When Conn Smythe made the Marlboros part of the organization as its farm team, the team was quickly becoming a storied franchise and the thought of it ever growing to where it is today would have been unimaginable. For Smythe, he needed a strong farm team for practical reasons…..to serve his Toronto Maple Leafs. Players who played for the “Dukes” had the ultimate goal of playing for Leafs and with such limited space in the 6-team league, they needed to work hard to get there!
This week, I have had the great fortune to meet two players. Their playing careers are literally 50 years apart but the desire to play the game is the common thread and their desire to work hard and make it up to the big team is the passion that unites them!
Frank Allewell played for the Toronto Marlboros between 1944 and 1946. He played during a time in the Marlboros history when the Memorial Cup was a distant memory (they earned it in 1929) and they were a few years away from capturing it once again (they got Memorial Cup #2 in 1950). Allewell confided to me that the players at the time (himself included) didn’t realize what it meant to be playing for the Marlboros…they just played. They went to the game, worked hard, and fought for spots with the big team. Now, when he reflects back on his time with the Marlboros, it is with great delight at having the opportunity to do what so few of us ever get to do…..just get to play!
The other player that I had the great pleasure to sit down with was Jaime Sifers (someone we can now call an All-Star defensemen for the Marlies!). Sifers is in his third full season with the club (he was signed as an UFA in July 2006 after playing 2 games with the club in its inaugural season), and has had two call-ups with the Leafs, playing 14 games so far this season.
This year, the Marlies and the Leafs have played up and down hockey and nobody knows that better than guys like Sifers, whose been called up twice and sent back down. For Jaime Sifers, it has been a dream year, despite the +/- percentage! First NHL call-up….first NHL game….first All-Star appearance….Jaime is becoming a Toronto player and fits in well with the Burke style of Leafs Nation hockey, on and off the ice!
Born in Conneticut and growing up just outside of New York, Sifers confessed that he was a Rangers fan and when he played as a kid and that his dream was to put on the NYR jersey. However, having the chance to come and play for an original six franchise was a no-brainer for Sifers and he is happy to be playing in Toronto – a place he describes as a hockey city that has embraced him.
Sifers has played just over 200 games with the Marlies in his career and he is loved by many fans around the rink for his commitment to the team, his style of play where one is left wondering if he isn’t really the goalie masquerading as a defensemen, and for his down-to-earth nature. Sifers first got the nod to report to the Leafs for a western road trip on November 30th and was added as an extra player for the trip. Returned to Marlies roster December 6th, Jaime never got to step out on the ice for a game, but practiced with the team which he said gave him the opportunity to get to know the players, which came in handy when he was called up again December 7th and got to play his first NHL game on December 8th in the Leafs 4-2 win against the Islanders. One of my favourite comments came from Joe Bowen that night who talked about Sifers and was impressed at how on his previous stint with the club, he was happy just to be at the practices. That’s our Jaime Sifers!
During our conversation, Sifers mentioned that he was more nervous about the pre-game skate in his first NHL game, than he was during the game itself. I’m not surprised. As someone who has always been a Sifers fan, my favourite Sifers memory (other than our chat) was sitting at Veteren’s Memorial Coliseum in Syracuse on November 28th and seeing his keen eye and competitiveness from my seat beside the bench. It didn’t surprise me at all that he got the call a few days later to join the Leafs on their road trip.
I also had to ask “Sifes” about his second opportunity this season…to represent the Marlies at the AHL All-Star game earlier this week in Worcester, MA. Calling the experience “fun”, Sifers enjoyed the opportunity that game presented to get to meet his fellow league players both on and off the ice other than as a competitor. His smile, his love of the game, and everything about Sifers is first class and he was a great ambassador for our team!
Finally, I ended our conversation asking him about what it felt like to walk out of the dressing room, walk into the bowl, look up at the Ring of Honour and know that he is part of a storied NHL and farm team system in Toronto. He told me that he was living the dream.
Sifers and Allewell……50 years apart….still the same passion…..and for those of us who are on the outside watching them “live our dreams”, it's a pleasure to be part of it. Sifers said it best when he told me it was an honour to wear both the Leafs and the Marlies jerseys and it is funny that it has taken a New York Rangers-loving kid to tell us that!
GO MARLIES GO!!!
You can email Chris with comments and questions about the blog, Duke’s Dog Pound Supporters Club, or the Marlies anytime to dukesdogpound@yahoo.ca.
Thursday, January 29, 2009
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
What it Will Take to Make Toronto the Next “Hockeyville”
A few nights ago, I watched a truly Canadian reality show on CBC called “Hockeyville”
The show is designed to select a small town somewhere in the country to be dubbed “hockeyville” that will receive $100 000 in arena upgrades and the chance host an NHL pre-season game in the fall. Each town makes their case as to why they should win and viewers are asked to vote on who should be selected as the winner. It got me thinking about what Toronto would need to do if we had to plead our “Hockeyville” case.
Firstly, we have to acknowledge that we are a “hockeyville”. To those who say we are a “Leafs town, not a hockey town”, I have to disagree. Although may all may own Leaf jerseys, we also proudly wear our Don Mills Flyers, Downsview Beavers, Goulding Park Rangers, Scarborough Young Bruins, and countless other jerseys. If you look at the statistics provided by the GTHL, they speak to the fact that we are a hockey town and not just a “Leaf’s town”. The facts are that 34 000 kids play on GTHL affiliated teams (House League and Rep) on 2 300 teams.
Over 500 games are played each week in 51 arenas, with an annual player, parent, and fan attendance of 696 000 people annually that has grown by about 9% annually over the past 3 years.
We are a "Hockeyville" when you look at the cars outside of the rinks, the kids who wear their team's jerseys, hats, jackets, and other merch. We're just afraid to admit it!
To make our case as a “Hockeyville” (and to do it credibly), we must:
1. Start from the bottom up.
First and foremost, we need to start with kids. We’ve got to take the Wii generation and teach them that playing foot hockey at recess and ball hockey after school is much more fun than their gaming systems. We need backyard rinks where kids can learn to skate and hone their skills during a game of shinny, Hockey Night in Canada as the Saturday night ritual, hockey card trading, and get them actually playing the game. When you look at the small towns competiting for Hockeyville, they invest in their players and leagues. Hockey is a big part of life in the town and for us to be successful, we need kids off the couch and playing the game.
2. Recognize that Memorial Cups and Calder Cups come before Lord Stanley’s Mug.
Hoping that this year, we’ll win the Stanley Cup with a big parade down Yonge St. isn’t going to happen. Not this year, not next year, and likely not the year after.
For Toronto to win the Stanley Cup, we need understand that we need the players in the leagues below to start winning, selecting the best of the best in the drafts, and developing a culture of winning is critical to winning the Stanley Cup. The Leafs understand this. That’s why they’ve built a scouting infrastructure like none other in the NHL. The challenge will be to get them to let the players develop in the lower leagues before throwing them onto the ice at the ACC.
If you look at the composition of the Toronto Marlies, it looks radically different than it did last year, because we’re starting the process of developing Marlies for Leafs futures, which is making each game exciting to watch. Getting the prospects playing at the Ricoh who will be wearing TML jerseys in the future and instilling in them the confidence and the skills to win is critical to Burke’s job as Leafs GM and will give Wilson the tools he needs to win.
3. Make Substantial Investment into the Leaf’s Future
We need to accept that the Leafs are a team that has needed substantial change since the 1970s and although it is finally coming, we’re a long way from the end-state. This year will not be the worst, definitely not the best, but certainly one of the most important in the club’s history, because of the draft. We need to start gearing up for the draft by securing more picks, better picks, and making wise choices. That way, we can focus on our area of greatest need….goaltending.
For the Leafs to have any chance at becoming a competitive team in the forseeable future, we need someone between the pipes capable of helping Pogge make the transition from the AHL to the NHL and the skill needed to help keep us in the game when our inexperience shows. From there, we need develop the prospects that will lead us to the Cup through the work of experienced players helping our forwards and defensemen make that same transition from the AHL to the NHL.
This will be a slow and labour intensive task, but one that will result in a party down Yonge St. that the city has never seen before.
GO HOCKEYVILLE GO!
You can email Chris with comments and questions about the blog, Duke’s Dog Pound Supporters Club, or the Marlies anytime to dukesdogpound@yahoo.ca.
Monday, January 12, 2009
Checking in With the Reading Royals
With just days before the ECHL All-Star game in Reading, I thought this would be a great time to check in our ECHL affiliate and some of the players well known to Marlies fans!
First of all, a little information about the Royals:
The Reading Royals because the ECHL affiliate this season after the Columbia Inferno was shut down. The franchise itself was originally known as the Columbus Chill and entered the ECHL in 1991 as an expansion franchise. The Chill played in Ohio until the 1998-99 season when it voluntarily exited the ECHL to make the move to Reading, PA so that it could make room for the Columbus Blue Jackets. The team resumed play as the Reading Royals in 2001.
Currently there are 6 players on the Royals with contracts in the MLSE organization. They are:
Joe Cooper (F) – Toronto Marlies
Tyler Doig (F) – Toronto Marlies
Scott Langdon (D) – Toronto Marlies
Michael Ouzas (G) – Toronto Marlies
Dan Radisuela (F) – Toronto Marlies
James Reimer (G) – Toronto Maple Leafs
The Royals are currently in last place of the American North division and aren’t having the year they thought they would have. Larry Courville has recently replaced former head coach Jason Nobili (January 6th) and since then, the team has played .500 hockey (2-2-0-0) on a 4-game road trip. The next game is on January 13th when the team returns home just before the All-Star break. Although the news isn’t perfect, some of the Marlies favourites are playing really well.
Take Tyler Doig. In just 32 games, he has 28 points, and leads the team in Assists (19), Points (tied with 28), PP Goals (5), and PP Assists (13).
On the goaltending front, Michael Ouzas is leading the team in Wins, GAA, and Save %, when you include his stats from Fresno.
For those of you interested in learning more about the Royals, check out their website at www.royalshockey.com.
First of all, a little information about the Royals:
The Reading Royals because the ECHL affiliate this season after the Columbia Inferno was shut down. The franchise itself was originally known as the Columbus Chill and entered the ECHL in 1991 as an expansion franchise. The Chill played in Ohio until the 1998-99 season when it voluntarily exited the ECHL to make the move to Reading, PA so that it could make room for the Columbus Blue Jackets. The team resumed play as the Reading Royals in 2001.
Currently there are 6 players on the Royals with contracts in the MLSE organization. They are:
Joe Cooper (F) – Toronto Marlies
Tyler Doig (F) – Toronto Marlies
Scott Langdon (D) – Toronto Marlies
Michael Ouzas (G) – Toronto Marlies
Dan Radisuela (F) – Toronto Marlies
James Reimer (G) – Toronto Maple Leafs
The Royals are currently in last place of the American North division and aren’t having the year they thought they would have. Larry Courville has recently replaced former head coach Jason Nobili (January 6th) and since then, the team has played .500 hockey (2-2-0-0) on a 4-game road trip. The next game is on January 13th when the team returns home just before the All-Star break. Although the news isn’t perfect, some of the Marlies favourites are playing really well.
Take Tyler Doig. In just 32 games, he has 28 points, and leads the team in Assists (19), Points (tied with 28), PP Goals (5), and PP Assists (13).
On the goaltending front, Michael Ouzas is leading the team in Wins, GAA, and Save %, when you include his stats from Fresno.
For those of you interested in learning more about the Royals, check out their website at www.royalshockey.com.
Thursday, January 8, 2009
The True North Strong and Free......
This has been an exciting couple of weeks for Marlies hockey fans. With the 5th consecutive world juniors crown for Canada, Max Taylor's first AHL career hat trick, the Marlies on a roll, Sifers appoinmentment to the Planet USA all stars, and more recently the signing of Brad May to the Leafs and Kulemin's transfer to the Marlies, it is hard to believe that we're less than 8 days into 2009!
When 2009 was rung in, the Rideau Canal in Ottawa opened up for recreational skating for the first time this season. It reminded me personally that we are a northern people.....we are a nation of skaters, and more importantly a hockey nation. Regardless of your political views or views on whether the Governor General should have proroged Parliament, the nation was united in Ottawa at a time of great political turmoil in our nation's capital, rallying around a group of teenagers who understand better than many of us (particularly those on "the Hill") do what it means to wear the maple leaf. Watching Team Canada on television and having the privilege of seeing them in person at Scotiabank Place win the Gold medal at the WJHC and seeing the crowd cheer for the team was an experience that, like the players on the ice, is something I will never forget. As Canadians, we may not always finish first, but we finish first in HOCKEY or it is a national tragedy!
What does this mean for the Marlies and the Leafs?
I think that both franchises have a lot to learn from our world juniors team and from both Max Taylor and Jaime Sifers. To succeed, the formula is simple........love what you do and strive for 100% success. For too long, we, as "Leafs Nation" citizens, have accepted the business of hockey (over winning) as a way of life for us. We're learning that for us to be successful (and profitable), the key is to have fun and to want to win. Sifers and Taylor, Subban, Tavares and the rest of Team Canada are a testament to this need to have fun and want to win.
With the Marlies on the road for the next few weeks, the Leafs getting ready for Burke's wheeling and dealing which will mean a change to the composition of their dressing room at the ACC, it is important for the whole team to take a page out of the Timbits hockey book....the first goal really should be to have fun, with hopefully many, many, many goals against your opponents coming next. Sifers knows it. Taylor knows it. And Subban really knows it. Just ask his teammates!
When 2009 was rung in, the Rideau Canal in Ottawa opened up for recreational skating for the first time this season. It reminded me personally that we are a northern people.....we are a nation of skaters, and more importantly a hockey nation. Regardless of your political views or views on whether the Governor General should have proroged Parliament, the nation was united in Ottawa at a time of great political turmoil in our nation's capital, rallying around a group of teenagers who understand better than many of us (particularly those on "the Hill") do what it means to wear the maple leaf. Watching Team Canada on television and having the privilege of seeing them in person at Scotiabank Place win the Gold medal at the WJHC and seeing the crowd cheer for the team was an experience that, like the players on the ice, is something I will never forget. As Canadians, we may not always finish first, but we finish first in HOCKEY or it is a national tragedy!
What does this mean for the Marlies and the Leafs?
I think that both franchises have a lot to learn from our world juniors team and from both Max Taylor and Jaime Sifers. To succeed, the formula is simple........love what you do and strive for 100% success. For too long, we, as "Leafs Nation" citizens, have accepted the business of hockey (over winning) as a way of life for us. We're learning that for us to be successful (and profitable), the key is to have fun and to want to win. Sifers and Taylor, Subban, Tavares and the rest of Team Canada are a testament to this need to have fun and want to win.
With the Marlies on the road for the next few weeks, the Leafs getting ready for Burke's wheeling and dealing which will mean a change to the composition of their dressing room at the ACC, it is important for the whole team to take a page out of the Timbits hockey book....the first goal really should be to have fun, with hopefully many, many, many goals against your opponents coming next. Sifers knows it. Taylor knows it. And Subban really knows it. Just ask his teammates!
Friday, January 2, 2009
The Road to the Calder Cup....
With 2008 now over and 2009 just beginning, now is a great time take stock of the first half of the AHL season and look at what needs to happen if the Marlies are to repeat as North Division champions and take the Calder Cup this year.
1. Stability in the Line-Up
The Marlies and the Maple Leafs need to stabilize their line ups. Thus far, 5 of our players have been called up to the big club (not including Mitchell who has been up all season) and currently 4 players are up with the Leafs (Deveaux, Sifers, Tlusty, and Williams). This will be the biggest challenge that both clubs face as Leaf's GM Brian Burke starts the process of rebuilding the Buds and the possibility of injuries constantly looms over both clubs. However, with so many players going up to the Leafs and being called up from Reading, it is hard for the boys to really gel as a team. Earlier this season, I said that the key would be the November road trip swing and it was true. Prior to the first long road trip of the season, the club's record was 4-4-0-2. That road trip record was 2-8-0-0 which was abysmal, but since then the club has gone 11-7-0-1, despite the call-ups of Deveaux, Pogge, Sifers, Tlusty, and Williams during the same period. The players are starting to play better together now that they have had a chance to practice and get to know one another's playing styles.
2. Defensive Reliability
The defense and goaltending needs to be not only reliable, but improve for the second half of the season. So far this season, we have 94 goals for and 99 goals against. So far, in 34 games, we've had a few blowout losses against divsional opponents (7-3 on 10/19, 6-2 on 12/6, and 4-0 on 12/30). More often than not though, our losses have been close games that we just aren't able to pull out the "W" for (9 of 14 have been a point spread of 1 goal and 5 of those have been against divisional opponents). For the Marlies to win the North Division this year, they need to start having those close games go our way and it will be up to the defense and those between the pipes, particularly Pogge whose year it is to shine.
3. Fan Base Support
One of the keys to success for the Marlies will be to get fans in the stands and cheering on the team. After 17 home games this season, official attendance figures stand at 52, 176, with an average of 3, 069 fans per game. These numbers can be a little misleading though as we've had a season high of 7367 (November 26th) and a low of around 1346 (December 17th).
For the Marlies to succeed in the home stretch (with many home games), they need to get the fans going, particularly during the January 24th to February 21st stretch when they play 8 out of 11 games against divisional opponents. The more the fans get into the game, the more the Marlies will be pumped to put on a good (and winning) performance!
4. Winning Games Against Divisional Opponents
We need to start winning more games against divisional opponents. In 25 games against North Division opponents this year, we've lost the battle in 12 of them, with 7 of those on the road. There are 28 more games against divisional opponents this season, with 13 of those on the road. We need to win a substantial number of those remaining 28 games if we stand any hope of making the playoffs this season. We're in a fortunate position where the first 4 teams have a spread of less than 10 points, and we play 16 more games against the Griffins, Moose, and Bulldogs so there is ample opportunity to make up ground on them. We need to make sure that we win as many of these games as possible if we want to win the Pollock award again this year.
Can We Win the North Again?
Yes, we can win the North Division. To win though, we really need to get the "W"s against divisional opponents and have a successful January road trip. Once January is over, we'll play the bulk of our remaining games on the road and we need the fan base to help push the team to start pulling out wins out of those games that in 2008 were 1 point losses.
You can email Chris with comments and questions about the blog, Duke’s Dog Pound Supporters Club, or the Marlies anytime to http://ca.mc456.mail.yahoo.com/mc/compose?to=dukesdogpound@yahoo.ca.
1. Stability in the Line-Up
The Marlies and the Maple Leafs need to stabilize their line ups. Thus far, 5 of our players have been called up to the big club (not including Mitchell who has been up all season) and currently 4 players are up with the Leafs (Deveaux, Sifers, Tlusty, and Williams). This will be the biggest challenge that both clubs face as Leaf's GM Brian Burke starts the process of rebuilding the Buds and the possibility of injuries constantly looms over both clubs. However, with so many players going up to the Leafs and being called up from Reading, it is hard for the boys to really gel as a team. Earlier this season, I said that the key would be the November road trip swing and it was true. Prior to the first long road trip of the season, the club's record was 4-4-0-2. That road trip record was 2-8-0-0 which was abysmal, but since then the club has gone 11-7-0-1, despite the call-ups of Deveaux, Pogge, Sifers, Tlusty, and Williams during the same period. The players are starting to play better together now that they have had a chance to practice and get to know one another's playing styles.
2. Defensive Reliability
The defense and goaltending needs to be not only reliable, but improve for the second half of the season. So far this season, we have 94 goals for and 99 goals against. So far, in 34 games, we've had a few blowout losses against divsional opponents (7-3 on 10/19, 6-2 on 12/6, and 4-0 on 12/30). More often than not though, our losses have been close games that we just aren't able to pull out the "W" for (9 of 14 have been a point spread of 1 goal and 5 of those have been against divisional opponents). For the Marlies to win the North Division this year, they need to start having those close games go our way and it will be up to the defense and those between the pipes, particularly Pogge whose year it is to shine.
3. Fan Base Support
One of the keys to success for the Marlies will be to get fans in the stands and cheering on the team. After 17 home games this season, official attendance figures stand at 52, 176, with an average of 3, 069 fans per game. These numbers can be a little misleading though as we've had a season high of 7367 (November 26th) and a low of around 1346 (December 17th).
For the Marlies to succeed in the home stretch (with many home games), they need to get the fans going, particularly during the January 24th to February 21st stretch when they play 8 out of 11 games against divisional opponents. The more the fans get into the game, the more the Marlies will be pumped to put on a good (and winning) performance!
4. Winning Games Against Divisional Opponents
We need to start winning more games against divisional opponents. In 25 games against North Division opponents this year, we've lost the battle in 12 of them, with 7 of those on the road. There are 28 more games against divisional opponents this season, with 13 of those on the road. We need to win a substantial number of those remaining 28 games if we stand any hope of making the playoffs this season. We're in a fortunate position where the first 4 teams have a spread of less than 10 points, and we play 16 more games against the Griffins, Moose, and Bulldogs so there is ample opportunity to make up ground on them. We need to make sure that we win as many of these games as possible if we want to win the Pollock award again this year.
Can We Win the North Again?
Yes, we can win the North Division. To win though, we really need to get the "W"s against divisional opponents and have a successful January road trip. Once January is over, we'll play the bulk of our remaining games on the road and we need the fan base to help push the team to start pulling out wins out of those games that in 2008 were 1 point losses.
You can email Chris with comments and questions about the blog, Duke’s Dog Pound Supporters Club, or the Marlies anytime to http://ca.mc456.mail.yahoo.com/mc/compose?to=dukesdogpound@yahoo.ca.
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