During yesterday’s Maple Leafs game, cameras spotted Mitch Marner swooping in with a hug for a young fan on her 7th birthday.
Of course, Marner is no stranger to showing some love, but this was a particularly special moment that had been in the works for some time.
Hayden Foulon, the young girl in question, is battling leukemia. She has been a fan of Marner for years, and on Saturday, Marner was finally able to get the Foulon family down from London for a Leafs game. After the game, Marner joined Hayden for some cake and a post-game birthday celebration.
Not a bad experience for Hayden at all! A Leafs win, some time with her favourite NHL player, and of course a slice of birthday cake.
It’s always nice to see athletes show some love back to the community, and Marner has shown time and time again that he’s a class act. As we’ve seen in recent days with John Tavares, love and hate in the fandom are two sides of the same coin in sports, but Marner is evidence that some moments are just bigger than the game.
h/t Twitter/Marner93
