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'I Gave Everything I Had': Mitch Marner Says Goodbye to Maple Leafs Fans With New Statement

Originally posted on House of Hockey | By Tom Banks | Last updated Jul 1, 2025 1:26 PM ET

On Monday, the long Maple Leafs career of Mitch Marner came to an end, and on day one of free agency, the veteran has sent the fans a heartfelt thank you.

The NHL's off-season has been off to a crazy start, with so much happening over the past week leading into free agency, which officially begins on July 1st, with even more movement expected.

That is when fans thought they would be getting an answer on Mitch Marner's future, but instead that came on Monday, with the veteran being involved in a sign-and-trade deal with Toronto, sending him to the Vegas Golden Knights.

Unsurprisingly, it was an emotional time for the Toronto native, who sent fans a heart wrenching goodbye on social media on Tuesday, thanking them for their support and telling them that he gave everything he had for his hometown team.

'I gave everything I had, but in the end it wasn't enough. That's hard to admit because I wanted it so badly for all of us.'

While plenty of fans looked back on his nine years with the team and were grateful for what he did, there were also plenty who aired their frustrations over the way he departed the organization, but at the end of the day, this was just a hometown kid that tried to help his team to a Stanley Cup.

That one never came to fruition, and now, Marner is away from the 24/7 pressure of playing hockey in Toronto as a Maple Leaf, and with a new opportunity, he gives himself a great chance to win a Stanley Cup, and while it's sad that he couldn't get it done for his hometown team, he's now moved on to greener pastures as he looks to complete his hockey goal.

This article first appeared on House of Hockey and was syndicated with permission.

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