Toronto Maple Leafs forward Mitch Marner missed practice yesterday morning, but for a good reason. He and his wife, Stephanie, welcomed the arrival of a baby boy on Sunday morning (one day before Marner turned 28!)
The Leafs made the announcement on X/Twitter, to the delight of fans:
Maple Leafs forward Mitch Marner and his wife, Stephanie, welcomed the arrival of a baby boy this morning. Marner will not participate in today’s practice.
— Leafs PR (@LeafsPR) May 4, 2025
The couple married in the summer of 2023 after hosting an enchanting ceremony at Peller Estates Winery in Niagara-on-the-Lake. They informally announced they were pregnant in February of this year and will join other Leafs couples who recently became new parents — last August, Leafs defenceman Morgan Rielly and Olympic ice dancer Tessa Virtue welcomed their first child, McCormick Rielly (this was a few months after the couple announced that they were expecting their child in the cutest way possible), while Leafs defenceman Simon Benoit and his girlfriend became first-time parents in September.
Marner also has a lot going on in his career. He’s currently playing out his final year of a 6-year, $65,408,000 contract with the Leafs, and is getting ready for the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs tonight after the Leafs beat the Ottawa Senators in the Battle of Ontario last week.
The Leafs will take on the Florida Panthers in Game 1 at Scotiabank Arena this evening at 8 p.m., so fans are hoping that Marner can channel some new dad energy into tonight’s game.
“awww congrats🥹 mitch dad strength incoming”
awww congrats🥹 mitch dad strength incoming
— natalie (@marnylander) May 4, 2025
“Dad power here we go”
Dad power here we go
— A (@_marlanderthews) May 4, 2025
Currently, Toronto is sitting at the top of the Atlantic Division with 52 wins, 26 losses, and 4 OT losses, with 108 points.