doing everything he did in the regular season in the playoffs.
It's scary to see but he's at 28 points in 33 playoff games and in most of them he didn't look great. So a Marner with confidence and poise will only get better.
This is the player we envisioned when we paid him his contract.
ShaneFalco
Registered User
He's hit a new level this season and it carried into game 1. Awesome to see
banks
Only got 3 of 16.
- Aug 29, 2019
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I was furious after last year's playoff performance. Got the big money, then totally crumbled when it mattered.
He won me over again during the season, and he's probably my favourite Leaf right now. This is a Patrick Kane type player, who could seriously lead a team on a deep playoff run. I believe!
He won me over again during the season, and he's probably my favourite Leaf right now. This is a Patrick Kane type player, who could seriously lead a team on a deep playoff run. I believe!
Gary Nylund
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I always had high hopes for Marner but TBH, I'm not sure I ever envisioned him being THIS good. I'm trying to stay level headed and not get carried away and it's just been one playoff game etc. but if he keeps it up, we're looking at a player who might be a Hart trophy contender along with Matthews in coming years.
Other than Gilmour for a short time, I haven't had the pleasure of watching elite players like this playing for us. I've always wondered, what is this cruel twist of fate that gave MTL fans one superstar after another and left us empty handed? I don't want to jinx anything and we still haven't won a playoff series but even so, damn it feels good to watch these guys killing it. I've heard several times people referring to the big 2 in EDM as the 2 best players in the world, maybe we'll start hearing people say the same about M&M before long.
Trying not to get carried away not it's hard, I just don't have the experience dealing with this level of talent on my team.
HellasLEAF
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- Sep 14, 2006
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I thought he was 1st star for me even with Matthews 2 goals.
Rants Mulliniks
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Funny you mention Gilmour because he's always been the guy I envision Marner as, minus the physicality.I always had high hopes for Marner but TBH, I'm not sure I ever envisioned him being THIS good. I'm trying to stay level headed and not get carried away and it's just been one playoff game etc. but if he keeps it up, we're looking at a player who might be a Hart trophy contender along with Matthews in coming years.
Other than Gilmour for a short time, I haven't had the pleasure of watching elite players like this playing for us. I've always wondered, what is this cruel twist of fate that gave MTL fans one superstar after another and left us empty handed? I don't want to jinx anything and we still haven't won a playoff series but even so, damn it feels good to watch these guys killing it. I've heard several times people referring to the big 2 in EDM as the 2 best players in the world, maybe we'll start hearing people say the same about M&M before long.
Trying not to get carried away not it's hard, I just don't have the experience dealing with this level of talent on my team.
In fact there was an article years ago on Doug Gilmour which was basically him writing an open letter to his teenage self. I always hoped by some chance maybe Mitch would read it. One part in particular that I hoped he would adopt as a mantra (italics):
Dear 13-year-old Doug,
Writing you here from the future. It’s 2016. Still cold as hell in Ontario. No flying cars yet. They have these things called protein shakes though. They’re delicious. They even have a cookies-and-cream flavor.
You’re stuck with the cans of Ensure.
I can see you cringing, man. That weird powdered vanilla out of the tin can. Tastes like chalk. Dad makes you drink two cans a day because you’re 5-foot-2, 105 pounds, and you know damn well that Bobby Orr is 6-feet, 200 pounds.
The only way to get there is to chug Ensure and pray for a growth spurt. It’s brutal.
So learn to repeat this over and over, like your own little mantra:
He’s just too small.
Oh yeah? F— you.
He’s just too small.
Oh yeah? F— you.
Gary Nylund
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Yeah me too. To me Marner was like Gilmour without the physicality and couldn't score quite like Gilmour either. But now he's learned how to score goals, I don't think he's going to forget now that he's learned and while the physicality is definitely nice to have, it's not critical or anything so it's possible that someday we see Marner at the level of the peak Gilmour we saw in 1993. Hell maybe we're seeing it now, he's been pretty elite for the last few months.
ORRFForever
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Me, too. Of course, I reserve the right to change my mind.
Man, I been on this kids case for a minute, but boy oh boooooyyyyyy did he show up yesterday. THIS is the guy we need showing up for the playoffs. f***ing loved it.
Me three .. Mitch that was best hockey game I have even seen you play and I have seen well over 500 of them since you were 6 .. best man on ice BY FAR .. keep up da physical play and da great PKing .. da saucers were a thing of beauty too .. WOW WOW WOW .. we need 3 more games of that game and say goodnight to Tampa
Gary Nylund
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Indeed. The question was, which Marner are we going to see in the playoffs? The one that didn't impress in last season's playoffs, the one that's been playing at an elite level for a few months now or perhaps some other version? I had a feeling that we'd see the elite version cause he's just been so damn good lately but you can never be quite sure. Well it's been only one game but so far, if the question is are we going to see the elite version of Marner in the playoffs then so far the answer is ...
HELL YEAH!! He looked like he was skating through quicksand last few post seasons. he was all over the ice yesterday though.Indeed. The question was, which Marner are we going to see in the playoffs? The one that didn't impress in last season's playoffs, the one that's been playing at an elite level for a few months now or perhaps some other version? I had a feeling that we'd see the elite version cause he's just been so damn good lately but you can never be quite sure. Well it's been only one game but so far, if the question is are we going to see the elite version of Marner in the playoffs then so far the answer is ...
666
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- Jun 27, 2005
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It's good to see the haters coming around but there really isn't that much difference this year. Last night Vasilevskiy had a bad game and Marner has always been elite. At least we're all on the same page now.Indeed. The question was, which Marner are we going to see in the playoffs? The one that didn't impress in last season's playoffs, the one that's been playing at an elite level for a few months now or perhaps some other version? I had a feeling that we'd see the elite version cause he's just been so damn good lately but you can never be quite sure. Well it's been only one game but so far, if the question is are we going to see the elite version of Marner in the playoffs then so far the answer is ...
Excellent game by Marner.
And glad to see him rewarded with some points this time, so that the people who ignore everything else can appreciate the excellent play too.
And glad to see him rewarded with some points this time, so that the people who ignore everything else can appreciate the excellent play too.
Marner went beast mode last night. He got of the snide real quick.
If that's the effort/results we get from him and Matthews we can beat anyone in a 7 game series. What a treat to watch.
If that's the effort/results we get from him and Matthews we can beat anyone in a 7 game series. What a treat to watch.
Gary Nylund
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1)
Nobody was was ever a "hater", that's a stupid overused/misused term in this place and people should stop using it. Many of us just thought he could play better and guess what, we were right and now he is playing better.
2)
There is a HUGE difference in Marner this year. Many of us have commented on this over the last few months, he's playing by far the best hockey of his career and if you don't see that, then you and I are nowhere even close to being "on the same page".
I said before the season started that the biggest hope for us being better in this year's playoffs is probably Marner. He played nowhere near his potential last season and I believed he can raise his level of play way up from what it's been in the playoffs the last few years. That's what I was hoping for anyway and it's happening (knock on wood, just one game so far).
Not that it's all Marner of course, the defence as a whole is much improved with the additions Dubas has made and the progress Liljegren has made, this team is just better than it was a year ago, that's all there is to it. As long as Campbell holds up his end of course, he's still the most important player on the team.
