Mitch Marner was caught on camera giving a non-player a playful tap below the belt after a Golden Knights game, and the moment has fans debating where the line is.
Broadcast footage showed Marner coming off the ice and making the gesture as he passed. The other person, who didn't appear to be a player, never saw it coming and didn't seem to lighten up afterward.
He was wearing gloves, and the gesture looked meant as a friendly hello. Locker rooms are full of that kind of horseplay between teammates who know each other well.
The difference here is who was on the receiving end. This wasn't a teammate with an established rapport, and that changes how the moment looks.
Most people wouldn't dream of doing this at work. Even with a close colleague, it's the kind of move that could earn a call from human resources.
An NHL rink is still a workplace for the people employed there, and the same basic rules apply.
The Golden Knights may have a quiet word with Mitch Marner
Nothing suggests the team plans any discipline, and the person involved hasn't commented publicly. Still, any organization would likely want a word about something caught on a broadcast.
Marner, 29, carries a $12,000,000 cap hit and has seven points in eight games for a 6-2-0 Vegas team. The last thing anyone wants is an off-ice distraction.
It was a dumb moment rather than a scandal. He probably meant nothing by it, but a professional organization should expect its stars to keep their hands to themselves around staff.
It's like slapping your boss on the back at the office party. You meant it as friendly, but everyone watching winces.
Vegas hosts Calgary on Thursday. Ryan Craig and Kelly McCrimmon would much rather talk about Marner's production than this clip.
-
A quick apology would probably end it. If nobody addresses it, the clip will keep circulating long after anyone remembers the score.
Was Mitch Marner's gesture out of line?
Also read on Markerzone.com:
Cale Makar drives Roope Hintz into the glass, a night after the Hintz-MacKinnon fight
