Mitch Marner Reflected On The Toronto Carjacking & It Changed His 'Perspective On Life'
Toronto Maple Leafs star Mitch Marner is reflecting on a carjacking that happened to him in Toronto and how it continues to impact his mental health a year later.
While hosting his second annual Sink The Stigma miniature golf event in London, Ontario, on September 14, the NHL star looked back on the scary incident that happened to him and his then-fiancée, Stephanie LaChance, in May 2022.
In an interview with NHL.com Marner admitted that he and LaChance, whom he married in July 2023, still talk about what happened, but not too often.
"There’s obviously new people around who heard the story and want to talk about the story. I’m not haunted by talking about it or afraid to talk about it," he told NHL.com.
The story he's referring to happened on May 16, 2022, when armed suspects approached him and LaChance outside of a movie theatre in Etobicoke and took off with his Range Rover.
Marner says something like that can impact a person's mental health.
"It changes your perspective on life, and the importance of talking about it," Marner told NHL.com.
“There were a lot of things going through your head at the time. You’re dealing with being eliminated and having so many negative thoughts go through your head and then, in a split second, suddenly your car is being stolen. You’ve got a gun pointed at you, someone has their hands on your wife and is holding a knife to you."
This isn't the first time Marner has opened up about the scary Toronto incident.
In July 2022, the Maple Leafs player discussed it while hosting the Annual Marner All-Star Invitational.
At the time, he called it a "crazy day" and said he was lucky neither he nor his fiancée were hurt.
"That's all that really matters in the end, but it does affect you mentally," he told reporters in a video shared by TSN.
"It definitely does come into your mind for a couple of weeks straight there, just kind of hitting you back and forth driving a car or something like that."
He also thanked police and the Toronto community for their support in an Instagram post.
The hockey star is now sharing how important talking about certain situations can be in helping people heal.
In an interview with CTV London, Marner said mental health needs to be talked about more.
"That’s really important. Always bringing more awareness to it. Letting people know that you’re never alone in anything you’re fighting. Everyone’s always going through different things in life, so you don’t know," he told CTV London.
The mini golf fundraiser raised more than $50,000 for mental health awareness.
