Mitch Marner has been rolling through the first seven weeks of the season with the Vegas Golden Knights. When the right-winger left the Toronto Maple Leafs over the summer, many assumed he’d struggle without his Core Four teammates supporting him.
However, after nearly two months of hockey, Marner has proven the doubters wrong. With 21 points in 22 games, his performances have been impressive. Yet his ambitious no-look passes and fancy moves have cost the Golden Knights just as many games.
After his latest take on hockey IQ went viral, NHL fans are coming after the forward with vengeance.
NHL Fans Roast Mitch Marner After Forward’s Bold Hockey IQ Comments
Marner recently made comments about possessing an elite hockey IQ that rubbed the hockey world the wrong way. The winger grouped himself alongside players like Aleksander Barkov when discussing the league’s smartest players.
The comments sparked immediate backlash from fans who believe Marner’s playoff track record doesn’t support his self-assessment. His tendency to disappear in crucial postseason moments has followed him throughout his career.
“He makes a clutch playoff play once every 3 years and wanted 12M,” one fan posted, mocking Marner’s massive contract demands relative to his playoff production. Others criticized Marner for ranking himself alongside elite two-way centers while omitting legendary players.
“When you’re the only player in the league that would put yourself and Barkov before Sid or Nathan, you’re a joke,” another wrote, referencing Sidney Crosby and Nathan MacKinnon. Some fans questioned the actual phrasing of Marner’s comments.
“The sentence also makes no sense. ‘”I’d like to throw myself in that opinion,’ what?” one confused supporter posted. The criticism extended beyond just his hockey takes.
Toronto fans who watched Marner for years took satisfaction in seeing him embarrass himself publicly. “The fact that the Leafs are the worst they’ve been since Matthews, and I still wouldn’t have this dude on the team for free, says a lot,” one former supporter declared.
Another fan suggested Marner should have exercised better judgment. “I think sometimes it’s better to keep your lips closed. In his case, for sure,” they wrote. The harshest criticism targeted Marner’s apparent lack of self-awareness. “Guy has zero self-awareness,” one fan stated bluntly.
The backlash highlights the disconnect between how Marner views himself and how the hockey world perceives him. While his regular-season statistics support claims of elite offensive ability, his playoff disappearing acts have defined his legacy.
Whether Marner can change that narrative in Vegas remains the most significant question surrounding his massive eight-year contract. For now, he’d be wise to let his on-ice performance do the talking rather than making bold proclamations about his hockey IQ.
