Mitch Marner rewards young cancer survivor with pre-game souvenir

Before even having the chance to lend his must-see creativity and flat-out fun to Monday night’s game between the Toronto Maple Leafs and Anaheim Ducks, Mitch Marner had already made someone’s night.

During warmup, Brock Chessell, a young fan decked out in a light blue plaid suit that not even Don Cherry could pull off, successfully alerted his favourite Leaf to his incredible accomplishment with a sign pressed against the glass: that he’d beat cancer.

Marner quickly came up with a reward, signing one of the sticks he brought out for warmup and skating it across to tip over the glass for Chessell to secure.

Marner was asked about the exchange afterwards in an intermission interview with Mark Masters of TSN:

“We get to play in a place (where) the fans love us, and you know this was a chance to embrace them as well. I saw the sign. It’s pretty impressive seeing how many kids battle cancer and still come out and still be so happy every single time they see us. For us it’s just about giving back to them and make sure they leave here with a smile on their face regardless of the score.

“It’s a blessing playing here, and that’s something I get to do every day.”

Well done, Mitch. And well done, Brock.

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