The Greater Toronto Hockey League has produced more pro players and superstars as a minor hockey league than any in the world could dream of coming near, and the NHL is full to the brim with GTHL alumni and talent.
One of the most storied clubs in the league, the Toronto Marlboros, is responsible for a whole lot of that talent. The club’s origins date all the way back to the junior team that was founded in 1903 under the same name, and was originally tied very closely to the Maple Leafs. The minor hockey organization continues to be one of the best in the world, and has seen players like Jason Spezza, Connor McDavid, Quinn and Jack Hughes, Scott Laughton, Rick Nash and many more go from minor hockey studs to NHL mainstays.
Two alumni that we left off that list are John Tavares and Sam Gagner, mostly because they’re no longer just alumni: they’re returning to the organization to give back to the club that shaped them into the players they are today.
There’s been rumblings that the duo, who have been close since their childhood days when they played for the Marlboros and enjoyed countless hours on a backyard rink in Oakville at the Gagner family home, were in the process of taking over the club’s operations since mid February.
Today, the duo formally confirmed that they’d be taking over their childhood club, and shared this release to break the news.
Talk about best friend goals, huh?
Congrats to this duo on giving back to the next generation of hockey players. We’re sure they could learn a lot from these two!
