The 'Toronto Maple Leafs' are a professional
ice hockey team based in
Toronto,
Ontario,
Canada. They are members of the
Northeast Division of the
Eastern Conference of the
National Hockey League (NHL). The organization, one of the "
Original Six" members of the NHL, is officially known as the 'Toronto Maple Leaf Hockey Club,' owned by
Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment Ltd. (MLSE). They play at the
Air Canada Centre (ACC). The club is well known for its long & bitter rivalry with the
Montreal Canadiens. The club has won thirteen
Stanley Cups, eleven as the Leafs, one as the
Toronto St. Patricks, and one as the
Toronto Arenas.
Franchise History
: see:
History of the Toronto Maple Leafs
Early years (1917-27)
The National Hockey League was formed in
Montreal, Quebec in 1917, from teams formerly belonging to the
National Hockey Association, because of a dispute with
Eddie Livingstone, owner of the
Toronto Blueshirts. However, rather than expel him, they created a new league without him.
As Quebec would not play, the other clubs wanted a team in Toronto. The NHL granted a 'temporary' franchise for Toronto to the owners of
Arena Gardens, using the Blueshirts' players for the season until the dispute was resolved. Under manager Charlie Querrie and coach Dick Carroll, the Toronto team won the
Stanley Cup in the
NHL's inaugural season. For the next season, the
Toronto Arena Hockey Club was formed. Mounting legal bills from the dispute forced the Arenas to sell most of their stars, resulting in a horrendous five-win season in 1918-19. The Arenas' .278 winning percentage that season is still the worst in franchise history.
The franchise was put up for sale and Querrie put together a group that mainly consisted of the people who had run the senior amateur St. Patricks team in the
Ontario Hockey Association. The new owners renamed the team the 'Toronto St. Patricks' (or 'St. Pats' for short) and would operate until 1927. The St. Pats would win the Cup in
1922. The jersey colour was changed from blue to green.
The Conn Smythe era
Querrie lost a lawsuit to Livingstone and decided to put the St. Pats up for sale. He gave serious consideration to a $200,000 bid from a
Philadelphia group. However, Toronto Varsity Graduates coach
Conn Smythe put together an ownership group of his own and made a $160,000 offer for the franchise. With the support of St. Pats shareholder
J. P. Bickell, Smythe persuaded Querrie to reject the Philadelphia bid, arguing that civic pride was more important than money.
After taking control on
Valentine's Day 1927 Smythe immediately renamed the team the 'Maple Leafs.' (The
Toronto Maple Leafs baseball team had won the
International League championship a few months earlier and had been using that name for 30 years.) Initial reports were that the team's colours would be changed to red and white,
[1] but the Leafs were wearing white sweaters with a green maple leaf for their first game on
February 17,
1927[2] The next season, the Leafs appeared for the first time in the blue and white sweaters they have worn ever since.
1930s: Opening of Maple Leaf Gardens and first Maple Leaf dynasty

Toronto Maple Leafs opening night program at MLG, November 12, 1931
After four more lacklustre seasons (including three with Smythe as coach), Smythe and the Leafs debuted their new arena,
Maple Leaf Gardens, with a 2-1 loss to the
Chicago Blackhawks on November 12,
1931.
Led by the "Kid Line" (
Busher Jackson,
Joe Primeau and
Charlie Conacher) and coach
Dick Irvin, the Leafs would capture their third Stanley Cup victory during the first season in their new digs, vanquishing the
Montreal Maroons in the first round, the
Boston Bruins in the semis and, in the Stanley Cup Finals the hated
New York Rangers. Mr. Smythe took particular pleasure in defeating the Rangers that year; he had been tapped as the Rangers' first general manager and coach in the Rangers' inaugural season (
1926-27), but had been fired in a dispute with
Madison Square Garden management before the season.
The Leafs' star forward,
Ace Bailey, was nearly killed in
1933 when
Boston Bruins defenceman
Eddie Shore checked him from behind into the boards at full speed. Maple Leafs defenceman
Red Horner was able to knock Shore out with a punch, but it was too late for Bailey, who was by now writhing on the ice, had his career ended. The Leafs would hold the NHL's first All-Star game to benefit Mr. Bailey.
The Leafs would reach the finals five more times in the next seven years, but would not win, bowing out to the now-defunct Maroons, the
Detroit Red Wings in 1936, the
Chicago Black Hawks in 1938, Boston in 1939, and the hated Rangers in 1940.
1940s: A Second Decade of Success
Toronto looked sure to suffer a similar fate in
1942, down three games to none in a best-of-seven final in 1942 against Detroit. However, fourth-line forward
Don Metz would galvanize the team, coming from nowhere to score a
hat trick in game four and the game-winning goal in game five, with the Leafs winning both times.
Captain Syl Apps had won the
Lady Byng Memorial Trophy that season, not taking one penalty and finishing his ten-season career with an average of 5 minutes, 36 seconds in penalties a season. Goalie
Turk Broda would shut out the Wings in game six, and
Sweeney Schriner would score two goals in the third period to win the seventh game 3-1.
Apps told writer Trent Frayne in 1949, "If you want me to be pinned down to my [biggest night in hockey but also my] biggest second, I'd say it was the last tick of the clock that sounded the final bell. It's something I shall never forget at all." It was the first time a major pro sports team came back from behind 3-0 to win a best-of-seven championship series.
Three years later, with their heroes from 1942 dwindling (due to either age, health, or the war), the Leafs turned to lesser-known players like
rookie goalie
Frank McCool and
defenceman Babe Pratt. They would upset the Red Wings in the
1945 finals.
The powerful defending champion
Montreal Canadiens and their "Punch Line" (
Maurice "Rocket" Richard,
Toe Blake and
Elmer Lach), would be the Leafs' nemesis two years later when the two teams clashed in the
1947 finals.
Ted "Teeder" Kennedy would score the game-winning goal late in game six to win the Leafs their first of three straight Cups — the first time any NHL team had accomplished that feat. With their Cup victory in 1948, the Leafs moved ahead of Montreal for the most Stanley Cups in league history. It would take the Canadiens 10 years to reclaim the record.
The 1950s: The Barilko Curse
The Leafs and Habs would meet once again in the finals in
1951, with all five games going to overtime.
Tod Sloan scored with 42 seconds left in the third period of game five to send it to an extra period, and defenceman
Bill Barilko, who had scored only six goals in the regular season, scored the game-winner to win Toronto their fourth Cup in five years. Barilko's glory, however, was short-lived: he disappeared in a plane crash near
Timmins, Ontario barely four months after that historic moment. The Leafs would not win the Cup again that decade.
New owners, new dynasty in the 1960s
Before the
1961-62 season, Smythe sold nearly all of his shares in
Maple Leaf Gardens to a partnership of his son
Stafford Smythe, newspaper baron
John Bassett and
Toronto Marlboros president
Harold Ballard. The sale price was $2.3 million--a handsome return on Conn Smythe's original investment 34 years earlier.
And then, Toronto was able to reel off another three straight
Stanley Cup victories from 1962 to 1964, with the help of Hall of Famers
Frank Mahovlich,
Red Kelly,
Johnny Bower,
Dave Keon,
Andy Bathgate and
Tim Horton, and under the leadership of coach and general manager
Punch Imlach.
In
1967, the Leafs and Canadiens met in the Cup finals for the last time. Montreal was considered to be a heavy favourite as analysts said that the Leafs were just a bunch of has-beens. But
Bob Pulford scored the double-overtime winner in game three,
Jim Pappin got the series winner in game six, and Keon won the
Conn Smythe Trophy as
most valuable player of the playoffs as the Maple Leafs won the Stanley Cup in six games. The Leafs have not won the Stanley Cup since.
In
1968, Mahovlich was traded to Detroit in a blockbuster trade. Then in
1969, following a first-round playoff loss to
Boston, Smythe fired Imlach. Horton declared, "If this team doesn't want Imlach, I guess it doesn't want me." He was traded to the
New York Rangers the next year.
1970s and 80s: The Ballard years

Darryl Sittler, captain of the Leafs in the late 1970s and all-time leading scorer in franchise history.
Following Stafford Smythe's death, Harold Ballard bought his shares to take control of the team.
His term as owner was marked by several disputes with prominent players, including
David Keon,
Lanny McDonald and
Darryl Sittler, poor win/loss records, and no Stanley Cup wins.
During the 1970s, with the overall level of talent in the league diluted by the addition of 12 new franchises and the rival WHA, the Leafs, led by a group of stars such as
Darryl Sittler,
Lanny McDonald,
enforcer Tiger Williams, Ian Turnbull and
Borje Salming were able to ice competitive teams for several seasons. But they only once made it past the second round of the playoffs, besting the
New York Islanders, a soon-to-be dynasty, in the
1978 quarter-finals, only to be swept by their arch-rivals the
Montreal Canadiens, in the semi-finals.
One of the few highlights occurred on
February 7,
1976, when Sittler would score six goals and four assists against the
Bruins to establish a NHL single-game record that still stands more than 30 years later.
The serious decline started in July 1979, when Ballard brought back Imlach, a longtime friend, as GM. Imlach traded McDonald to undermine Sittler's influence on the team.
["Lanny McDonald trade has Sittler in tears," Jim Kernaghan, ''Toronto Star'', December 29 1979, p. 1.] Sittler himself was gone two years later, when the Leafs traded him to the
Philadelphia Flyers. He left as the franchise's all-time leading scorer.
In 1979-80, they finished five games under .500 and only made the playoffs due to the presence of the
Quebec Nordiques, a refugee from the WHA, in the
Adams Division. For the next 12 years, the Leafs were barely competitive, not posting another winning record until
1992-93. They missed the playoffs six times and only finished above fourth in their division once (in
1990, the only season where they even posted a .500 record). They only made it beyond the first round of the playoffs once (in
1986, advancing to the division finals). The low point came in
1984-85, when they finished 32 games under .500, the second-worst record in franchise history (their .300 winning percentage was only 22 percentage points higher than the 1918-19 Arenas).
The Leafs' poor record did result in several high draft picks.
Wendel Clark, the first overall pick in the 1985 draft, was the lone success from the entry drafts of this period and went on to captain the team.
Resurgence in and after the 1990s
Mr. Ballard died in 1990. A year later, supermarket tycoon
Steve Stavro, a longtime friend, bought the team from Ballard's estate in partnership with the Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan. Unlike Ballard, Stavro hated the limelight, rarely interfered in the Leafs' hockey operations, and hired experienced hockey professionals, starting with ex-
Calgary Flames GM
Cliff Fletcher after
1991-92.
Mr. Fletcher made a series of trades and free agent acquisitions which turned the Leafs from an also-ran to a contender, starting in
1992-93. Outstanding play from
Doug Gilmour,
Dave Andreychuk and
Felix Potvin would lead the team to a franchise-record 99 points, third in the
Norris Division and the eighth-best overall. The Leafs dispatched the
Detroit Red Wings in the first round, then defeated the
St. Louis Blues in the Division finals.
Hoping to meet long-time rival Montreal in the Cup finals, the Leafs faced the
Los Angeles Kings, led by the great
Wayne Gretzky, in the Campbell Conference final. The Leafs were up 3-2 in the series, but lost game six. Gretzky's
hat trick in game seven would finish the Leafs' run, and the Kings would move on to the Finals against the Canadiens.
The Leafs had another strong season in
1993-94, finishing with 98 points. This was good enough for the fifth-best record in the league--their highest overall finish in 16 years. However, despite finishing one point above the
Calgary Flames, the Leafs were seeded third in the
Western Conference (formerly the
Campbell Conference) by virtue of the Flames' Pacific Division title. The Leafs would defeat the
Chicago Blackhawks in six games, and the
San Jose Sharks in seven before losing to the
Vancouver Canucks in five games in the Western Conference Finals.
A New Home
After two years out of the playoffs in the late 1990s, the Leafs made another charge during the
1999 playoffs after moving from
Maple Leaf Gardens to the new
Air Canada Centre, shared with the new
Toronto Raptors of the
NBA. The Leafs eliminated the
Philadelphia Flyers and
Pittsburgh Penguins in the first two rounds of the playoffs, but lost in five games to the
Buffalo Sabres in the Eastern Conference Finals.
The Maple Leafs would reach the second round in both
2000 and
2001, losing both times to the
New Jersey Devils, who would make the Stanley Cup Finals both seasons. The 2000 season was particularly notable because it marked the Leafs' first division title in 37 years, as well as the franchise's first-ever 100-point season. The season ended on a particular low, however, with the Leafs being held to just 6 shots in the final contest (game six) against the Devils.
In
2002, they would dispatch the Islanders and
Ontario rivals, the
Ottawa Senators, in the first two rounds, only to lose to the Cinderella-story
Carolina Hurricanes in the Conference Finals. The 2002 season was particularly impressive in that the Leafs had many of their better players sidelined by injuries, but managed to make it to the conference finals due to the efforts of lesser-known players who were led mainly by
Gary Roberts, who put up a heroic fight, although they would eventually fall to the Hurricanes.
Joseph left to go to the defending champion Red Wings in the 2002 off-season; the team almost immediately found a replacement in veteran
Ed Belfour, who came over from the
Dallas Stars and had been a crucial part of their 1999 Stanley Cup run. Belfour could not help their playoff woes in the
2003 playoffs, however, as they lost to
Philadelphia in seven games in the first round.
The
2003-04 season started in an uncommon way for the team, as they held their training camp in
Sweden, and playing in the
NHL Challenge against teams from
Sweden and
Finland. That year, the Leafs posted a franchise-record 103 points. They also finished with the fourth-best record in the league--their best overall finish in 41 years. They also managed a .628 win percentage, their best in 43 years (and the third-best in franchise history). They defeated the Senators in the first round of the playoffs for the fourth time in five years, but lost to the Flyers in the second round in six games.
2006 to present
On
January 28,
2006, the Leafs lost their eighth game in a row, their first streak of that length in 10 years. The streak was snapped on
January 30,
2006, with a win against the
Florida Panthers.
Despite a late-season surge, which included more NHL ice time for third string goaltender
Jean-Sebastien Aubin who had spent the season with the
Toronto Marlies, the Maple Leafs'
American Hockey League affiliate, the Leafs were eliminated from playoff contention for the first time since 1998 on
April 15,
2006. This marked the first time that the team missed the playoffs under coach
Pat Quinn, and as a result he was fired along with assistant coach
Rick Ley five days after the regular season ended.
Defenceman Aki Berg left the team shortly afterwards.
Paul Maurice, the coach of the Marlies and a former NHL head coach who led the Carolina Hurricanes to victory over the Leafs in the 2002 Eastern Conference Final, was announced as Pat Quinn's replacement. After much speculation on whether
Bryan McCabe would remain a Maple Leaf or not, Toronto wrote up a five-year contract, which McCabe signed on June 28. At the
2006 NHL Entry Draft the Leafs selected
Jiri Tlusty with the 13th Overall pick. On the same day, the Leafs traded 2005 first round pick
Tuukka Rask to the
Boston Bruins for Goaltender/
2004 Calder Memorial Trophy winner
Andrew Raycroft.
On
July 1,
2006 the Maple Leafs signed free agent defencemen
Hal Gill (also from Boston) and
Pavel Kubina (from 2004 Stanley Cup champion
Tampa Bay Lightning) to long term deals. On
July 18 2006 the Maple Leafs signed free agent
Edmonton Oilers centre
Michael Peca to a one-year, $2.5 million contract.
In the
2006-07 season, the Maple Leafs were led by veterans such as
Mats Sundin, Bryan McCabe, and
Tomas Kaberle and were assisted by young players such as
Kyle Wellwood,
Matt Stajan, and
Alex Steen. Some additions to the team were Hal Gill (Boston Bruins), Pavel Kubina (Tampa Bay Lightning), and Michael Peca (Edmonton Oilers). These new recruits were signed to replace the talent of
Eric Lindros (
Dallas Stars),
Tie Domi (retired),
Jason Allison (unsigned), and
Ed Belfour (
Florida Panthers). Paul Maurice turned them in a different direction from the old head coach Pat Quinn and brought the team up-to-date with all of the new rules. On
June 30 2006, the Maple Leafs bought out the contract of long-time fan favourite, Tie Domi. In addition to Domi, the Maple Leafs also decided against picking up the option year on the contract of goaltender Ed Belfour. Both players became free agents on
July 1 2006, effectively ending their tenures with the Toronto Maple Leafs.
On
November 28 2006, the Leafs traded goaltender
Mikael Tellqvist to the
Phoenix Coyotes in exchange for
Tyson Nash and a fourth-round pick in the
2007 NHL Entry Draft. On
February 27,
2007,
Yanic Perreault was acquired by the team for the third time, along with a 5th round draft pick in the 2007 draft, in a trade that sent
Brendan Bell and a 2nd round pick in the same draft to Phoenix.
[3]
Eventually the team would fall just short of a playoff berth for the 2007 season to the
New York Islanders. The Maple Leafs won their last game of the season against the
Montreal Canadiens in regulation time, eliminating Montreal. It also allowed them to watch a game the next day between the Islanders and the
New Jersey Devils that would determine their playoff destiny. The Islanders won the game in a shoot out after the Devils scored with 0.9 seconds left to tie the game. This sent the Islanders to the playoffs; the Leafs missed the playoffs by one point for the second year in a row.
"Leafs Nation"
Maple Leafs fans worldwide are known by the collective nickname "Leafs Nation"; the club uses this term as the title of its
website. Conversely, there is an equally passionate dislike of the team by fans of several other NHL teams. In November 2002, the Leafs were named by ''
Sports Illustrated'' hockey writer Michael Farber as the "Most Hated Team in Hockey." He even mentioned that many rival fans believe that the referees were partial towards the Leafs, although the team's consistent position near the top of the penalty minutes statistics over the years may disprove that theory.
In the
United States, several cities in the
Sun Belt have sizable numbers of Leaf fans, as many
Snowbirds tend to flock to locales such as
Phoenix,
Tampa Bay, and
Miami during the winter, resulting in a boost in turnout and ticket sales when these franchises play the Maple Leafs.
The Leafs are sometimes referred to as "the Buds" (as in maple bud and/or short for buddy) by their legions of fans which has paralleled the use of "Habs" as a secondary nickname for the Montreal Canadiens.
Maple Leafs home games have long been one of the toughest tickets to acquire in Canada, even during lean periods. The Leafs have sold out almost every game since 1946. While
scalping is technically illegal in Toronto, there are numerous scalpers around the Air Canada Centre. The only ways to get into a game are to buy tickets months in advance or to deal with scalpers at a markup considerably above face value.
There are now podcasts available for the Leafs Nation, the most popular of which are the AM640 program "Leafs Lunch"
[1] broadcast and "A Foot In The Crease - The Toronto Hockey Podcast"
[2].
Rivalries
The Maple Leafs' greatest rival is the
Montreal Canadiens, given the long history of
Original Six matchups and playoff meetings between the two clubs. The fact that Montreal is Canada's most populated
French-speaking city also gives the rivalry a nationalistic flair, which is perhaps best captured in the popular Canadian short story "
The Hockey Sweater" by
Roch Carrier.
The rivalry between the Leafs and the
Ottawa Senators, known as ''
The Battle of Ontario'', has heated up since the late 1990s, owing in no small part to the Canadiens' struggles during that period. While Ottawa has dominated during most of the teams' regular season matchups in recent years, the Leafs have won all four postseason series between the two teams.
The Leafs' biggest U.S.-based rivals of late have been the
Philadelphia Flyers, who defeated the Leafs in the 2003 and 2004
Stanley Cup Playoffs. The rivalry goes back to the 1970s when the Flyers and Leafs had the reputation as being two of the toughest (and often most penalized) teams in the league. Games between the two teams are still often very physical.
The
Buffalo Sabres have also been cited as notable American rivals of the Leafs, mainly because of Buffalo's proximity to Toronto. In fact, Buffalo is the NHL team which is closest to Toronto, only a short drive along the Queen Elizabeth Way. A large contingent of Leaf fans typically travels the short drive to Buffalo for road games there, giving them a somewhat neutral setting.
The Leafs also maintain a traditional Original Six rivalry with the
Detroit Red Wings. The teams' close proximity to each other (the two cities are just 230 miles apart) and a number of shared fans - particularly in markets such as
Windsor, Ontario - means the rivalry is found more in the crowd than on the ice; since the Maple Leafs moved to the
Eastern Conference in
1998, the two teams have faced each other less often each season.
Season-by-season record
''This is a partial list of the last five seasons completed by the Maple Leafs. For the full season-by-season history, see
Toronto Maple Leafs seasons''
'''Note:' GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, OTL = Overtime losses, Pts = Points, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against, PIM = Penalties in minutes, TG = Playoff series decided on total goals''
| Season | GP | W | L | T | OTL | Pts | GF | GA | PIM | Finish | Playoffs |
| 2001-02 | 82 | 43 | 25 | 10 | 4 | 100 | 249 | 207 | 1212 | 2nd in Northeast | Lost in Conference Finals, 2-4 (Hurricanes) |
| 2002-03 | 82 | 44 | 28 | 7 | 3 | 98 | 236 | 208 | 1390 | 2nd in Northeast | Lost in Conference Quarterfinals, 3-4 (Flyers) |
| 2003-04 | 82 | 45 | 24 | 10 | 3 | 103 | 242 | 204 | 1452 | 2nd in Northeast | Lost in Conference Semifinals, 2-4 (Flyers) |
| 2004-05 | ''Season cancelled due to 2004-05 NHL Lockout'' |
| 2005-061 | 82 | 41 | 33 | -- | 8 | 90 | 257 | 270 | 1291 | 4th in Northeast | Did not qualify |
| 2006-07 | 82 | 40 | 31 | -- | 11 | 91 | 258 | 269 | 1065 | 3rd in Northeast | Did not qualify |
:
1 Starting 2005-06 NHL season, games remaining tied after overtime are decided by shootout.
Players
Current roster
As of July 9, 2007. [3]
| Forwards |
|---|
| # | | 'Player' | Position | Shoots | Acquired | Place of Birth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| '9' | | Mark Bell ★ | LW | L | 2007 | St. Pauls Station, Ontario |
| '10' | | Alexander Steen | C | L | 2002 | Winnipeg, Manitoba |
| '13' | | Mats Sundin – 'C' | C | R | 1994 | Bromma, Sweden |
| '14' | | Matt Stajan | C | L | 2002 | Mississauga, Ontario |
| '16' | | Darcy Tucker | RW | L | 2000 | Castor, Alberta |
| '18' | | Chad Kilger | LW | L | 2004 | Cornwall, Ontario |
| '21' | | John Pohl | C | R | 2005 | Rochester, Minnesota |
| '22' | | Boyd Devereaux | C | L | 2006 | Seaforth, Ontario |
| '23' | | Alexei Ponikarovsky | LW | L | 1998 | Kiev, U.S.S.R. |
| '33' | | Bates Battaglia | LW | L | 2005 | Chicago, Illinois |
| '42' | | Kyle Wellwood | C | R | 2001 | Old Castle, Ontario |
| '54' | | Kris Newbury | C | L | 2003 | Brampton, Ontario |
| '55' | | Jason Blake | LW | L | 2007 | Moorhead, Minnesota |
| '80' | | Nik Antropov | C | L | 1998 | Ust-Kamenogorsk, U.S.S.R. |
| '?' | | Tony Salmelainen | LW/RW | R | 2007 | Espoo, Finland |
★ Bell has been suspended indefinitely by the NHL.
Hall of Fame
The following members of the Toronto Maple Leafs have been inducted into the
Hockey Hall of Fame. The list includes anyone who played for the Leafs who was later inducted as a player. The list of builders includes anyone inducted as a builder who spent any part of their career in a coaching, management, or ownership role with the Leafs.
Players
★
Jack Adams, C, 1922-26, inducted 1959
★
George Armstrong, C, 1950-71, inducted 1975
★
Syl Apps, C, 1936-48, inducted 1961
★
Ace Bailey, LW, 1926-33, inducted 1978
★
Andy Bathgate, C, 1963-65, inducted 1978
★
Max Bentley, C, 1947-53, inducted 1966
★
Johnny Bower, G, 1958-70, inducted 1976
★
Turk Broda, G, 1936-52, inducted 1967
★
Harry Cameron, D, 1917-23, inducted 1962
★
Gerry Cheevers, G, 1961-62, inducted 1985
★
King Clancy, D, 1930-36, inducted 1958
★
Sprague Cleghorn, D, 1920-21, 1958
★
Charlie Conacher, RW, 1929-37, inducted 1961
★
Rusty Crawford, LW, 1917-19, inducted 1962
★
Hap Day, D, 1924-37, inducted 1961
★
Gordie Drillon, LW, 1937-42, inducted 1975
★
Dick Duff, LW, 1954-64, inducted 2006
★
Babe Dye, RW, 1920-26, 1930, inducted 1970
★
Fernie Flaman, D, 1950-54, inducted 1990
★
Ron Francis, C, 2003-04, to be inducted 2007
★
Grant Fuhr, G, 1991-93, inducted 2003
★
Mike Gartner, RW, 1994-96, inducted 2001
★
Red Horner, D, 1928-40, inducted 1965
★
Tim Horton, D, 1952-70, inducted 1977
★
Busher Jackson, LW, 1929-39, inducted 1971
★
Red Kelly, D, 1960-67, inducted 1969
★
Ted Kennedy, C, 1943-57, inducted 1966
★
Dave Keon, C, 1960-75, inducted 1986
★
Harry Lumley, G, 1952-56, inducted 1980
★
Frank Mahovlich, LW, 1957-68, inducted 1981
★
Lanny McDonald, RW, 1973-79, inducted 1992
★
Dickie Moore, LW, 1964-65, inducted 1974
★
Larry Murphy, D, 1995-97, inducted 2004
★
Frank Nighbor, C, 1929-30, inducted 1947
★
Reg Noble, LW, 1919-24, inducted 1962
★
Bert Olmstead, RW, 1958-62, inducted 1985
★
Bernie Parent, G, 1970-72, inducted 1984
★
Pierre Pilote, D, 1968-69, inducted 1975
★
Jacques Plante, G, 1970-73, inducted 1978
★
Babe Pratt, D, 1942-46, inducted 1966
★
Joe Primeau, C, 1927-36, inducted 1963
★
Marcel Pronovost, D, 1965-70, inducted 1978
★
Bob Pulford, LW, 1956-70, inducted 1991
★
Borje Salming, D, 1973-89, inducted 1996
★
Terry Sawchuk, G, 1964-67, inducted 1971
★
Sweeney Schriner, LW, 1939-46, inducted 1962
★
Darryl Sittler, C, 1970-82, inducted 1989
★
Allan Stanley, D, 1958-68, inducted 1981
★
Norm Ullman, C, 1968-75, inducted 1982
★
Harry Watson, LW, 1946-55, inducted 1994
Builders
★
Harold Ballard, owner/executive/director, 1957-89, inducted 1977
★
J. P. Bickell, shareholder/director, 1919-51, inducted 1978
★
Jim Gregory, general manager, 1969-79, will be inducted in 2007
★
Punch Imlach, coach/general manager, 1958-69 and 1979-80, inducted 1984
★
Roger Neilson, coach, 1977-79, inducted 2002
★
Frank J. Selke, executive, 1929-46, inducted 1960
★
Conn Smythe, owner/executive/director, 1927-66, inducted 1958
Team captains
★
Hap Day 1927-37
★
Charlie Conacher 1937-38
★
Red Horner 1938-40
★
Syl Apps 1940-43
★
Bob Davidson 1943-45
★ Syl Apps 1945-48
★
Ted Kennedy 1948-55
★
Sid Smith 1955-56
★
Jimmy Thomson 1956-57
★ Ted Kennedy 1957
★
George Armstrong 1957-69
★
Dave Keon 1969-75
★
Darryl Sittler 1975-79
★ no captain 1979-80
★ Darryl Sittler 1980-82
★
Rick Vaive 1982-86
★ no captain 1986-89
★
Rob Ramage 1989-91
★
Wendel Clark 1991-94
★
Doug Gilmour 1994-97
★
Mats Sundin 1997- ''present''
Retired numbers
★ '5'
Bill Barilko, D, 1947-51
★ '6'
Ace Bailey, LW, 1926-33
★ '99'
Wayne Gretzky (Number retired league-wide by NHL; banner raised at
Air Canada Centre February 6,
2000 at NHL All Star Game)
The Leafs have a policy of retiring numbers only for players "who have made a significant contribution to the Toronto Maple Leaf Hockey Club and have experienced a career-ending incident while a member of the Maple Leaf team". Barilko (whose career ended with death in a plane crash)
[4] and Bailey (whose career ended with a severe head injury)
[5] met the criteria. These two numbers were not officially retired until
October 17,
1992.
Ron Ellis received permission from Bailey, by the time of his career the Leafs' Director of Scouting, to wear number 6.
Honoured numbers
In 1993, the Leafs began a policy of honouring their greatest players by declaring their number an "Honoured Number" rather than retirement. MLSE CEO Richard Peddie formed a committee in 2005 to study the issue and announced the decision to continue with the honoured number program late that year, citing a desire to allow current players to build upon the legacy of those numbers.
★ 1
Turk Broda, G, 1937-52; honoured
March 11,
1995.
★ 1
Johnny Bower, G, 1959-70; honoured
March 11,
1995.
★ 4
Clarence "Hap" Day, D, 1924-37; Head Coach, 1940-50; Assistant General Manager, 1950-57; honoured
October 4 2006.
★ 4
Leonard "Red" Kelly, D, 1961-67; Head Coach, 1973-77; honoured
October 4,
2006.
★ 7
King Clancy, D, 1931-37; Head Coach, 1953-56; honoured
November 21,
1995.
★ 7
Tim Horton, D, 1950-70; honoured
November 21,
1995.
★ 9
Charlie Conacher, RW, 1930-38; honoured
February 28,
1998.
★ 9
Ted Kennedy, C, 1943-57; honoured
October 3,
1993.
★ 10
Syl Apps, C, 1937-48; honoured
October 3,
1993.
★ 10
George Armstrong, 1950-71; Head Coach, 1988-89; honoured
February 28,
1998.
★ 21
Borje Salming, D, 1973-89; honoured
October 4,
2006.
★ 27
Frank Mahovlich, LW, 1957-68; honoured
October 3,
2001.
★ 27
Darryl Sittler, C, 1970-82; honoured
February 8,
2003.
First round draft picks
★ 1963:
Walt McKechnie (6th overall)
★ 1964:
Tom Martin (5th overall)
★ 1965: none
★ 1966:
John Wright (4th overall)
★ 1967: none
★ 1968:
Brad Selwood (10th overall)
★ 1969:
Ernie Moser (9th overall)
★ 1970:
Darryl Sittler (8th overall)
★ 1971: none
★ 1972:
George Ferguson (11th overall)
★ 1973:
Lanny McDonald (4th overall),
Bob Neely (10th overall)
Ian Turnbull (15th overall)
★ 1974:
Jack Valiquette (13th overall)
★ 1975:
Don Ashby (6th overall)
★ 1976: none
★ 1977:
John Anderson (11th overall)
Trevor Johansen (12th overall)
★ 1978: none
★ 1979:
Laurie Boschman (9th overall)
★ 1980: none
★ 1981:
Jim Benning (6th overall)
★ 1982:
Gary Nylund (3rd overall)
★ 1983:
Russ Courtnall (7th overall)
★ 1984:
Al Iafrate (4th overall)
★ 1985:
Wendel Clark (1st overall)
★ 1986:
Vincent Damphousse (6th overall)
★ 1987:
Luke Richardson (7th overall)
★ 1988:
Scott Pearson (6th overall)
★ 1989:
Scott Thornton (3rd overall),
Rob Pearson (12th overall)
Steve Bancroft (21st overall)
★ 1990:
Drake Berehowsky (10th overall)
★ 1991: none
★ 1992:
Brandon Convery (8th overall) and
Grant Marshall (23rd overall)
★ 1993:
Kenny Jonsson (12th overall) and
Landon Wilson (19th overall)
★ 1994:
Eric Fichaud (16th overall)
★ 1995:
Jeff Ware (15th overall)
★ 1996: none
★ 1997: none
★ 1998:
Nik Antropov (10th overall)
★ 1999:
Luca Cereda (24th overall)
★ 2000:
Brad Boyes (24th overall)
★ 2001:
Carlo Colaiacovo (17th overall)
★ 2002:
Alexander Steen (24th overall)
★ 2003: none
★ 2004: none
★ 2005:
Tuukka Rask (21st overall)
★ 2006:
Jiri Tlusty (13th overall)
★ 2007: none
Franchise scoring leaders
These are the top-ten point-scorers in franchise history, as of the end of the 2005-06 season. Figures are updated after each completed NHL regular season.
'''Legend:' Pos = Position; GP = Games Played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; P/G = Points per game;
★ = current Maple Leafs player''
NHL awards and trophies
'
Stanley Cup'
★
1917-18 (as Arenas),
1921-22 (as St. Pats),
1931-32,
1941-42,
1944-45,
1946-47,
1947-48,
1948-49,
1950-51,
1961-62,
1962-63,
1963-64,
1966-67
'
Prince of Wales Trophy'
★
1947-48,
1962-63
'
Calder Memorial Trophy'
★
Syl Apps:
1936-37 (trophy known as "Calder Trophy")
★
Gaye Stewart:
1942-43 (trophy known as "Calder Trophy")
★
August "Gus" Bodnar:
1943-44
★
Frank McCool:
1944-45
★
Howie Meeker:
1946-47
★
Frank Mahovlich:
1957-58
★
Dave Keon:
1960-61
★
Kent Douglas:
1962-63
★
Brit Selby:
1965-66
'
Conn Smythe Trophy'
★
Dave Keon:
1966-67
'
Frank J. Selke Trophy'
★
Doug Gilmour:
1992-93
'
Hart Memorial Trophy'
★
Babe Pratt:
1943-44
★
Ted Kennedy:
1954-55
'
Jack Adams Award'
★
Pat Burns:
1992-93
'
King Clancy Memorial Trophy'
★
Curtis Joseph:
1999-00
'
Lady Byng Memorial Trophy'
★
Joe Primeau:
1931-32
★
Gordie Drillon:
1937-38
★
Syl Apps:
1941-42
★
Sid Smith:
1951-52,
1954-55
★
Red Kelly:
1960-61
★
Dave Keon:
1961-62,
1962-63
★
Alexander Mogilny:
2002-03
'
Vezina Trophy'
★
Turk Broda:
1940-41,
1947-48
★
Al Rollins:
1950-51
★
Harry Lumley:
1953-54
★
Johnny Bower:
1960-61
★
Terry Sawchuk &
Johnny Bower:
1964-65
Toronto Maple Leafs individual records
★ Most Goals in a season:
Rick Vaive, 54 (1981-82)
★ Most Assists in a season:
Doug Gilmour, 95 (1992-93)
★ Most Points in a season:
Doug Gilmour, 127 (1992-93)
★ Most Penalty Minutes in a season:
Tie Domi, 365 (1997-98)
★ Most Points in a season, defenceman:
Ian Turnbull, 79 (1976-77)
★ Most Points in a season, rookie:
Peter Ihnacak, 66 (1982-83)
★ Most Wins in a season (goaltender):
Ed Belfour (2002-03),
Andrew Raycroft (2006-2007),37
★ Most consecutive games without a goal:
Bob McGill, 198 (1982-86)
See also
★
National Hockey League rivalries
★
★
List of Detroit Red Wings-Toronto Maple Leafs playoff series
★
Toronto Blueshirts (1912-17)
★
Pittsburgh Hornets minor league farm team (1961-1967)
★
Toronto Marlboros farm team 1927-1989
★
Markham Waxers former farm team
★
St. Catharines Saints 1982-1986
★
Newmarket Saints farm team 1986-1991
★
St. John's Maple Leafs farm team 1991-2005
★
Toronto Marlies farm team (2005-present)
★
Columbia Inferno minor league farm team 2006-present
★
List of Stanley Cup champions
★
List of NHL seasons
★
List of NHL players
★
List of ice hockey teams in Ontario
References
1. "Good-bye St. Pats, howdy Maple Leafs," ''The Globe'', February 15, 1927, p. 6
2. "Toronto crumbles New York chances," ''The Globe'', February 18, 1927, p. 8.
3. Leafs Re-Acquire Perreault
4. Alumni Bios: Bill Barilko
5. Alumni Bios: Ace Bailey
★
Deceptions and Doublecross, , Morey, Holzman, Dundurn Press, 2002,
External links
★
Toronto Maple Leafs official web site
★
TML Fever Unoffical Site