Golden Knights GM Kelly McCrimmon rips Toronto fans for how they treated Mitch Marner: 'Get over it'

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Skyler Walker
May 29, 2026  (2:35 PM)

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Photo credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

Mitch Marner got a blunt defense from John Tortorella's Golden Knights, and Kelly McCrimmon made sure Toronto heard every word.

Marner is headed to the Stanley Cup Final for the first time, and that alone was always going to stir up old emotions around the Maple Leafs market.

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But McCrimmon didn't lean into the noise. He pushed back on the idea that Marner suddenly found another level only after leaving Toronto.

The bigger point was that Marner's season in Vegas wasn't supposed to be measured only against the 102 points he posted last year in Toronto.

McCrimmon argued the role changed, and so did the job description.

He pointed to the stretch when Marner moved to center while William Karlsson was out, using that as proof the winger gave Vegas more than offense. That's the kind of playoff framing Toronto fans know well.

Then McCrimmon took the conversation where it always seems to end with the Leafs: roster construction, depth, and who carries the heat when the puck gets heavy in May.

He didn't stop there either. «

That lands as a direct shot at the old Toronto formula, where Marner was often one of the first names dragged into the spotlight when the team came up short.

And for anyone still bitter now that Marner is winning elsewhere, McCrimmon saved his hardest line for last.

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1 HOUR AGO   |   44 ANSWERS Golden Knights GM Kelly McCrimmon rips Toronto fans for how they treated Mitch Marner: 'Get over it' Did Kelly McCrimmon just say what Toronto fans did not want to hear about Mitch Marner ?

▢    Yes

▢    No

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