Inside the unlikely bond between Leafs forwards Mitch Marner and Matt Martin

June 23, 2024

Matt Martin and Mitch Marner still talk about the first time they met. Or didn’t meet, rather.

Last year, ahead of the season, Martin, an off-season signing, was working out in the gym at the Maple Leafs practice facility in Etobicoke when Marner, the rookie, walked in. Only 19 at the time and a question mark to crack the NHL roster, Marner was wary of introducing himself.

He said nothing. Neither did Martin.

“Now we talk about it pretty frequently about whose fault it is,” said Marner more than a year after the encounter.

Teammates since the start of last season, Marner and Martin have an unlikely friendship — unlikely, above all, because of the generational gap between them. Marner is eight years younger than Martin and is part of generation that best communicates through Snapchat. On the ice, the two have entirely opposite skill-sets and vastly different NHL pedigrees. On the surface, it would seem they have nothing in common.

And yet, their bond is strong. And the best-friends-forever nature of their relationship is hard to ignore.

Take for example, their pre-game routine. Ahead of games, home or away, Martin stands near the entrance to the team’s dressing room before his team heads to the ice. He gives his teammates a quick fist-bump as they filter out. But Marner? He gets a chest-bump. The two will exchange enthusiastic body checks during warm-ups and recently went viral when a camera caught the two of them sniffing smelling salts together on the bench during a game.

And their camaraderie stretches beyond the rink.

This year, Marner and Martin had plans to wear matching costumes at the team’s Halloween party. But the idea was squashed by their respective girlfriends. Asked by prying media what the costumes were going to be, Marner paused, unsure if he should reveal the concept.

“Marty. Marty,” Marner shouted to Martin, chatting with a reporter a few steps over. “They want to know our costume.”

“Yeah, go ahead,” Martin said.

“We were going to be Dr. Evil and Mini-Me,” Marner told reporters after getting the proper approval.

Marner — Mini-Me in the Austin Powers-inspired costume scenario — said Martin has looked out for him from day one in Toronto — or day three, rather, since the two didn’t officially meet until two days after that initial, awkward encounter.

Marner said he looks up to Martin like an older brother or even a second dad. And that’s become a running joke with the Leafs, one that Marner referenced earlier this week in an Instagram post of himself and Martin celebrating a goal against the L.A. Kings. The caption read: “Father/Son Goals”

Courtesy: Mitch Marner’s Instagram (marner_93)

Behind the scenes footage from last year’s EPIX series, Road to the Outdoor Classics, which followed the Leafs ahead of their Centennial Classic matchup against the Red Wings, further captured the nature of their unique bond. In the scene, the pair have a friendly argument about watching the movie, Sully.

“You watched Sully?” Martin asked, as the pair ate.

“I didn’t finish it…I watched the first five minutes, but I quit on it,” replied Marner.

“I’ve been trying to get you to watch Sully with me for a freaking month,” Martin said in the candid moment caught on camera.

When it comes to how they became such close friends, both say their personalities — generally upbeat — just mesh.

On the road, the two will often meet for dinner or a movie. Sometimes they instead stay in and watch a movie at the hotel. Last year, during the team’s bye week in January, they traveled to the Cayman Islands with Connor Carrick. Marner said he has also been a frequent guest at Martin’s home for dinner.

“I wouldn’t say I’m going out of my way to do it,” said Martin. “I like hanging around with my teammates. I like trying to include everybody. Anytime there’s a new guy on the team, anytime someone gets called up, you want them to feel welcome right away. If they’re comfortable being here, then you’re going to get the best out of them.”

“I like being around people,” he said, adding he gets his outgoing personality from his mom, Dawn. “I like talking. And I just want to have fun and he’s someone I have a good time with.”

Courtesy: Matt Martin on Instagram (mattymarts17)

The 28-year-old forward considers the age gap between the two to be largely irrelevant. Teammates are teammates, and some you just happen to click with better than others, he said.

“You kind of forget about age, I think, in a hockey room,” Martin said. “You don’t realize how old (Patrick) Marleau is and how young Mitchy and Auston (Matthews) are. Sometimes when you watch them on the ice, the next day you really think to yourself, ‘Man, he’s 19 or 20 years old.’ It’s impressive what they’re doing.”

When he was coming up with the New York Islanders, Martin didn’t feel this kind of bond with any of his older teammates. New York was shuffling through veterans every year, he said. However, Martin did form tight connections with his linemates Casey Cizikas, still his best friend, and Cal Clutterbuck. In New York, he had a similar relationship to Nick Leddy, two years his junior, as the one he has with Marner in Toronto.

Martin, who refers to Marner as “Mitchy,” doesn’t mind the dad comparison. He considers it part of his role to look out for the young players on the team, ensuring they feel comfortable on and off the ice. If there is a justification to having Martin on the roster — though perhaps not playing every night – this is it.

Head coach Mike Babcock clearly endorses his presence. Martin appeared in all 82 games last season. There are no apparent plans to alter that approach this year. Meanwhile, young players such as Connor Brown, William Nylander, Matthews and Marner surround Martin’s dressing room stall, both at the Air Canada Centre and the practice facility.

Martin’s protective role was evident earlier this week.

Following a two-assist performance against the Kings, Marner, playing primarily with Martin, claimed to have felt extra safe with him on the ice. It was easy to see why. When the 6-foot-3, 203-pound defenceman Christian Folin ran him down at the blue line, Martin was there to step in to defend his young teammate.

Marner also turned to Martin during his early-season struggles. Martin, in turn, told Marner he would get him the puck as often as possible while the two were on the fourth line together.

“Everyone in this room you care about,” said Martin. “You want them to succeed. You want them to be happy. When times are tough for them, you try to keep them happy and positive and excited. And when things are going well sometimes you’ve got to bring them back down a little bit, too.”

Martin and Marner, who have birthdays three days apart — Marner’s is May 5, while Martin’s is May 8 — saw each other a few times during the off-season. However, Marner wasn’t pleased he didn’t get an invite to Martin’s new summer home in New York. Martin said the place was not ready for visitors.

Next summer Marner will receive an invite, Martin promised.

“I think in general you’re friends with everyone in the room,” Martin added, “but you have a closer bond with certain guys and we just somehow clicked in that way.”

(Photo by Mark Blinch/NHLI via Getty Images)

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