On Thursday night, Mitch Marner made the following comments to Sportsnet’s Luke Fox regarding the possibility of the Leafs playing all their games in the United States this season:

Or at least, based on the backlash Marner faced in the comments, that’s what you could have sworn he said. Instead, he actually said this:

The quote came as Marner was doing interviews in the lead up to hosting a stream-a-thon for the Marner Assist Fund in support of families with food insecurities. In summary, Marner said that regardless of where the Leafs play he just wants to be around his family and if it comes to not being able to play in Toronto/Canada this season he just hopes it’s somewhere warm. That’s it. That’s the quote.

“Marner” trended for hours in the immediate aftermath of Fox’s tweet, largely driven by (a) the outlandishly negative response and (b) people coming to his aid. This outrage over something so innocuous speaks to the shocking erosion of the relationship between Leafs fans and Marner, much of it self-inflicted by the Marner camp during a contentious and public contract negotiation in summer 2019. Many fans clearly still feel betrayed by the local boy and are dismayed by the inflated price the Leafs paid to sign Marner, fearing it will hamstring the team’s chances at contention. It certainly feels like for some, forgiveness isn’t forthcoming.

Which is fine. People are allowed to think what they want to think, and tweet what they want to tweet. That’s the benefit of living in a free society.

That being said, I think the events of Thursday night speak to a larger issue: when Leafs fans act this hostile towards Leafs players, they potentially hurt the team.

Leafs management already has to contend with tax disadvantages, inferior weather, the bright spotlight of playing in Toronto and our tough media when attracting and retaining talent. Do we really need to heap “hostile fanbase” onto the pile?

Let’s dispel the notion that NHLers, a group comprised largely of people (note how I did not say “players”) in their 20’s, have risen above the need for social media in their lives. Only the bravest (or dumbest) of NHLers have official accounts they use to engage directly in the online conversation: the rest use burner accounts to avoid attention or detection while still being able to use these platforms. What we say does find its way back to the humans who wear the Leaf crest, and also those who may be approached to join the team in the future.

Let’s also dispel the notion that because these NHLers play a game for millions of dollars that they don’t deserve the common decency and treatment that should be afforded to everyone else. They are not impervious to bullying. They cannot buy a renewed self-worth. They don’t own the gadgets from Men in Black that erase their memories. This stuff still stings.

Twitter is an amazing real-time reaction tool which is especially useful during games, allowing you to cathartically fire off a quick expletive-laden tirade in between the whistles. Lament that knee-high outlet pass, missed assignment in front of the net, bungled tap-in, or weak goal allowed. Playing in the NHL is tough: in Toronto, the spotlight is supermassive, ultra bright and absolutely merciless. That’s the territory, and the players understand. Some can handle it, some cannot.

However, it’s when things get directly personal and vicious that damage is done to our reputation as a team and as a fanbase. I’m talking about when a Leaf’s Instagram post is riddled with insults unrelated to the post itself. When incendiary things are being said to the partners of Leafs players. When a Leaf is snitch-tagged on Twitter so as to ensure they’re aware something critical is being said about them. When a Leaf’s words are seized upon and taken in the most negative fashion possible because you have an axe to grind.

So before you send that tweet tagging Marner and calling him a greedy traitor, think about whether it is worth the potential erosion of our team’s attractiveness as a destination to play hockey. While one tweet is unlikely to make that big an impact, a cacophony of vitriol just might.

Let’s do better to improve the conversation, both amongst ourselves in the fanbase and directly towards Leafs players. While it may feel good in the moment, it may be destructive in the long term.