Ice Hockey
Mitch Marner: A Homegrown All-Star in His Hometown
Mitch Marner is now a 3x NHL All-Star, but this year is a little bit different. He'll be an All-Star for his hometown team, in his hometown.
Donning the jersey of your hometown sports team is a fantasy many of us grow up with. You spend hours in front of the TV passionately cheering on your team, watching highlights of your favourite player, and wanting to emulate their style and skill. In its simplest form it’s literally what dreams are made of.
Yet, more often than not, those dreams and aspirations remain in fantasy. It’s rare for someone to achieve that goal with so many factors in the way. You can only control what you can control, but sometimes the stars align and turn dreams into reality.
That’s exactly what’s happened to Mitch Marner. Now he’s an All-Star for his hometown team, in his hometown, as a homegrown kid.
Mitch Marner
© Taylor Reid / Red Bull Content Pool
01
Turning dreams into reality
The streets of Toronto served as Mitch Marner’s early training grounds. The rinks - both indoor and outdoor - were his playgrounds to practice, hone his skills, and develop into one of the world’s premier hockey players.
Marner’s connection with Toronto, where the echoes of Leafs legend resonate in the air, has been deeply rooted since he was a kid. But being a kid from Toronto isn’t just a geographical identity, it’s a cultural immersion into the soul of hockey in one of the most passionate sports cities in the world.
The pressures and expectations that come with playing in a city like Toronto aren’t the same as other markets; the players carry the entire weight of a city’s hopes and dreams. A weight that’s been growing for almost 60 years.
Mitch Marner at an outdoor rink in Toronto
© Mark Blinch / Red Bull Content Pool
Even with the added pressure, there’s something special about every goal and assist Marner notches reverberating through the collective heartbeat of an entire city. The fans’ cheers aren’t just for the player: they’re for one of their own.
Marner isn’t following the traditional career path of a professional athlete. His is a hometown hero’s story that, in many ways, is just getting started and being an All-Star for the Leafs, during All-Star weekend in Toronto, is the next chapter.
02
A hometown All-Star
Being named an All-Star is a testament to not on your skill, work ethic, and the incredible season you’re having, but also to the love and passion that your fanbase has for you. It’s something that cant be bought or traded, it’s earned.
Although he’s been an All-Star twice in his career, being named to the All-Star Game for the third time in his hometown adds an extra layer to an already remarkable story. Plus, it makes it that much more enjoyable to be surrounded by some of his closest friends and teammates in Auston Matthews, William Nylander, and Morgan Rielly.
Mitch Marner at an outdoor rink in Toronto
© Mark Blinch / Red Bull Content Pool
But what makes it even more special is being able to play in front of family and the very communities that watched his rise from local rinks to the NHL. The Maple Leafs have a storied past and one of the most passionate fan bases in the entire league. They’re a core part of the city’s identity; a pulsating valve of its beating heart.
Being named as an All-Star in his hometown is going to be an unforgettable moment that etches Mitch Marner’s name even deeper into Leafs Nation history.
03
Don’t miss a moment of All-Star Weekend
This year’s All-Star Weekend in Toronto is going to be three days of nonstop action starting on February 1st. There will be a wide range of events with your favourite NHL players, including Mitch Marner, past NHL legends, family fun, and more.
Friday, February 2nd will have the league’s best go head-to-head in the NHL All-Stars Skills competition and the weekend will finish off with the All-Star Game on Saturday, where Marner, Matthews, Nylander, and Rielly will represent the Maple Leafs and look to put on a show to remember.
Don’t forget to download the free Red Bull TV app to catch all the sports action you can handle.
Mitch Marner on an outdoor rink at night during a snowstorm
© Mark Blinch / Red Bull Content Pool