Toronto: Will Bo Bichette receive the same treatment as Mitch Marner?

As recently as Friday night in the National Hockey League, Mitch Marner made his return to Toronto, having spent the first nine seasons of his career in the Ontario metropolis, but now lining up with the Vegas Golden Knights.

Unsurprisingly, he received a rather hostile reception from the majority of the 19,000-plus fans gathered at Scotiabank Arena, with boos echoing from every corner of the amphitheater.

Did Mitch Marner just get boo'd on home ice…? pic.twitter.com/fq0zCx0c47

– BarDown (@BarDown) January 16, 2026

And now that Marner's return to the Queen City is a thing of the past, we could see a similar scene this summer, but this time at the Rogers Centre. Toronto sports fans are now looking ahead to the end of June, when Bo Bichette and the New York Mets arrive in town for a three-game series from June 29 to July 1.

In addition to Canada Day celebrations, the return of one of the crowd's old favorites for seven seasons will add some celebrity spice.

One question remains, however: will Little Doe receive the same kind of treatment as Marner at this time?

Both men left under less-than-unanimous circumstances in Toronto, with Marner opposing the Maple Leafs' willingness to trade him, while Bichette reportedly developed a difficult relationship with the Blue Jays coaching staff and staff.

That said, Marner has been singled out, often falsely, for his club's disappointing playoff results, which is not the case for Bichette, who would have been the hero of last year's World Series, on the strength of his three-run home run that was to seal the outcome of the game and the campaign. What's more, Blue Jays fans wanted Bichette back with the Canadiens, unlike Marner.

However, it will be hard for them to swallow the fact that he was denied a chance to return to the team that saw him grow up and that reached the limit of the Fall Classic.

This content was created with the help of AI.