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Golden Knights reveal jersey number for Mitch Marner
John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images

On Monday, the hockey world exploded with the news that they had been waiting for for weeks on end.

The Vegas Golden Knights officially completed a trade with the Toronto Maple Leafs that saw forward Mitch Marner head west to Sin City. Marner signed an eight-year deal worth $12 million annually, likely marking the final deal of such a duration due to the new collective bargaining agreement lowering the maximum term to seven years. The Maple Leafs received forward Nicolas Roy in the deal.

Not even 24 hours after the trade was announced, Golden Knights fans awaiting Marner’s jersey know the number he will wear for Vegas.

Marner’s new number carries plenty of personal significance for him.

In a graphic posted on their social media accounts, the Golden Knights announced that Marner will wear No. 93 for them, moving on from the No. 16 he wore for Toronto and currently worn by forward Pavel Dorofeyev.

It is the first time the Golden Knights will have a player wear the number, as well as the first time Marner will wear it in the NHL.

Marner previously wore the No. 93 with the Ontario Hockey League’s London Knights, and the number is still visible on his social media handles. He wore the number in honor of his favorite player, former Maple Leafs captain Doug Gilmour, as well as to honor the birth year of his older brother. With Gilmour’s number retired for the Maple Leafs, Marner could not bring it with him to Toronto.

Toronto sports fans are definitely unhappy with Marner leaving.

Despite Marner being a hometown product, Maple Leafs fans were not always thrilled with their superstar forward during his tenure.

When Marner signed a six-year deal worth $10.9 million annually in 2019, fans criticized him for not taking a hometown discount and forcing the team to get creative to stay cap-compliant. The team’s postseason struggles compounded the problem, with Marner taking most of the blame for the team’s failures. This has lead to instances where fans dumped trash on his lawn, sent death threats to him and his family and one fan even doxxing his home address on social media.

If Leafs fans expressed this much vitriol towards Marner while he was donning the leaf, his first game back in Toronto will make Jack Eichel’s exit from the Buffalo Sabres look amicable by comparison.

Just like Eichel did to the fanbase of his former team, Marner lifting the Stanley Cup as a Golden Knights would be a dagger to the heart of Toronto fans. After hearing their reaction on his return, it may provide even more motivation to do exactly that.

This article first appeared on Dice City Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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