John Gruden figured he had a championship team on his hands. The Toronto Marlies coach had that growing feeling as the 2026 Calder Cup playoffs progressed and the Marlies kept winning. One scene turned his sense into conviction. During the Eastern Conference final against Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, Gruden and the coaching staff were out for a walk at the team hotel.
“There are things you can’t fake, you can see it and witness it,” Gruden said to a packed Real Sports during the Marlies’ championship rally on Monday. “We come walking down the hill, and there’s 30 guys cooking on the grill with their tarps off. When we saw that, I’m like, ‘Wow, this is special. We’re going to win this thing.’”
All for One, One for All
Gruden stressed that there were no cliques on the Marlies as they took the American Hockey League by storm and won their second Calder Cup title. Whether it was about 20 guys getting together and doing it right on the ice or off the ice, anyone who wasn’t suiting up was included in the group.
In kicking off the rally, Marlies general manager Ryan Hardy called up to the stage the son of defenceman Matt Benning and his wife Janelle. It was Miles Benning’s sixth birthday. Hardy led the crowd in singing Happy Birthday as the young boy was hugged by his dad. That family-like atmosphere was a driving force as the Marlies made people forget that they finished 15th, with 82 points, in a 32-team league during the regular season.
Playoff Journey and Key Performances
The Marlies required the full series distance in dispatching of Rochester, Laval and Cleveland before beating Wilkes-Barre in six games in the best-of-seven conference final. By the time the Cup final against Chicago started on June 12, the Marlies were in full form. The Wolves’ only win in the best-of-seven came in overtime in Game 4, with the Marlies finishing them off on Friday in a 4-3 victory for Toronto’s second Calder Cup.
Goalie Artur Akhtyamov was fully deserving of being named playoffs MVP. Vinni Lettieri led AHL playoff scoring with 26 points; second was William Villeneuve, whose 23 points were tops among defencemen. And third was Easton Cowan, putting a cap on his Maple Leafs rookie season with 18 points in 22 playoff games with the Marlies.
Brotherhood and Trust
The individual successes added up to the greatest success for the team, but none of it would have come without the brotherhood that was constructed in the room. Nor without the support of each player’s family. During his speech, captain Logan Shaw had the wives and kids stand up to be recognized. And he gave a crucial nod to Gruden and his staff.
“They gave us the dressing room, and that was the biggest thing about it,” Shaw told the crowd. “They let us control the dressing room. They held us accountable when they had to and they gave us the leash when they had to.”
What Made the Marlies Different?
A native of Glace Bay, N.S., Shaw played for six AHL teams before signing with the Marlies in July 2022. Reflecting on what made this Marlies team different, Shaw said: “To win, you have to get lucky, for sure. We had guys score big goals when they had to score. We had goalies make big saves when they had to. I’m not saying other teams aren’t like this, but everyone cared. Everyone wanted to win. Everyone really cared for each other. No one’s ever won at this level in that dressing room before. Everyone really bought in, and just trusted that we would get the job done. Grudes always said, ‘Trust the way you guys are playing and the result will take care of itself.’ That was what we did. We had fun, we enjoyed it. We enjoyed coming to the rink every single day from October 5 to June 19. Every single day, we had fun.”
