Here's a few stories on the Marlies from the Hockey News
“Everyone's done what they've had to do to put us here,” Logan Shaw
thehockeynews.com
The Toronto Maple Leafs AHL affiliate is one win away from the Calder Cup Final and has put together a great playoff run with their veterans setting the tone and the prospects following suit.
thehockeynews.com
“He's grown a lot in the playoffs, and that's really good to see because, you know, he's a great kid. He's a great teammate,” John Gruden
thehockeynews.com
“I've got to be better. It starts with me. Just cost my team the game,” Easton Cowan
thehockeynews.com
I did not think they had a prayer to get this far. I have not followed them closely this season.
Given the bad NHL performance by the Leafs, this is could be a moderate but nice consolation for some.
If someone offered me free tickets to see the Leafs or Marlies, I'd probably take the Marlies tickets - even when the Leafs were 4th in win%.
It is a pretty good sports entertainment value for the buck.
If you have not been, I recommend it if it is convenient, etc.
My wife really likes the Marlies.
I've never been disappointed that I went - even if they didn't win. I enjoyed seeing them.
There is no substitute for the appreciation you can get from seeing these players up close and live.
I was reflecting on them. I remembered going to see Bruce Boudreau when he played for the Newmarket Saints
Bruce should have made it in the NHL. By his own admission, he kind of blew it. I followed them in St Johns. I keep tabs on their ECHL affiliate.
I recall thinking they had a Calder Cup competitive team a couple of years before they won it in 2018. I thought that team might be better than the 2018 that won it. So I do not have an accurate read on them.
That is one thing about going to see them. We all think we know something about assessing hockey talent.
But the reality is, if we're honest with ourselves - for me anyway, is that it can be a humbling experience.
For every Marlie I thought was might be decent enough for the NHL and was right, there are about ten I was wrong about.
It gives you an appreciation for how hard that job is for the scouts and management. And some respect for these AHLers because they're not that far off from NHL talent. They're far better than they used to be.
Some of it is you get a little hopeful - it's 'our' prospect. So you get a little attached cheering for them. It is sort of do or die for their hockey careers. You're pulling for them. Over time, tough reality sets in for a bunch of them. Many of them wind up in Europe or out of hockey. So you find out the hard way that you were not as hockey smart as you thought you were.
Easton Cowan seems to be making his mark which bodes well for next season. He's got some work to do on his two way play. Baby steps. He's making progress and this is a good experience for him.
Akhtyamov has been the starter over Hideby - not because Hildeby has been poor that I am aware of but because Akhtyamov seems to have won the job - edged him out. That is great for goaltending depth. That truly surprised me. I know they have had hopes for him but I did not expect him to grab the starter role and keep it from Hildeby. A nice thing in a dismal NHL season if that assessment is accurate. Probably a credit is due to coach Toivonen.
I've watched Gruden's post game remarks for some time. He is not that polished. But he's a reasonable, even keeled, level headed, no nonsense but seemingly sensible coach. He has some patience and lets them have some rope - a little bit fatherly maybe. I think this result is a credit to him. I also think Mark Giordano has been a significant help on the back end - according to media coverage and clips I've seen.
Hopefully, they can put four more wins together.
