Mitch Marner's Love for Animals Shows a Softer Side to the Superstar
CREDIT: Jess Rodriguez from Nulo
You know, everyone loves to dunk on Mitch Marner of the Vegas Golden Knights. Well, everyone in Toronto, at least. You probably remember the storyline about how he choked in the Stanley Cup Playoffs and couldn't live up to expectations with the Maple Leafs. It's funny how scoring 29 points in the Stanley Cup Playoffs with the Golden Knights suddenly changes that narrative, eh?
Well, here's some great news for all the animal lovers in Las Vegas. Marner visited the Nevada SPCA on Friday to spend time with the little shelter pets.
Okay, well, what does that have to do with good news?
I'm glad you asked! Pet food brand Nulo pledges to donate 100 meals to support pets in need at the Nevada SPCA for every point Marner scores in 2026-27. Mind you, this is the same guy who scored 80 points last season (8,000 meals if they did the program!) and had 102 points with the Maple Leafs the season before.
That's a lot of meals for shelter pets! However, it's for a great cause and highlights the importance of having Marner on the Golden Knights. Imagine how starved the poor babies would be if the former "Core Four" member wasn't around to notch points and anger most of Ontario.
What I Love About Mitch Marner's Latest Initiative With Nevada SPCA, Nulo, and the Vegas Golden Knights
The thing about Marner is that he's heard the same rough dialogue from his old fanbase that Jack Eichel heard from Buffalo Sabres fans.
"He's not much of a team player!"
"He doesn't care about his community!"
Look at Marner with this tiny little kitten! Do you think that he'd kick an adorable creature just for kicks? Absolutely not, which is what makes him special.
Eichel did something like this for the Las Vegas community with Raising Cane's, taking orders and working with the crew. There's nothing sweeter than seeing an NHL superstar work with kittens or delivering delicious chicken fingers to the masses.
It also shows that Marner made the right choice by coming to the Golden Knights. He's already embraced by the community and is impacting the populace positively. Everyone loves what he brings to the table, whether it's in the points department or by volunteering and partnering with non-profits for a better cause.
After proving the skeptics wrong about his postseason performance with the Golden Knights last season, he's already doing the same thing with his community work. He's giving back and focusing on making Las Vegas the new hockey home that he's searched for throughout his career.
What better place to do that than with the Golden Knights? Las Vegas has embraced its players since the inaugural season and rallied around the team. That's especially true with Marner, who's seeing the fans support him in unimaginable ways. You can say that he's the "cat's meow."
Not forgetting that Eichel put the spotlight on the ‘Best Buddies’ organization here in Vegas and was Captain for the VGK in the Battle 4 Vegas for 2 years while Reilly Smith was gone. I’m glad Mitch is invested in an organization involved with animal adoption!