Outreach Exhibition

Official Review by Dave Cottenie, Stadium Journey Regional Correspondent

The Toronto Maple Leafs are no doubt at the top of the sporting heap in the city of Toronto. With every game sold out for years, and tickets at a premium, there are many things that the Maple Leafs are unable or unwilling to do. Enter the Toronto Marlies.

The Marlies are the AHL affiliate of the Maple Leafs, and hold the dubious distinction of being the only AHL affiliate that shares a market with the parent club. In 2005, the Maple Leafs decided to move their top minor league team from far away St. John's, Newfoundland, to someplace just a bit closer. The Marlies not only serve as the Leafs top feeder, perfect for those quick call-ups and easy scouting trips, but they seem to serve as the community outreach arm as well. It is with the Marlies that school games are run during weekday afternoons. It is at Marlies games where there are numerous promotions. It is at Marlies games where the parent company, Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment, has its community outreach programs.

The Marlies have a history that dates back to 1903, when the Toronto Marlborough Athletic Club was formed. The Toronto Marlboros served as a junior team in the OHA and OHL up until 1989. During the majority of that time they were the top feeder team for the Maple Leafs, and not only shared ownership, but a home at Maple Leaf Gardens. In 1989, owner Harold Ballard sold the Marlboros and they were moved to Hamilton. When the Leafs moved their AHL affiliate to Toronto, they officially renamed their team the Marlies, to re-link with the Marlboro history, but not make a connection with the American cigarette company.

Currently the Marlies call the Ricoh Coliseum home. Located at Exhibition Place, just a couple of kilometres from the Air Canada Centre, the Coliseum was built in 1921 and served as the home for livestock shows during the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair, and other displays during the Canadian National Exhibition. In 2003, after a massive renovation and corporate sponsorship from Japanese office supply company, Ricoh, the newly minted Ricoh Coliseum reopened for AHL hockey as well as other events. Owned by the city of Toronto, and operated by MLSE, the Ricoh housed the one-year wonder Toronto Roadrunners, before becoming the permanent home of the Toronto Marlies.

Food & Beverage    4

When you enter the concourse, just after passing security there is a sign that points out pizza one way, beer and hot dogs the other way. This was worrisome as I was hoping for something other than the same old sports staples. I was quite pleased to see something beyond the sign above.

The staples are there of course. Hot Dogs go for $3.75 and Sausages go for $5.50. "Pizza Pizza" slices go for $4. Some original offerings include the crepes, either dinner or dessert, and fresh market sandwiches. I went with "Smoke's Poutinerie" which features numerous poutine creations. At $9, my poutine with bacon was a little hefty, but totally worth it! Local beer "Steam Whistle" is on sale here in tall boy form for $10. They also have Molson Canadian in cans or draught if you are looking for something more mainstream.

Atmosphere    3

The Ricoh Coliseum was rebuilt with the original facade still intact. It gives the building a sense of history. It is this history that the Marlies have attempted to capture, along with the community outreach. Upon entering the concourse, you are met with Marlies' Ally; an area completely dedicated to kids with table-top hockey games, inflatable games and other hockey related activities. This is also where you would find the post-game autograph sessions. There is some sense of history in the outer concourse as you can't help but notice the huge wooden doors, leftover from the days of the Royal Winter Fair, and the glass encased jerseys of Toronto Maple Leafs farm teams of the past.

Once inside the inner concourse, the Marlies have decorated the halls with old pictures of the past from both the Toronto Maple Leafs archives and the Coliseum archives. The pillars are painted with murals advertising the Marlies, which gives the drab concrete a shock of blue. The murals, however, are very generic and do not focus on any specific personalities of the team's past. There was also a display of large hockey cards representing the current team, however it was quite out of date with many players displayed that were not with the Marlies.

When entering the seating bowl you see that the Marlies have done a pretty good job of decorating. The giant puck smashing through the window at one end of the rink identifies the fan zone. However the highlight of the inner bowl must be the Leaf plaques that circle the arena on the lower face of the suites. Each plaque represents a player who spent time both as a Toronto Maple Leaf and a Toronto Marlie (or Marlboro). For any historian, this is a who's who of hockey greatness. Legends like George Armstrong, Bob Pulford, and Charlie Conacher are represented as well as Leaf favorites like Mike Palmateer, Peter Zezel and John Anderson. The Marlies also display their North Division Championship banner from a few years ago.

The sightlines in the Ricoh are excellent, but with numerous empty seats, it's easy to find the perfect view. The Ricoh falls off in two key areas. The video board is sub-par at best. It is not very clear, and looks more like a projection TV from the nineties, than a piece of technology from this era. Also, the lighting in the Ricoh is substandard. It's difficult to discern at first, but the arena is just not bright, and it made watching the game challenging.

Mascot "Duke" the Dog is a fixture for the kids. The Marlies have a dance team performing during breaks and the excellent sound system plays a mix of classic and contemporary rock.

Neighborhood    4

As mentioned above, the Ricoh Coliseum is at Exhibition Place. Right across the road from Lake Ontario, Exhibition Place hosts the Canadian National Exhibition annually as well as the Honda Indy Toronto, Toronto FC soccer, the Royal Winter Fair and numerous conventions and home shows. On the other side of the road is Ontario Place and the Molson Amphitheatre; home of many outdoor concerts during the summer months. Just up the road is the beach. There are lots of things to do in this neighbourhood! If you are looking for a place to eat after the game, try heading north to the Shoeless Joe's on King St. There is more variety further downtown.

Fans    2

According to the attendance reports, the Marlies are averaging almost 4,500 seats for 2011, which may be up from the previous year, but is still below league average. On the day that I reviewed the official attendance was over 5,000, but it sure didn't seem like there were that many people there.

Marlies fans are typical Toronto fans, very quiet for the most part. For the majority of the game the most excited that the crowd got were a few polite "OOO"s and "OOHHH's" In fact, it seemed like many fans paid little interest to the on-ice product at all. With so many empty seats, many kids were running around the arena. To be expected, most of the gear in the crowd was TML gear rather than Marlies gear. With the Marlies so close geographically to the parent team, and the parent team so poor, the Marlies have very little identity and very little following.

In the defence of the fans that were there, the game was not exactly exciting. The Marlies were shutout and they mustered a measly 21 shots. Also, the game was a 5 pm start on a Saturday. Saturday night is "Hockey Night in Canada" night, which meant that just up the road at the ACC, the puck dropped for the Leafs game at 7 pm.

Access    3

It can be challenging to get to the Exhibition by car. Traffic can be bad, especially on the Gardiner Expressway. Also, with so many events held at Exhibition Place, it is imperative to check the website for parking notices before driving down. On this day, the hockey game was preceded by a Toronto FC soccer game and there was also a home show on at the Ex. Parking is ample on a normal day, and at $13 it is not as bad as further downtown.

Public transit is available. Both the TTC street car and the GO Transit train stop at the Exhibition. At approximately $10 for a return trip on the GO Train, driving is probably the most economical mode of transport.

Since the original Coliseum building was quite old, concourses are very narrow. Even with few people, the halls get very crowded during intermissions. Washrooms are also fairly cramped.

Return on Investment    3

Tickets for the Marlies range from $23 to $43. This isn't too bad, especially for Toronto. Parking is reasonable at $13 and concession prices are average. Overall, the experience shouldn't be too expensive, however with the lack of atmosphere due to the poor crowd, you just feel like you are paying too much. A better in-game experience would result in a better return on investment.

Extras    2

1. Doubleheader day! With so much going on in Toronto on the day of my visit (Leafs, Blue Jays, Marlies and Toronto FC all at home on the same day) the Marlies start time was perfect for those wanting to walk right over from the soccer game ... which I did. Even better was paying for parking only once!
2. An extra point has to be given to the well over 100 Maple Leaf plaques around the seating bowl.

Final Thoughts

The Toronto Marlies are an organization searching for an identity. Clutching to the past, the Marlies have failed to capture the imagination and interest of the Toronto sports fan. Many believe that Toronto is hockey mad. The Marlies prove that Toronto is only Maple Leaf mad. A better crowd would produce a better event. The Marlies would be a fantastic experience if Toronto was interested in them. Until that happens, the Toronto Marlies will remain only what the Maple Leafs will allow them to be.