Mitch Marner makes his feelings known about being teammates with $17,400,000 childhood idol at 4 Nations Face-Off

Mitch Marner finally got to play with his childhood idol, Sidney Crosby, at the 4 Nations Face-Off. Speaking to TSN during Sunday’s Maple Leafs practice, he shared what it was like to be Crosby’s teammate.

"It doesn't matter what line or where you're from, he takes time out of his day & hangs around & talks," Marner said, via TSN reporter Mark Masters's tweet. "We had a couple team dinners that he was very generous with. Just his generosity [stands out]."

Marner secured three points in four games at the tournament. He assisted twice in Canada’s 3–2 overtime win against Team USA in the final. His only goal came in the round-robin against Sweden, which was a game-winner. He averaged 17:20 minutes of ice time per game, playing his most minutes (21:06) against Sweden.

Crosby, who signed a $17.4 million contract last year, was a key player for Team Canada, leading them as captain. In Canada’s 5–3 win against Finland, he assisted on Nathan MacKinnon’s goal and later scored into an empty net. MacKinnon, another player who grew up idolizing Crosby, talked about playing with him.

"Yeah. I mean, he was my favorite player growing up. I think a lot of us, he was our favorite player,” MacKinnon said. “So you know he's still one of the best passes in the game, one of the best players. So, I'm just standing around, and he's giving me tappings right now, so it's going well."

MacKinnon had a great tournament, scoring twice against Finland and winning Player of the Game. He, alongside Crosby, McDavid and Marner, helped Canada reach the final.

Marner is now focused on helping the Maple Leafs. The Leafs have won four games in a row after the 4 Nations break and are ensuring they reach the playoffs.

Mitch Marner also praised Leafs' teammate Auston Matthews'

Mitch Marner also praised Auston Matthews after Canada's win in the 4 Nations. Matthews secured three points in three games. His best performance came in the final, when he assisted both USA goals.

Marner spoke highly of his Maple Leafs teammate despite playing against him.

“He played a great game tonight," Marner said after the game, via Leafslatest. "He’s, I mean, what a warrior he was tonight, again, in this whole tournament... it’s always fun competing against him. He’s such a competitor, such a great player. I’m very fortunate to be on his line and play with him a lot."

Marner assisted Connor McDavid’s game-winner in the finals.