Mitch Marner pours his heart out on celebrating Canada's 4 Nations triumph over USA with family

Mitch Marner enjoyed a special moment with his family after Canada’s 3–2 overtime win against the U.S. in the 4 Nations final. After the game, they posed for a photo with the 4 Nations trophy. Mitch Marner's wife, Stephanie LaChance, and his parents, Paul and Bonnie, were in the picture.

“It was really special,” Marner said. "It's been a long time since we've been able to celebrate something really special, and hockey-wise, winning. It felt really cool just to have them around me with how much sacrifice and effort they put in throughout my whole life to get me to the point where I am today.

Marner assisted on Connor McDavid’s game-winning goal in overtime. He said seeing his family’s excitement made the win even better.

"It was really cool just to have them beside me and see the smiles and feel the emotion that they were feeling for me and the excitement. It was a really cool thing to celebrate with them after that." Marner said.

The Toronto Maple Leafs (33-20-2) will now return to NHL action. They are second in the Atlantic Division and must continue to perform to keep the playoff spot. They aim to break the first-round curse under a new head coach (Craig Berube) and a new captain (Auston Matthews). They have won only one playoff series since 2004, which was in the 2022-23 NHL season.

They will face the Carolina Hurricanes on Saturday and visit the Chicago Blackhawks on Sunday.

Mitch Marner praises Auston Matthews after 4 Nations Final

Mitch Marner praised Auston Matthews after Canada’s win in the 4 Nations final. Matthews had two assists in the game and played over 20 minutes but did not score. He helped set up both U.S. goals and took six shots.

"He played a great game tonight," Marner said. "He’s, I mean, what a warrior he was tonight, again, in this whole tournament. So, yeah, you know, it’s always, like I spoke about before the tournament, it’s always fun competing against him. He’s such a competitor, such a great player."

Marner, usually Matthews’ linemate on the Toronto Maple Leafs, spoke highly of his performance.

"I’m very fortunate to be on his line and play with him a lot," Marner said.

Marner finished the 4 Nations tournament with three points in four games, including two assists in the final. Matthews had three points in three games.