Sheldon Keefe responds to Mitch Marner's “stick smashing incident”

It's been a pretty tough week online for Mitch Marner... but it's not like he'd know the difference.

The Toronto Maple Leafs forward has been absolutely skewered on social media this week after his turnover against the Anaheim Ducks this weekend basically cost his team the game. Cameras didn't show it, but Marner went down the dressing room tunnel and took his frustration out on his stick, smashing it to bits against the brick arena wall.

But, while fans have been critical and have turned Marner into their own personal whipping boy, neither Marner nor head coach Sheldon Keefe seem to be concerned.

Keefe said to the media today that he personally has "no issues with it… Guys have to have outlets."

And here's the thing... Marner cares even less.

Marner told Toronto Sun reporter Terry Koshan today that he doesn't care about the hate he receives online because he doesn't see it. He quit social media years ago in an effort to get away from all the noise.

From Marner via Koshan:

"I have said this for multiple years. I don’t really have it (social media). I just found it’s a poisonous thing, it gets in your mind a little too much. Since I have got off that, it has been great. It has been refreshing for me and my mindset."

"Yeah. None of us (friend and family) really read it. I’m sure my father does, but he knows not to tell me about anything because I don’t care to hear it. I just hang up."

- Mitch Marner

That last line is interesting to me, particularly because Marner's father Paul is somewhat notorious in the Toronto minor hockey scene for being a stereotypical pushy hockey dad. I mean... have you seen this feature on Mitch and Paul from 2011? 

It makes me cringe and, I won't lie, it makes me very judgmental of the Marners. So when a read a line like, "I'm sure my father does... I don't care to hear it. I just hang up," well... that hits close to home. I've coached a lot of kids in my day and I've dealt with a lot off hockey parents and I can PROMISE you that you're not helping your child when you behave like Paul Marner. Sure, his son got to the NHL and I'm sure Mitch would credit his father with helping him along the way, but I'm of the mind that true talents like Mitch Marner are successful in SPITE of this kind of parenting. Ditto for social media, it doesn't help and the NHL stars that are active on social media are successful in SPITE of social media, not due to social media.