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July 15, 2009
Yes, even though we seem to be three weeks behind in our weather this summer, the winds of change certainly are blowing through Ricoh Coliseum. Farewell to players such as Kris Newbury, Jeremy Williams, and Jaime Sifers. Welcome back to Ben Ondrus, Jay Rosehill and Ryan Hamilton. Welcome aboard to Richard Greenop. And Welcome home to Tim Brent, a native of Cambridge and a former St. Mike's Major in the OHL.
With a solid two months still to go before the pre-season in Scotland, the team is taking a new form, and one that no doubt will be bigger and make a strong statement in the new look AHL North Division. More on that in a moment.
It's no secret that Brian Burke wanted to give the Leafs organization a make-over, and that stems right down to the Marlies as well. It's all part of building a strong organization right through the entire system. It's going to be pretty exciting to see what the roster looks like by the time Burke and Marlies GM Jeff Jackson are done with it. Still, lots of summer to go.
Speaking of change, the North Division will have a new look this year with the addition of the Abbotsford Heat (formerly the Quad City Flames) joining in as the farm team of the Calgary Flames. The move from the West division has sent the Syracuse Crunch to the East Division, making them closer to the likes of Albany and Binghamton for rivals. Also, with the expansion Texas Stars jumping in on the West Division, the Marlies will have a new opponent to face in Austin, Texas this year. They have been preparing for the Dallas Stars' baby team for over a year, so excitement should be strong in a brand new building in Austin. The West division travel schedule should be easier this year with the suspension of the Iowa Chops franchise by the AHL for breaking some rules. If the schedule stays the same, then expect Toronto to do the usual West swing in January during the boat show at Ricoh. Only this time, it will see double-headers in Chicago and Milwaukee, and they will stay in Illinois with Rockford and Peoria, before heading to Texas for what is now a three game set. It will cut out the long back and forth bus rides to Des Moines and Moline for the Chops and Flames. No more trips to Philly, as the Phantoms are now in Glens Falls, NY playing as the Adirondack Phantoms. The last time the AHL was there, Detroit's future played there as the Adirondack Red Wings. Still get the variety to face 19 of the other 28 teams in the league, which is nice.
As for me, the rehab comeback trail continues. I feel like a player who is trying to get ready and recover for the start of training camp. The worst part about rupturing your achilles, is the long, slow, recovery process. Unlike a bone break, waiting for a repaired tendon to heal takes a long while, and when it's a major tendon that controls your foot and walking, it's even longer! Hard to believe that the charity game on the Danforth was two months ago now, and I'm still in a cast. Onward and upward!
You can email John with comments and questions about the blog or the Marlies anytime to marliesradio@yahoo.ca.
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