Mini-Mitch Marner is on the way.
The Maple Leafs winger and alternate captain, already on top of the world for his role in Team Canada’s winning goal at last week’s 4 Nations Face-Off final, and wife Stephanie Lachance, are expecting a baby boy.
The news came out on Instagram through a post from defenceman Jake McCabe’s wife, Gaby, who was attending the couple’s baby shower. There was a picture of the greeting card with the heading ‘oh boy, welcome Baby Marner’, in blue and white with cookies that had baby booties etched in blue on white icing.
Stephanie followed up with a few pictures of her own, including one of Mitch caressing her baby bump. The couple, who were long-time Markham, Ont., sweethearts, married in the summer of 2023. Marner, Toronto’s first-round pick in 2015, ranks sixth in franchise points with 710 and fourth in assists with 500.
Marner need not worry about lack of parental advice from teammates. The Toronto dressing room is going through a population explosion, with defencemen Simon Benoit and Morgan Rielly becoming first-time Dads since the start of the season, and McCabe, John Tavares and Max Pacioretty having multiple children. Pacioretty has five.
The fun-loving Marner has been like a big brother to several Leaf offspring and was a frequent guest of Patrick Marleau and his four sons before he retired.
X: @sunhornby