Mitch Marner's dream postseason run continued Tuesday as the Vegas Golden Knights swept the Colorado Avalanche to advance to the Stanley Cup Final, and the star winger reflected on his long journey to find playoff success.
"Special moment," Marner said. "There's been some dark times in hockey for myself, honestly. Thankful for my family. My brother, my mom and dad, my wife, and all my friends around me. That was a moment to just express some joy and fun there. I'll enjoy it for the night and then be ready to go to work."
Mitch Marner is fired up after advancing to the first Stanley Cup Final of his career 🗣️ pic.twitter.com/rf8y1iRrGz
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) May 27, 2026
Despite Marner qualifying for the playoffs in all nine of his seasons with the Toronto Maple Leafs, the club won only two series in that span. Marner, who registered 63 points in 70 postseason contests as a Maple Leaf, shouldered a lot of the blame as his hometown club managed a 0-7 record in winner-take-all games during his tenure.
Although he's having a lot more postseason success in Vegas, Marner said he doesn't believe his approach to the playoffs has changed at all since joining the Golden Knights last offseason.
"I think I always believed in myself," the 29-year-old said. "I knew the guys in this locker room believed in me, and everyone around me, family-wise, believed in me as well. Just wanted to go out there, do my thing, do my work, and just have belief in myself to do the things I can do."
Marner collected three assists in Vegas' four-game sweep of Colorado and leads the playoffs in scoring with 21 points in 16 games.
The Golden Knights are making their third appearance in the Stanley Cup Final since joining the league nine seasons ago. They await the winner of the Eastern Conference Final, which the Carolina Hurricanes lead 2-1 over the Montreal Canadiens.
