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Mitch Marner wanted Scotiabank Arena crowd to bring more energy after Reaves-Olivier fight
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Photo credit: © Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images
Michael Mazzei
Jan 29, 2025, 06:00 ESTUpdated: Jan 28, 2025, 20:46 EST
Toronto Maple Leafs forward Mitch Marner is the latest to express his disappointment over the lack of noise from the crowd at Scotiabank Arena.
During last week’s game between the Leafs and Columbus Blue Jackets, forward Ryan Reaves got into his long-awaited first fight of the season with Mathieu Oliver in what was deemed a spirited bout and one of the top ones of the season. Given the frustration he felt waiting as long as he did to drop the gloves, it was the type of scrap that tends to get the crowd going. Except the noise fizzled fairly quickly and before long the Blue Jackets took control of the game.
Marner was asked about the subject of the lack of noise in the crowd after the fight after Tuesday’s practice and he told reporters that he also felt the team could have benefited from the fans carrying that energy a bit longer.
“Reavo’s a great player. He does a lot on the ice to make impacts on the game. Fighting is one of those things and that was his first one of the year or maybe second. And it was a hell of a tilt,” he said. “I think everyone agreed to be one of the best that’s happened in a while. I know we were all really fired up, but I think we just wanted to feel that energy from the crowd. And I think we felt it a little bit, but we just want to keep it going throughout the periods and maybe it just dropped off a little bit.”
He is the latest Leaf to express his disappointment for the lack of energy given by the Leafs crowd in Toronto. Captain Auston Matthews, who has always been seen getting fired up after Reaves gets into a fight, spoke with reporters after the loss to Columbus that he would have liked to have seen more out of the crowd to give them that extra boost.
“It was great. That’s still a big part of the game, and he’s a big part of this team. And you love to see that,” he said. “Would’ve liked a little more energy from the crowd after that. I thought it was a little quiet tonight, especially after two guys like that go at it. But it was a great moment for him. Thought it gave us some energy on the bench. And obviously, he’s been looking for one for a while. So, you got to give kudos to the guy on the other side as well.”
The topic of the noise and atmosphere inside Scotiabank Arena is nothing new; it usually comes up at least once a season and there is no clear answer on how to solve the issue. There certainly have been nights when the building is rocking and the noise plays a factor in how well the team does, but those are exceptions and not the norm.
Of course, how the Leafs do in games can play a factor in the energy the fans give out as any team’s arena will go quiet when their team is trailing. But the players believe that Leafs fans coming through with a rocking atmosphere is something they crave and thrive off of.
“I heard them chanting ‘Reavo’ during the fight, which was nice,” Reaves said to reporters after Friday’s practice. “This crowd can be good. You know, sometimes they don’t have it like sometimes we don’t have it. But we like it when they bring that energy. I think we like to feed off of it for sure.”
The frustration of the lack of noise coming out of Scotiabank Arena won’t go away anytime soon until the fans show consistently that they can make for a rocking atmosphere akin to what is typically seen at places like the Bell Centre and TD Gardens. Ticket prices are not going down anytime soon and cooperate sponsors will continue to make their presence felt in Toronto, but surely something can be done to get the crowd to be a house of horrors for the opponents on a nightly basis.
It is up to the higher-ups in the Leafs organization to figure out a way to get the fans going more often than not. Marner said all the players can do is do their best to give their fans something to cheer about by giving it their all every single night.
“I don’t know. It’s up to them, I guess,” he said on how the Leafs can solve the issue of the lack of noise from the crowd. “We just go out there and want to win hockey games and try to entertain our fans and get a great reaction from them. So that’s all we’re trying to do every game.”
The fans at Scotiabank Arena will get their first chance at redeeming themselves when the Leafs host the Minnesota Wild on Wednesday with puck drop set for 7 p.m. EST.