There’s no denying that Mitch Marner and Auston Matthews’ relationship with their veteran player, Patrick Marleau, is quickly becoming one of our favourites in the league.
In the spirit of the holidays, Marner made our small hearts swell three sizes today, when he shared some sweet words about his teammate, role model, and friend.
"It's pretty special. I don’t think it comes around too often. For me and Auston, we just try and take as much in as we can. He’s got a lot of experience. His family is awesome. It’s a lot of fun being around him and no matter where we are they have no problem inviting us."
Ouch. Right in the feels.
Not to be out-gushed, Marleau made his reciprocated admiration for his younger teammates clear, and shared similarly kind words on the Matthews/Marner duo.
“They’re guys that are, obviously, really highly talented and the way they approach the game is unbelievable and you want to be around those types of players and people. First and foremost, they’re great people”.
We’re not sure which of these statements we love more, but we are sure that we love Matthews’ and Marner’s relationship with Patrick Marleau’s kids as much as we do his relationship their dad.
The trio has forged an unlikely friendship in a Maple Leafs locker room known for its baby faced players, but excellence attracts excellence, and despite the fact that Auston and Mitch are probably a little closer in age to his sons than they are to Marleau, who’s nearly double their age, the three seem to have a really solid connection on and off the ice.
