The Leafs' Return to St. John's is "The Perfect Wedding"

There were tough feelings in Newfoundland in 2005 when the Maple Leafs uprooted their best farm team, the St. John's Maple Leafs, and brought them to Toronto to rebrand them. the Marlies

. good fit. And the AHL team had been a success

"Did it leave a hole? Absolutely, "says Glenn Stanford, then president of the St. John's Maple Leafs. "Was it hurtful at the time? Maybe, but it was absolutely the right decision because now everyone is doing the same thing."

The Leafs, in the end, were in advance of bringing their best home team closer to home, Montreal has moved their best team to Laval, Ottawa has moved to Belleville, a whole division of the West Coast is open to California teams from the NHL.

St. John's was caught in the crossfire of a changing business climate. Bringing the AHL Leafs home meant lower costs. That meant being able to sell a great city sensation to quality minor leagues that could help young hopefuls grow.The Marlies have become a perennial power and have finally won the Calder Cup this year.

Now the Leafs are back to St. John's, this faith s with a team from ECHL, the Newfoundland Growlers, after an agreement with the Orlando Solar Bears ended after five years.

And they were welcomed with open arms. "The people here, they understand hockey, they know their hockey and they like hockey," says Stanford, now governor and chief operating officer of the Growlers. "Having this relationship back is a blessing for us."

"They are an Original Six team, the story they've had in our city for 15 years, to be honest." [19659002] The migration of AHL teams closer to their NHL parent cities has left some traditional markets for minor leagues to search.

Following the Leafs' departure from Newfoundland – a province that has a strong tradition in senior hockey – the QMJHL has granted an expansion franchise (the St. John's Fog Devils), who finally moved to Montreal. Then came the St. John IceCaps, the best team of the Winnipeg Jets. Recently back in Winnipeg, he resumed his life as Manitoba Moose. The Canadians temporarily relocated the Hamilton Bulldogs to St. John's – retaining the name IceCaps – before moving them to Laval where they are now Rocket.

After an empty year, St. John's found the ECHL – the league under the AHL – Filling the Mile One Center. Stanford said that a working relationship with the Maple Leafs is "critical" to the success of the fledgling team.

"We have a long-standing relationship with the St. John's Maple Leafs," says Stanford. "If you follow the ECHL route and you have to choose the number one team with which you want to be affiliated, Toronto is definitely at the top of the list."

The Leafs will be responsible for coaching, medical and equipment staff, and about half of the list. They recently announced the hiring of Ryane Clowe, a native of Newfoundland and former NHL player, as the Growlers' first coach

. About 10 players under contract with the Leafs or Marlies will play in St. John's. GM Kyle Dubas has repeatedly said that he considered the ECHL as a development league – as Double A is in baseball – not the league in its history.

"It's what really hit us, his pbadion for having this type of St. John's setup, so you're not just another city in the ECHL" said Stanford. "They want people to be in St. John's – players, coaching and front office – to climb the ladder."

"You want people to move forward. It speaks well when other organizations knock on your door looking for people. It tells you that you have done something right. We were inspired by that kind of pbadion and that kind of commitment.

The Growlers has the logo of a Newfoundland dog, who was the mascot of the Royal Newfoundland Regiment during the First World War. A growler is also a small iceberg, as well as a pot of beer.

They will participate in the North Division of the Eastern Conference of the 27-team league during their inaugural season. They will also pay a travel grant to the visiting team, which tends to play two-game series in Newfoundland.

Kevin McGran is a sports journalist based in Toronto. Follow him on Twitter: @kevin_mcgran