Toronto Marlies facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Toronto Marlies
City	Toronto, Ontario
League	American Hockey League
Conference	Eastern
Division	North
Founded	1978
Home arena	Coca-Cola Coliseum Scotiabank Arena (occasional home games)
Colours	Blue, white
Owner(s)	Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment
General manager	Ryan Hardy
Head coach	John Gruden
Captain	Logan Shaw
Media	The Sports Network Sportsnet 590 TSN 1050 AHL.TV (Internet)
Affiliates	Toronto Maple Leafs (NHL) Cincinnati Cyclones (ECHL)
Franchise history
1978–1982	New Brunswick Hawks
1982–1986	St. Catharines Saints
1986–1991	Newmarket Saints
1991–2005	St. John's Maple Leafs
2005–present	Toronto Marlies
Championships
Regular season titles	2 (2015–16, 2017–18)
Division Championships	7 (2007–08, 2011–12, 2012–13, 2013–14, 2015–16, 2017–18, 2022–23)
Conference Championships	2 (2012, 2018)
Calder Cups	1 (2018)

The Toronto Marlies are a professional ice hockey team from Toronto, Ontario. They play in the American Hockey League (AHL). The Marlies are part of the North Division in the Eastern Conference. They are owned by Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment. This company also owns their main team, the Toronto Maple Leafs of the NHL. The Marlies have played their home games at Coca-Cola Coliseum since 2005.

The Marlies team started as the New Brunswick Hawks in 1978. The team moved three times before coming to Toronto in 2005. They played in St. Catharines, Newmarket, and St. John's. When they moved to Toronto, they were renamed the Marlies. This name came from the Toronto Marlboros, a junior hockey team that the Maple Leafs used to support. The Marlies reached the Calder Cup Finals in 2012 and 2018. They won the championship in 2018.

Team History and Moves

The Marlies' story began in 1978 with the New Brunswick Hawks. This was the first professional ice hockey team in New Brunswick. The Toronto Maple Leafs and the Chicago Blackhawks shared ownership of the Hawks. The Hawks were a "farm team." This means they helped train younger players for the main NHL teams.

In 1982, the Hawks moved to St. Catharines, Ontario, and became the St. Catharines Saints. This time, they were only connected to the Maple Leafs. After four seasons, the team moved again in 1986 to Newmarket, Ontario, and were called the Newmarket Saints. They played there for five seasons.

Then, in 1991, the team moved to St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador. They became the St. John's Maple Leafs. This was the first professional hockey team in that area. They played at Memorial Stadium until 2001. Then, they moved to Mile One Centre.

Moving to Toronto

In the early 2000s, NHL teams wanted their farm teams to be closer to them. This made it easier to move players between the minor league and the NHL. By 2004, the St. John's team was the only one left in its region. Even though many fans watched their games, the Maple Leafs wanted to save money on travel. The closest team they played against was very far away.

Also, the Ricoh Coliseum (now Coca-Cola Coliseum) in Toronto had been updated for hockey. The NHL Leafs wanted to put a team there. Another team, the Toronto Roadrunners, had played there for one season. Because of these reasons, the team moved to Toronto for the 2005–06 AHL season.

The team was named after the old Toronto Marlboros. This junior hockey team played in Toronto from 1904 to 1989. They were also owned by the same company as the Leafs for many years. Fans often called the junior team "Marlies." The new team used this shorter name to avoid being linked to a cigarette brand.

Winning the Calder Cup

During the 2011–12 AHL season, the Marlies made it to the Calder Cup Finals. This was the best playoff run for a Toronto hockey team since the Leafs won the Stanley Cup in 1967. However, the Marlies lost to the Norfolk Admirals in four games.

In the 2015–16 season, the Marlies changed conferences. They moved from the Western Conference to the Eastern Conference. This happened because five other teams moved to California.

The Marlies play against the Belleville Senators in a rivalry called the "Battle of the 401" or "Battle of Ontario." This started in the 2017-18 season.

The Marlies with the Calder Cup, their first championship, after beating the Texas Stars in the 2018 Calder Cup Final.

In the 2017–18 AHL season, the Marlies won their first Calder Cup. They beat the Texas Stars 4–3 in the finals. This was the first professional hockey championship for a Toronto team since 1967.

On December 1, 2019, Greg Moore became the head coach. He took over from Sheldon Keefe, who moved up to coach the Maple Leafs. On May 21, 2023, Moore left his role. John Gruden was announced as the new Head Coach on July 4, 2023.

Team Information

Logo and Colors

Former logo used from 2005 to 2016

The Toronto Marlies' main colors are blue and white. These colors are also used in the team's logo. The current Marlies logo, which started in 2016, looks like the old Toronto Marlboros' logo. The Marlboros were a junior ice hockey team. They were once sponsored by Maple Leaf Gardens Limited.

Broadcast Information

You can watch all regular season home games and all playoff games (home and away) on AHL.TV. Todd Crocker is the play-by-play announcer. Some games, like playoff games, are also shown on The Sports Network.

Marlies' Achievements

The Toronto Marlies have had many successful seasons. They have won the regular season title twice, in 2015–16 and 2017–18. They have also won their division seven times. The Marlies have been conference champions twice, in 2012 and 2018. Their biggest win was the Calder Cup in 2018.

Here's a quick look at what the symbols in the season table mean:

These records are from the end of the 2023–24 season. The Marlies have made it to the playoffs 13 times.

Team Personnel

Team Captains

Head Coaches

Sheldon Keefe with the Calder Cup after the 2018 Calder Cup Final. He was named as the Marlies head coach in 2015.

Notable Alumni

Many players have played for the Marlies and then gone on to play at least 100 games in the National Hockey League. Here are some of them:

Team Records

Single Season Records

• Most Goals: John Pohl, 36 goals in 2005–06.
• Most Assists: Jeremy Bracco, 57 assists in 2018–19.
• Most Points: Tim Stapleton, 79 points in 2008–09; and Jeremy Bracco, 79 points in 2018–19.
• Most Penalty Minutes: Andre Deveaux, 216 minutes in 2009–10.
• Longest Point Streak: Spencer Abbott, 13 games in 2013.
• Best Goals Against Average (GAA): Garret Sparks, 1.79 in 2017–18.
• Best Save Percentage (SV%): Garret Sparks, .936 in 2017–18.
• Most Wins by a Goalie: Garret Sparks, 31 wins in 2017–18.
• Most Shutouts in a Season: Garret Sparks, 6 in 2017–18.

Career Records

Garret Sparks holds the team record for most career shutouts with 15.

• Most Career Goals: Ryan Hamilton, 94 goals.
• Most Career Assists: Mike Zigomanis, 116 assists.
• Most Career Points: Kris Newbury, 168 points.
• Most Career Penalty Minutes: Kris Newbury, 475 minutes.
• Most Career Goaltending Wins: Garret Sparks, 80 wins.
• Most Career Shutouts: Garret Sparks, 15 shutouts.
• Most Career Games Played: Alex Foster, 312 games.

Other Fun Facts and Firsts

• First Game: October 7, 2005. The Rochester Americans beat the Marlies 8–5.
• First Home Game and First Win: October 12, 2005. The Marlies beat the Syracuse Crunch 5–2.
• First Goal: Scored by Colin Murphy on October 7, 2005.
• First Shutout: By Jean-Sebastien Aubin on December 14, 2005. The Marlies won 5–0 against the Grand Rapids Griffins.
• First Hat Trick: By Luke Fulghum on January 2, 2006. The Marlies won 6–1 against the Cleveland Barons.
• Most Goals in a Game: 10 goals, achieved twice. First on February 8, 2009 (Marlies 10, Grand Rapids Griffins 5). Second on February 27, 2016 (Marlies 10, Rochester Americans 5).

See also

In Spanish: Toronto Marlies para niños

• List of ice hockey teams in Ontario