The Passion That Unites Us All…….

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.