It’s been a long and tumultuous season for the Marlies. The team sunk to the bottom of the division in the fall. Six different goalies spent time playing for the team. There were serious injuries to many players. Assistant Coach Gord Dineen was fired mid-season, and not replaced. Many players were traded, called up to the Leafs, sent down to the Solar Bears, and then recalled.
It was not at all the ideal situation for a team to gel, yet they did, finishing the regular season within a point of the top of the AHL North Division. They were, in fact, at the top, until a series of games on the final day of the season knocked them down to second by a point.