This week, the Marlies pre-season begins. It will be an exciting time for both players and fans as it will be the first time that the boys play across the pond in Edinburgh, Scotland as part of the Gardiner Cup. For those who don’t know, the tournament is being labeled as “Hockey’s Homecoming”, the prize at the end of the trip (other than a trip to one of the most beautiful countries in the world), is the chance to hoist a cup named after HHOFer (the only one from Scotland), Chuck Gardiner.
This tournament is an important one for the Marlies and for the entire Leafs organization, since a win in Edinburgh helps to reinforce what Brian Burke and Ron Wilson are trying to instill in players; a winning attitude. For the Leafs to ever consider winning a Stanley Cup, they need both a passion for the game AND the jersey.
A clear indication of this focus on the team has come with what can only be described as an incredible pre-season of our new and improved Leafs, with some Marlies like Tlusty and Mitchell making a big impact.
Now there may be some that say “Toronto is a Leafs town and NOT a hockey town”, and in the past, that has been the case. The same is not true today. The MLSE organization recognizes that to win means a major cultural change in the organization and it is definitely going to be exciting to watch the Leafs become more like they were when there were 6 teams in the league….with a strong team with a deep farm system that is concentrated on the Marlies as the central development hub.
Hang on tight Marlies fans, this is going to be one fantastic season and if the Leafs pre-season is an indicator of what is to come, it is going to be one heck of a great ride!
AYE MARLIES AYE!!
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.
Friday, September 25, 2009
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Every Week Needs To Be Like This Week in T Dot
This has been an exciting week in Toronto. On Friday, Air Canada Centre was re-opened after a $45 million reno that saw the creation of a new Atrium, new concessions, tons of televisions, including a gigantic new one on Bremner Boulevard which is the beginning of what will be an awesome new public space where TML fans who can’t get tickets will have a chance to meet and cheer on the Buds. On Sunday, the season seat holders of the Raps, Buds, and Marlies got to get up close and personal with their heroes at the MLSE Block Party at Polson Pier. Of course, Wednesday night was the Coke Zero Fans First game where the true Leafs fan got a chance to sit in seats they normally wouldn’t and cheer on a team that they hardly (if ever) get to see live from the stands; this is the only NHL (pre-season) game in Toronto where the suits in the “plats” are replaced with real fans there to see their team start that unending quest for the elusive Lord Stanley’s Mug.
There are two things that can be taken from this week:
1. Fans love their Toronto teams. Even though they may not have access to seats, they are passionate.
2. Fans crave player interaction and more is definitely better.
This week, I got my season seats and scarves from the ACC for the Toronto Marlies 2009-2010 season and my renewal package for my Toronto FC seats. Picking up the Marlies tix was a real pleasure as I got the chance to meet Rick Vaive, along with current Leafs Bozak, Tlusty, Foster, Finger, VanRyn and Beauchemin. Despite some minor hiccups along the way, MLSE really outdid themselves on this one and a special thanks to the Leafs and Raptors players who couldn’t have been more fan-friendly, posing for thousands of pictures and signing hundreds of autographs. MLSE needs to take the Block Party concept out to the streets….Dundas Square…..Square One….Albert Campbell Square…Mel Lastman Square….everywhere!
For the TFC seats, it was amazing to see how hard it was to access my account manager to pull the invoice, as the 16,000 “SSHs” as we’re called, lined-up to pay for next year’s games, while 14,000 people wait for the chance to do the same.
Fans are passionate. People call Toronto a hockey town (and it is), but it is amazing to see the passion that fans have for the Raps and TFC, and there were many, many Marlies jerseys in the crowd at the MLSE Block Party and even the Fans First Leafs game as well! If we were ever to take control of the tickets out of the hands of the scalpers and corporate suits and into the hands of fans, think of how different the new and improved ACC would really be? EVERY GAME would be a FANS FIRST GAME!
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