Toronto Marlies Insider

In the second episode of our 20 Questions With series, we chat with JD Bunkis. JD hosts his own show on SportsNet as well as co-hosting post game recaps of Leaf games with Sammy McKee called LeafsTalk.  Make sure you check out both shows, they are two of our go-to shows for all things sports and hockey. 

In our final (we think) Summer Update before the start of the new season, we go over two HUGE losses for the club and chat about the DOTY returning and what it means for the team.

In the first episode of our new segment, 20 Questions With:, we host co-host and producer of The Real Kyper and Bourne Show, and the host of LeafsTalk, Sam McKee

In the seventh installment of our Beyond The Ice series, we chat with Toronto hockey journalism royalty in the shape of Nick Barden. Nick goes over his career to this point and drops some serious knowledge for any young aspiring journalists out there. A huge Thanks to Nick for taking time out of his schedule to come on and to share his experiences and tips.

In this episode we take a look at what the 2018 Calder Cup Championship winning players are up to today. From retired, to playing in Stanley Cup finals to playing abroad, there is a lot to take in with this one, so sit back , relax and enjoy!

In what could be the last in our Summer Update series, we don't really have a lot to talk about. There's one Marlies player that has moved on and two Marlies adjacent players have said goodbye to Toronto.  Make sure to come back and check out our upcoming player interviews!

In this exciting episode, we chat with the PA Announcer for the Toronto Marlies, Simon Bennett. Simon has been the PA Announcer for almost 20 years and has lots of stories to tell and we have a blast in this one. We learned a ton about Simon, most notably that he is a MASSIVE Taylor Swift fan, he tells us about who chirps the best in the box and hear about Simon doing the PA Announcing for both the Marlies and Leafs in the same day. A huge Thanks to Simon for coming on, he agreed to 30 minutes and we went for almost 90.  You can hear Simon doing the morning Sports updates on 680 News Radio Toronto.

In this episode, we hand out a host of awards for the 24/25 season. A huge congrats to all our winners and thanks to them for an amazing season.  To support Blender's Coins for Campers initiative, click here

In the third instalment in our Summer Update series, we go over the Marlies recent signings, and there was a lot of them, including the return of a former fan favourite. 

In another very special episode in our Beyond The Ice series, we sit down and chat with the man, the myth, the legend, Nico Blachman. Nico is a pro hockey player who plays in the ECHL for the Iowa Heartlanders, where he acts an a Alternate Captain, and he recently got called up to the AHL with the Iowa Wild, so Marlies fans can expect to see him next season. In this episode, Nico chats about the alternative path he took to pro hockey and offers a mountain of advice to young and aspiring hockey players.  He also chats about the work the Professional Hockey Players Association does and discusses an organization that he co-founder in SoFlo. SoFlo puts on tournaments in South Florida and hosts a lot of NHL, AHL, ECHL and KHL players in addition to some insanely talent youngsters.  We briefly talked about The BuzzPod, which is an absolute must listen for AHL fans and the wider hockey community. It's hosted by Nico and The Commander in Chief himself, Zach Solow and they have some amazing guests on each and every week, so make sure you give them a listen. Finally, Nico has offered to answer any questions that young fans may have via his Instagram account, so feel free to reach out to him directly or via the BuzzPod account. We end the interview with fan questions and our usual quick fire round, although our superstar quizmaster Ben wasn't available so Davy had to fill in for him. Heres a headsup, Davy wasn't as good as Ben normally is!!

With free agency around the corner, we take a look at the Marlies Free Agents and chat about whether or not we think if they will return or not. 

In the third episode of our Beyond The Ice series, we sat down with the second in command of Solow's Soldiers, the incredible Robert "Ducky" Mastrosimone to discuss his hockey journey, winning a Beanpot with Boston University, that California trip and round things out with some more rapid fire questions from Ben.  Make sure you follow Robert on Instagram to keep up with his hockey journey.

In honour of the Commander in Chief, Ben is proud to present We Are Solows Soldiers. Full video is on the Solow's Soldiers Instagram page. 

In the third episode in our Beyond The Ice series, we interview the in-arena voice of the Marlies, and all round rockstar, Alex Cairns Celebre. This was an incredibly fun episode to do and we learned a lot about Alex, from her love of theatre, to skating with Marie Philip Poulin, to her work with the Vanier College Productions BIPOC Artist Hub and everything in between. Make sure you follow Alex on Instagram and subscribe to the BarDown YouTube Channel.  

In the first episode in our Summer Update series, we go over one big signing, two departures, one of which that left us Solow and talk about some rumours that are circling around the hockey universe.  Things haven't quite hit feverpitch with free agency and the draft coming up, so make sure you come back and check out our next update.  A huge Thanks as always to Cwench Hydration, the tastiest and healthiest hydration drink on the planet, the support that they offer to us is outstanding and we appreciate them for helping to make all this possible.  Use our promo code to save 10% off your entire order. https://cwenchhydration.ca Promo Code: MARLIESINSIDER

In the second episode of our Beyond The Ice series, we interviewed our favourite Marlies player, but far more importantly,  the Commander in Chief of Solow's Soldiers, Zach Solow!! We discuss his hockey journey from skating at the Everblades rink as a 2 year old with his siblings to escape the heat right up to his move to Adler Mannheim in the DEL and Zach shares a few funny stories along the way (including a fight he had on the ice with Ben. Spoiler Alert: Zach lost ) Ben then asks some fan questions, including some from Duke's DogPound and Adler Mannheim fans, and ends it with some funny quick fire questions.  For more info on Tigers Eye Hockey, click here and select the link in their bio. You can find the Buzz Pod with Zach and Nico Blachman on Spotify, Apple Podcasts or any major podcast platform.  To learn more about our podcast, visit click here

In our final post game recap of the 2024/2025 season, we take a look at our first round series against the Cleveland Monsters.  A huge thank you to all of our listners for your continued support, we hit the 20,000 download mark having only starting 6 months ago.  Make sure you come back to check out our Beyond The Ice series and a few player interviews over the summer period. As our seasons comes to a close, we want to say a huge Thanks as always to Cwench Hydration, the tastiest and healthiest hydration drink on the planet, the support they offer to us is outstanding and we appreciate them for helping to make all this possible.  Use our promo code to save 10% off your entire order. https://cwenchhydration.ca Promo Code: MARLIESINSIDER

In the first episode of the Beyond The Ice series, we sat down and had a chat with Wayne Young, the Toronto Marlies Membership Manager. In his day to day, Wayne has the wide ranging responsibility of all requests and problems for all Season Seat Holder for the Marlies. He also takes an active role with Group Tickets and arranging outings for large groups at the Marlies.  In this episode we learn about Wayne's journey from Belleville, Ontario where he started with the Belleville Bulls, right up to his current role with the Marlies. A  fascinating journey which has a few twist and turns (and costumes) in it. More importantly, we discuss the work Wayne does as Ajax Spiderman.  As Ajax Spiderman, Wayne completes many, sometime too many!!, runs and races in order to raise much needed funds for a cause that is very close to his heart, the Terry Fox Foundation. To help support Wayne and all the great work he does with the Terry Fox foundation, click here or visit https://run.terryfox.ca/team/ajaxspiderman If you are interested in learning more about Wayne's work as Ajax Spiderman, you can learn more by visiting https://ajaxspiderman.ca/ If you are interested in becoming a Toronto Marlies Season Seat Holder, want to organize a group outing or have question surround Marlies memberships, you can send Wayne an email at: Wayne.Young@mlse.com   

With two games left in the regular season, the Marlies still haven't clinched our berth in the playoffs. We end the season with a home and home against second in the division Rochester Americans. A win for the Marlies would guarantee our spot in the playoffs...... but it's not going to be easy.  Check out our new website at https://marliesinsider.com As the regular seasons comes to a close, we want to say a huge Thanks as always to Cwench Hydration, the tastiest and healthiest hydration drink on the planet, the support the offer to us is outstanding and we appreciate them for helping to make all this possible.  Use our promo code to save 10% off your entire order. https://cwenchhydration.ca Promo Code: MARLIESINSIDER

With the race for playoff spots going down to the wire, the Marlies took on the Syracuse Crunch in a vital home and home series. Check out our new website at https://marliesinsider.com As the season draw to a conclusion, we want to say a huge Thanks as always to Cwench Hydration, the tastiest and healthiest hydration drink on the planet, the support the offer to us is outstanding and we appreciate them for helping to make all this possible.  Use our promo code to save 10% off your entire order. https://cwenchhydration.ca Promo Code: MARLIESINSIDER