Relief. That was Mitch Marner's reaction following a 6-3 win against the Maple Leafs in what was his first return to Toronto since being traded to the Vegas Golden Knights. When asked if he was happy to finally put this game behind him, the former Leafs winger exhaled and smiled. "Completely, definitely, honestly," he said. Marner was booed when he was on the ice for a shift, cheered when he left the ice for the bench, and experienced a range of emotions in a game that many Leafs fans had circled on their calendars. Now that's it is done, here are some of what was said. "That [booing] was fine. I knew was it going to come ... the cheering when I was going off was pretty funny. I didn't see that one coming." — Marner on being cheered each time he left the ice at the end of a shift. “I thought it was fun. It was nice that there were some cheers for him during the video tribute. I think it was kinda done the right way." — Toronto Maple Leafs captain Auston Matthews "I didn’t think it was that loud, if I’m honest with you." — Vegas' Rasmus Andersson throwing shade on the Toronto crowd Mitch Marner 'Relieved' To Escape First Game Against Maple Leafs With A Victory [https://deweb-519a7.b-cdn.net/post-images/22fc2a04-3432-4f1c-8b39-434b35e2c4b9.png] Mitch Marner 'Relieved' To Escape First Game Against Maple Leafs With A Victory Marner didn't factor into any of the Golden Knights' six goals against Toronto, but the player was happy to see his team beat Toronto [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/toronto-maple-leafs/latest-news/mitch-marner-relieved-to-escape-first-game-against-maple-leafs-with-a-victory] -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- GOALIE FIGHTS The NHL had its first goalie fight of the season when Florida Panthers' Sergei Bobrovsky challenged San Jose Sharks' Alex Nedeljkovic in a fight [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SvoL1FSOR3w]. It was the first fight for both goalies. And hopefully, it wasn't the last. "It’s exciting. But it’s obvious it’s not a thing I’m doing for a living." — Sergei Bobrovsky on his fight against Alex Nedeljkovic “I was just doing my best not to get punched. He came out swinging, so I was just trying not to lose any teeth. It might have straightened my nose out a little bit more, but I don’t want it that way.” — Nedejkovic "I don’t think Reavo (Ryan Reaves) needs to teach him anything. Maybe he can teach a thing or two to Reavo. That was awesome.” — San Jose's Vincent Desharnais on Dedeljkovic holding his own against Bobrovsky. "No, I think I got challenged one time in the AHL, but never the NHL. I think my shoulder would pop out … I don't do fights. I score." Minnesota Wild [http://thn.com/minnesota] goalie Filip Gustavsson on whether he was inspired to drop the mitts after watching Florida's [http://thn.com/florida]Sergei Bobrovsky fight San Jose's [http://thn.com/sanjose] Alex Nedeljkovic. NHL Goalie Fight Between Bobrovsky And Nedeljkovic Lights Up Social Media [https://deweb-519a7.b-cdn.net/post-images/0d67fc52-c3f6-42c9-bcff-d5f406d5035d.jpeg] NHL Goalie Fight Between Bobrovsky And Nedeljkovic Lights Up Social Media Alex Nedeljkovic called his goalie fight with Sergei Bobrovsky a bit of an "oh crap" moment, but their scrap drew a ton of attention on X Monday night, even while the college football national championship was on. [https://thehockeynews.com/news/latest-news/nhl-goalie-fight-between-bobrovsky-and-nedeljkovic-lights-up-social-media] -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- SHOOTING FROM THE LIP "I'll give you two choices that you can run with whatever you want: it happened in the game or it might have happened on the sibling trip." — Boston's David Pastrnak, who brought a friend along for the "siblings road trip," describing the origins of how he suffered a black eye to the NHL on TNT panel. "Yeah, I don't know if you guys caught the last one there, Siggy (Jonas) Siegenthaler it hit him in the left pad extension, butterfly save at the end. And that was unbelievable. We have a couple of days here in Van, so I'll take them for a few beers tomorrow." — New Jersey Devils goalie Jake Allen telling the NHL on TNT post-game panel that he's planning to reward his defensemen for sacrificing their body after they blocked 12 shots in a 2-1 win against the Edmonton Oilers. "Well, it sucks for the American TV public 'cause he was doing a really great job on TNT. — Tampa Bay Lightning coach Jon Cooper on the negative aspect of Columbus Blue Jackets hiring Rick Bowness. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- HIGH PRAISE Cale Makar might be the gold standard when it comes to the best defensemen in the NHL. But he has company. Whether it's Quinn Hughes, Zach Werenski or Lane Hutson, we really are in a golden age of puck-moving defensemen. “The way he moves — from the time he got here, I think everyone was like, 'Whoa!' You don’t realize how good he is until you see it and you play with it." — Minnesota Wild defenseman Brock Faber on what it's like to play with Quinn Hughes. Chances are the defense pair will link up again next month at the Olympics [https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nhl/2026/01/23/minnesota-wild-quinn-hughes-brock-faber-chemistry-winter-olympics/88310629007/]. “I’m not saying I’m gonna compare him to Cale Makar but I always say to my guys: 'You gotta treat him like that.' His skating ability, he’s very shifty, he’s up the ice, he does it in the zone. He wants to beat you one-on-one.” — Boston Bruins coach Marco Sturm on not underestimating Lane Hutson "When you're going up against the (Cale) Makar's and (Quinn) Hughes', he's marvelous. He glides on the ice. He's electric. You have to be on your toes every time he's out there. When you're talking the top D in the league, if you don't sit there and say he's in the top-3, I'd like to see who is. Because I've watched it for way too long up close." — Tampa Bay Lightning coach on what makes Zach Werenski, who is tied for the scoring lead among defensemen, so dangerous. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- MEOW! Jason Robertson was not chosen to represent Team USA at the Olympics. And it's safe to say that being snubbed might have motivated the Dallas Stars winger. Since the roster was announced, Robertson has scored six goals and 12 points in 11 games. Meanwhile, Cole Caufield, who was also snubbed, has nine goals and 13 points in 12 games. "Every one is for my cat." — Jason Robertson, who ranks third in the NHL with 30 goals, says he scores his goals for his cat [https://x.com/TSN_Sports/status/2015121773008719920?s=20]. “I’ll double down: I still don’t know why he’s not on the team [USA].” — Dallas Stars coach Glenn Gulutzan. "I feel he loves it being in those moments in the clutch. I've never seen this shot; he can score anything." — Montreal's Ivan Demidov tells reporters that he is in awe of Cole Caufield, who scored his seventh game-winner — tied for most in the NHL — with 15 seconds remaining in a 4-3 win against Minnesota. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- HARD DECISIONS It must have been difficult for Ottawa Senators goalie Linus Ullmark to sit down with TSN's Claire Hanna and talk about his mental health struggles. But hopefully, the candid interview sheds helps others who are also struggling — although the reason why Ullmark decided to speak out was due to some nasty online trolling. “Do I wish that me being open will help people? Yeah, at the end of the day, it would be a nice thing. But it wasn’t my plan. My plan was to fix me." — Ottawa Senators goalie Linus Ullmark, who is on a personal leave of absence, addressing his battles with mental health and online rumors. “It’s my job to make guys accountable. Backchecking doesn’t require talent. It requires will.” — New York Islanders coach Patrick Roy, explaining why he benched his entire first line for the third period in a 5-0 loss to the Buffalo Sabres. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- LOVE FOR LANE? Lane Hutson was passed over (again) for the Olympics, as Team USA GM decided to name Jackson LaCombe to the team as an injury replacement for Seth Jones. Hutson is ranked fourth among NHL defensemen in scoring with 53 points (two less than Cale Makar, Zach Werenski and Evan Bouchard). But whether it's his lack of size or lack of experience, he just doesn't seem to be in Team USA's plans [https://thehockeynews.com/news/latest-news/what-more-does-canadiens-lane-hutson-have-to-do-to-get-on-the-u-s-olympic-team]. What More Does Canadiens' Lane Hutson Have To Do To Get On The U.S. Olympic Team? [https://deweb-519a7.b-cdn.net/post-images/f693e54b-b91f-4bf6-995d-c2975464c806.jpeg] What More Does Canadiens' Lane Hutson Have To Do To Get On The U.S. Olympic Team? Lane Hutson is one of the United States' top three scorers on defense, and yet he not only got snubbed from the initial Olympic roster but was also not named a replacement for Seth Jones. [https://thehockeynews.com/news/latest-news/what-more-does-canadiens-lane-hutson-have-to-do-to-get-on-the-u-s-olympic-team] "You want to talk about the Olympic team? Let's talk about it … "I love every single defenseman that they brought there. I think they picked the right 'D' corps. But I think (Hutson) should be there. How can you not have a player playing this way?" — Former Habs defenseman and Norris Trophy winner P.K. Subban on why Montreal's Lane Hutson should have been picked for the Olympics [https://x.com/PKSubban1/status/2013811949440524726?s=20] "This is a men’s tournament. It’s not the World Juniors — it’s the Olympics.”— Brian Burke explaining to Jeff Market and The Sheet [https://x.com/ColbyCohen36/status/2014462332550754459?s=20]why he believes Lane Hutson was not selected for Team USA. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- BACK AGAIN Jonathan Quick played 10 games for the Golden Knights. His time in Columbus was even shorter, as Quick spent one full day with the Blue Jackets before getting moved to Vegas as part of a sort of three-way trade in 2023. So it was somewhat unusual — and a bit tongue-in-cheek — to hear the Rangers goalie shouting out his former teams when talking about a return to Los Angeles. “It was three teams ago, right? Special going back to Vegas, Columbus — the more recent teams. Obviously appreciate the fan support here in LA, while I was here.” — New York Rangers goalie on his return to Los Angeles, where he spent 16 seasons. Erik Karlsson: "Obviously, I'm on the road trip not to be a mascot, but I'm hoping that I get to come back and play here soon." Colby Armstrong: "Best-looking mascot in the league!" Karlsson: "Highest paid, too!" — Erik Karlsson on his return to the lineup. "Did they get a hold of Buff? Really... is he coming? He's training right now. He's training for that game, I know it. — Florida Panthers coach Paul Maurice on whether former NHLer Dustin Byfuglien will participate in the upcoming Winnipeg Jets' alumni game. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- FOREVER 21 For most, turning 21 years old is a milestone. It means you can order an alcoholic drink in the U.S. It also means you get a free pass to make some bad decisions. Chicago's Oliver Moore took that to heart when he challenged the much bigger Nikita Nikishin to a fight last week. For Moore, who dropped the gloves for the first time in the NHL, it didn't go well. However, he did make up for it by scoring the overtime winner later on. “It’s a good way to ring it in. Got beat up. Won a hockey game. That’s all that matters.” — Chicago's Oliver Moore, who celebrated his 21st birthday with a fight, an assist and by scoring the OT shootout winner. “The other guy looks way worse.” — Toronto Maple Leafs coach Craig Berube after showing off a black eye and a nasty looking gash [https://x.com/spittinchiclets/status/2014748562278478079?s=20]on his head, [https://x.com/spittinchiclets/status/2014748562278478079?s=20]https://x.com/spittinchiclets/status/2014748562278478079?s=20which needed about 50 stitches to seal up, which he said was the result of an accident in the gym. "Vincent Desharnais was a dirty player since he was an Oiler. Last night he showed us who he really is again. He's a typical Canadian." — Florida's Matthew Tkachuk giving the ultimate compliment to Desharnais (and hockey players, in general). -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Image [https://deweb-519a7.b-cdn.net/post-images/87a6f76b-ce2a-4842-a033-ee41d0a6b8cf.jpeg] For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free [https://thehockeynews.store/products/print-subscription?_gl=1*kmnsm8*_ga*NDAxOTY4NTMuMTc1NTg5NTA0Mg..*_ga_ZET34ZFCGX*czE3NjkyOTE5MjYkbzEzJGcxJHQxNzY5MjkxOTM5JGo0NyRsMCRoMA..]. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here [http://eepurl.com/i7OC4I]. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.
