Mitch Marner is looking to be the latest Toronto athlete to benefit from some playoff dad strength.
The Maple Leafs winger and his wife, Stephanie, welcomed a baby boy, Miles Daniel, on Sunday. He is their first child.
Marner returned to the ice on Monday ahead of Game 1 of the Leafs’ second-round clash with the Florida Panthers after missing practice the previous day for his son’s birth.
“Really special moment,” Marner told reporters after his skate. “I was her (Stephanie’s) cheerleader for two days … just trying to support (her) as much as possible. You never know when labour is going to hit … my son was lucky enough, smart enough to know to not come on a hockey day.”
Monday just happens to be Mitch Marner’s 28th birthday, so he received quite the early gift.
“It’s been a pretty special birthday with everything going on in the last 24-48 hours,” he said.
Marner has 58 points in 63 career playoff games, including a goal and seven assists in Toronto’s first-round victory over the Ottawa Senators.
Toronto sports fans will remember quite well the run Fred VanVleet produced during their 2019 NBA Championship after welcoming his son during the playoffs.
That prompted Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo in 2020 to joke, “Look at Fred VanVleet, he started making all those shots when he had his kid. Maybe that happens to me also. Who knows?”
Puck drop for Game 1 is Monday at 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT. Live coverage will be available on Sportsnet and Sportsnet+.