John Tavares accidentally puts Mitch Marner to shame.

The paths walked by Toronto Maple Leafs star forward John Tavares and now former Maple Leafs star forward Mitch Marner could not possibly have diverged any further this summer.

Tavares won the hearts and minds of fans in Toronto back when he agreed to his new contract in late June of this year. The contract, a 4 year deal with an average annual value of $4.389 million per season, was unquestionably a massive hometown discount for the Maple Leafs and Tavares was understandably celebrated for showing what many perceived as his commitment to the franchise, fans in the city of Toronto, as well as his commitment to doing everything possible to help his team remain a Stanley Cup contender.

Marner on the other had drew the ire of fans as the final days of his saga with the Maple Leafs unfolded, especially when it became clear that Marner would not even so much as consider re-signing with the Maple Leafs. In the end Marner agreed to an 8 year deal with an average annual value and salary cap hit of $12 million per season, resulting in many angry fans in the city of Toronto applying labels like 'greedy' and 'selfish' to the once beloved forward.

This week the clear divergence of opinion when it comes to Tavares and Marner continued when Tavares received praise for his contributions to the community following the first inaugural John Tavares Foundation Golf Classic, located at the Oviinbyrd Golf Club in Foot's Bay, Ontario.

The John Tavares Foundation, established in 2020, is dedicated to ensuring that children across Canada have the necessary support and tools to actively participate in their communities and explore their inner passions.

Tavares and his foundation commemorated the event with a post and a set of beautiful photographs that were shared on the foundation official Instagram page.

It was unfortunately once again a stark contrast to the actions of Mitch Marner this summer, who also had a charity event of his own in the works. The annually held All-Star Invitational golf tournament did not go off as expected this year with a spokesperson officially confirming the event had been cancelled back in June.

"The event is not happening this year," said a spokesperson as per the Toronto Sun. "But please note, the Marner Assist Foundation will continue to honour all its commitments made to our charitable partners in the communities we serve. We are grateful to all that support MAF as volunteers, donors, and sponsors."

The charity event was designed to raise funds for the Marner Assist Foundation, and when it was cancelled many took it as a deliberate gesture directed at the city of Toronto and the Maple Leafs.

While I don't believe even for a second that Tavares was in any way motivated to make his former teammate look bad, it's hard not to see the parallels between the two Toronto-born Maple Leafs and notice the rather drastic differences.