Ahead of the Stanley Cup Final, Mitch Marner made a comment about having gone through some dark times in his hockey career. After losing the Final to the Carolina Hurricanes in six games, the Vegas forward elaborated on those remarks, opening up about his mental health struggles.
Mitch Marner led the playoffs in scoring with 29 points in 22 games. Despite that, his Vegas Golden Knights fell short in the Stanley Cup Final. The Carolina Hurricanes won the series 4-2 to capture their first Stanley Cup in 20 years.
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Turbulent year
For Mitch Marner, it has been a turbulent year. After nine seasons as a cornerstone of the Toronto Maple Leafs, he was traded to Vegas ahead of this season. He quickly found his place with the Golden Knights, recording 80 points in 81 games.
As he wrapped up the season on Tuesday, Marner spoke with reporters. When asked about his pre-Final comments regarding the “dark days” he experienced in Toronto, he responded with remarkable candor.
Mitch Marner mental health
“When I said that, I think mental health is a super important thing to me. It really is. I’ve been really trying to take care of my mental health probably for the last five years. And I’m really thankful that I had some really unbelievable teammates around me. In Toronto that I was able to talk to and express myself to. My family, my brother, my mum, dad, my wife. There were some really dark moments there that, you know, made the thought of playing hockey really tough in a lot of ways,” Marner said before continuing.
“It was just a dark kind of vibe. A dark hole, in a way. And I’m very thankful, like I said, that I had people around me. Teammates, who asked me how I was doing and knew that if I was going through something, I could talk to them. I just think it’s really important to check in on your friends. Your family, and the people around you,” Marner said.
You can watch the press conference below.
READ MORE: Mitch Marner takes jab at Maple Leafs after reaching Stanley Cup Final
