Three cities have a stake in this year’s Calder Cup Finals: Toronto, Chicago and Kazan, Russia – home of Artur Akhtyamov and Amir Miftakhov.

Friday brought another getting-to-know-you night for the Toronto Marlies. They have had a lot of those this spring – but so have their opponents.

The Toronto Marlies took Game 1 of the Calder Cup Finals at Chicago on Friday night.

Vinni Lettieri’s goal with 8:28 remaining in regulation sent the Toronto Marlies on to a 4-2 win over the Chicago Wolves in Game 1 of the Calder Cup Finals on Friday night.

Who had the Toronto Marlies reaching the Calder Cup Finals? They did, for one.

The 2026 Calder Cup Finals will air on Sportsnet for cable television subscribers in Canada and on NHL Network in the United States, in addition to streaming worldwide on AHLTV on FloHockey.

The 2026 Calder Cup Finals will get underway Friday night at Allstate Arena in Rosemont, Ill., as the Western Conference champion Chicago Wolves take on the Eastern Conference champion Toronto Marlies.

The Toronto Marlies are heading to the 2026 Calder Cup Finals after capturing the Richard F. Canning Trophy as the Eastern Conference champions with a 2-1 overtime victory over the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins.

The Toronto Marlies are one victory away from the Eastern Conference championship after taking a 3-2 series lead with an emphatic 5-1 win over Wilkes-Barre/Scranton at Coca-Cola Coliseum on Friday night.

The AHL’s development process does not always deliver its lessons kindly. Sometimes they cost a team a Calder Cup Playoff game.