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Revision as of 23:42, 10 May 2007

For other uses, see Toronto Maple Leafs (disambiguation).
Toronto Maple Leafs
File:Toronto Maple Leafs.gif
ConferenceEastern
DivisionNortheast
Founded1917
HistoryToronto Arenas
1917-19 (unofficial in 1917-18)
Toronto St. Patricks
1919-February 14, 1927
Toronto Maple Leafs
February 14, 1927-present
Home arenaAir Canada Centre
CityToronto, Ontario
Team coloursRoyal Blue and White
MediaLeafs TV
Rogers Sportsnet Ontario
CFMJ (640 AM)
FAN (590 AM)
Owner(s)Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment Ltd.
General managerCanada John Ferguson Jr.
Head coachCanada Paul Maurice
CaptainSweden Mats Sundin
Minor league affiliatesToronto Marlies (AHL)
Columbia Inferno (ECHL)
Stanley Cups13 (1917-18, 1921-22, 1931-32, 1941-42, 1944-45, 1946-47, 1947-48, 1948-49, 1950-51, 1961-62, 1962-63, 1963-64, 1966-67)
Conference championshipsnone
Division championships5 (1932-33, 1933-34, 1934-35, 1937-38, 1999-00)

The Toronto Maple Leafs are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. They play in the National Hockey League (NHL) at the Air Canada Centre (ACC). The organization is officially known as the Toronto Maple Leaf Hockey Club, owned by Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment Ltd. (MLSE).

Franchise History

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.) There have been numerous reasons cited for Smythe's decision to rename the team. The Maple Leafs say that the new name was chosen in honour of the Maple Leaf Regiment from World War I. Another story says that Smythe named the team after a team he'd once scouted, called the East Toronto Maple Leafs. The chosen pronunciation and spelling of the name "Leafs" versus "Leaves" is uncommon but still grammatically acceptable, just as "dwarfs" is an alternative to "dwarves". Although some sources consider the Maple Leafs to be a separate team from the Arenas/St. Pats, the NHL considers them to be one franchise dating from 1917.

Although Smythe was the largest shareholder, his name was initially kept in the background. When the newly renamed Toronto Maple Leaf Hockey Club Ltd. promoted a public share offering to raise capital, it only disclosed that "one of the most prominent hockey coaches in Toronto" would be taking over management of the club.[1] That prominent coach turned out to be Smythe, who installed himself as general manager and coach.

Initial reports were that the team's colours would be changed to red and white.[2] However, for their first game on February 16, the Leafs were wearing the St. Pats' old green and white sweaters, but with a green maple leaf in place of the St. Pats' shamrock. February 17, 1927[3] The next season, the Leafs appeared for the first time in the blue and white sweaters they have worn ever since. While the Leafs say that blue represents the Canadian skies and white represents snow, it is also true that top-level Toronto teams have worn blue since the Toronto Argonauts adopted blue as their primary colour in 1873. Another theory is that Smythe changed the colours as a nod to his high school alma mater, Upper Canada College, whose teams have worn blue and white since 1829 and the University of Toronto whose teams have also worn blue and were called the Varsity Blues.[4] Also, the team had worn blue and white sweaters for their first two seasons.

Toronto Maple Leafs opening night program at MLG, November 12, 1931

After four more lacklustre seasons, 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. They would go the distance in 1932, vanquishing Charlie Conacher's older brother Lionel Conacher and his Montreal Maroons in the first round, then in the semi-finals against the Boston Bruins, winning in the sixth overtime of the final game, and would not be overwhelmed in the Stanley Cup Finals by the hated New York Rangers. It was Conn Smythe's anti-Rangers revenge. The Maple Leafs went on a similar tear the next season, only to be upended by the Rangers.

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. Undeterred, 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.

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 franchise history. It would take the Canadiens 10 years to reclaim the record.

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. Barilko's legacy is still remembered over 50 years later, and The Tragically Hip's song "Fifty Mission Cap" is based on his plight.

New owners, new dynasty in the 1960s

File:Mahovolich4Kelly8.jpg
1967: Frank Mahovlich and Red Kelly celebrate the Leafs' last Stanley Cup

Toronto was unable to match up with their Cup-winning teams of the 1940s and 1951 for a long time, and stronger teams like Detroit and Montreal won the Cup year after year. In fact, the Habs' 1950s dynasty closed with a last-round Maple Leaf sweep. They did not win another Stanley Cup until 1962. Before the season, Smythe had 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. However, Bathgate claimed after 1964-65 that all the autocratic Imlach said to himself and Mahovlich was insulting:

“Imlach never spoke to Frank Mahovlich or myself for most of the season, and when he did, it was to criticize. Frank usually got the worst. We are athletes, not machines, and Frank is the type that needs some encouragement, a pat on the shoulder every so often.”[5]

It was Bathgate's one-way ticket to the floundering Red Wings, but Toronto would, for a few more years, keep "The Big M."

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.

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.

The Ballard years

File:LeafCaptainSittler.jpg
Darryl Sittler, captain of the Leafs in the late 1970s and second all-time leading scorer in franchise history.

Following Stafford Smythe's death, Harold Ballard won a battle for control of the team during the 1971-72 season. One of the most detested owners in NHL history, he traded away many of the team's most popular players. He also blocked Keon from signing with another NHL team when his contract ran out in 1975, forcing him to jump to the Minnesota Fighting Saints of the World Hockey Association. Ballard assumed (correctly) that the Leafs would continue to sell out regardless of the team's on-ice quality, and refused to raise the payroll any higher than necessary to be profitable.

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 Börje Salming were able to ice competitive teams for several seasons. On February 7, 1976, 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. 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.

In July 1979, Ballard brought Imlach, a longtime friend, back to the organization as GM. When the Leafs traded McDonald, a close friend of Sittler, to the moribund Colorado Rockies on December 29, 1979; a member of the Leafs anonymously told the Toronto Star that Ballard and Imlach would "do anything to get at Sittler"[6] and traded McDonald to undermine Sittler's influence on the team. Sittler, along with other Leafs who were members of the NHL Players Association, was agitating for a better contract. Angry teammates trashed their dressing room in response, and Sittler temporarily resigned his captaincy. NHL executive director Alan Eagleson, who was also Sittler's agent, called the trade "a classless act."[6] 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 (and has since been passed by Mats Sundin).

The McDonald trade sent the Leafs into a downward spiral. 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. Ironically, Ballard had opposed taking the Nordiques and three other WHA teams into the NHL for the start of the 1979-80 season. He had never forgiven the WHA for nearly decimating his roster in the early 1970s, and the addition of three Canadian teams (the Nordiques, Winnipeg Jets and Edmonton Oilers) significantly reduced the Leafs' television revenue.

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), and won only 11 games in seven playoff appearances. The low point came in 1984-85, when they finished 32 games under .500, the second-worst record in franchise history (and only percentage points higher than the 1918-19 Arenas).

Many times, they made the playoffs with horrendous records. In 1987-88, for instance, they finished with the second-worst record in the league, and only one point ahead of the Minnesota North Stars for the worst record. However, the Norris Division was so weak that year (only the Red Wings finished with a winning record) that the Leafs still made the playoffs. Many Leafs fans consider Ballard's tenure as owner to be the darkest era in team history; indeed, they never finished above third in their division during Ballard's tenure. The Leafs' poor record resulted in several high draft picks but Wendel Clark, who was taken first overall in 1985 and would later captain the team, proved to be the only one that panned out.

Resurgence in and after the 1990s

Ballard died in 1990, and supermarket tycoon Steve Stavro, a longtime friend of Ballard's, bought the team in partnership with the Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan.

After 1991-92, ex-Calgary Flames GM Cliff Fletcher took over the team. In 1992-93, the Leafs began a resurgence. Doug Gilmour, who had come over from the Flames the previous season, scored 32 goals and 95 assists to lead the team in scoring. Dave Andreychuk had come to the Leafs from the Buffalo Sabres and would score 25 goals in his first 31 games as a Leaf as well as being the league's leading power-play goal scorer. Netminder Felix Potvin was also solid with an NHL-best 2.50 goals-against average. Toronto finished with a franchise-record 99 points, good enough for third place in the Norris Division. The Leafs dispatched the Detroit Red Wings in the first round with an overtime winner from Nikolai Borschevsky in game seven, then won the Norris Division Final by defeating the St. Louis Blues, also in seven games.

With Montreal facing the New York Islanders in the Wales Conference final, Canadians were once again dreaming of a Montreal-Toronto Cup final, as 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 it would be the Kings who would move on to the Finals against the Canadiens.

Those hoping for an all-Canadian Stanley Cup final in 1993 had to make do with an all-Canadian Western Conference Final (newly renamed from the Campbell Conference) in 1994. The Leafs, however, were no match for the Vancouver Canucks, losing in five games.

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. Mats Sundin, who had joined the team from the Quebec Nordiques in a 1994 trade involving Wendel Clark, had one of his most productive seasons, scoring 31 goals and totaling 83 points. Sergei Berezin scored 37 goals, Curtis Joseph won 35 games with a 2.56 GAA, and enforcer Tie Domi racked up 198 penalty minutes. 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 their trans-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 champions in Detroit 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 and finished fourth in the Eastern Conference. They also managed a .628 win percentage, their best in 43 years. 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. The Leafs did not make the playoffs in 2006, finishing tenth in the Eastern Conference.

The Toronto Maple Leafs are the only Original Six franchise to have not reached the Stanley Cup Finals since the 1967 NHL Expansion. The Chicago Blackhawks, the only other Original Six team not to win a Stanley Cup since 1967 (their last title came in 1961), have been to the Finals three times since then.

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-Sébastien 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.[7]

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.

Following aka "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 former Torontonians (Snowbirds) and their visiting relatives 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 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], whose guests this season have included Michael Landsberg, James Duthie, Jennifer Hedger, Bob McKenzie, Andy Frost and John Ondrasik of Five For Fighting [3]. Also "Leafs Nation Podcast" [4]is a popular amateur podcast.

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 continue to be the Senators' playoff stumbling block as Toronto has 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 the Canadian border. 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. The 2007-08 NHL season will mark the first time the Leafs and Wings will not play each other in the regular season since the Original Six era.

Season-by-season record

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 Team Name GP W L T OTL Pts GF GA PIM Finish Playoffs
1917-18 Arenas 22 13 9 0 -- 26 108 109 -- 1st (tie) in NHL Won in NHL Finals, 10-7 (TG) (Canadiens)
Stanley Cup Champions, 3-2 (Millionaires)
1918-19 Arenas 18 5 13 0 -- 10 65 92 262 3rd in NHL Did not qualify
1919-20 St. Patricks 24 12 12 0 -- 24 119 106 219 3rd in NHL Did not qualify
1920-21 St. Patricks 24 15 9 0 -- 30 105 100 254 1st in NHL Lost in NHL Finals (Senators)
1921-22 St. Patricks 24 13 10 1 -- 27 98 97 114 2nd in NHL Stanley Cup Champions, 3-2 (Millionaires)
1922-23 St. Patricks 24 13 10 1 -- 27 82 88 200 3rd in NHL Did not qualify
1923-24 St. Patricks 24 10 14 0 -- 20 59 85 178 3rd in NHL Did not qualify
1924-25 St. Patricks 30 19 11 0 -- 38 90 84 249 2nd in NHL Lost in NHL Finals (Canadiens)
1925-26 St. Patricks 36 12 21 3 -- 27 92 114 325 6th in NHL Did not qualify
1926-27 St. Pats/Leafs1 44 15 24 5 -- 35 79 94 546 5th in Canadian Did not qualify
1927-28 Maple Leafs 44 18 18 8 -- 44 89 88 436 4th in Canadian Did not qualify
1928-29 Maple Leafs 44 21 18 5 -- 47 85 69 541 3rd in Canadian Won in Quarterfinals, 7-2 (TG) (Cougars)
Lost in Semifinals, 0-2 (Rangers)
1929-30 Maple Leafs 44 17 21 6 -- 40 116 124 613 4th in Canadian Did not qualify
1930-31 Maple Leafs 44 22 13 9 -- 53 118 99 540 2nd in Canadian Lost in Quarterfinals, 3-4 (TG) (Black Hawks)
1931-32 Maple Leafs 48 23 18 7 -- 53 155 127 625 2nd in Canadian Won in Quarterfinals, 6-2 (TG) (Black Hawks)
Won in Semifinals, 4-3 (TG) (Maroons)
Stanley Cup Champions, 3-0 (Rangers)
1932-33 Maple Leafs 48 24 18 6 -- 54 119 111 622 1st in Canadian Won in Semifinals, 3-2 (Bruins)
Lost in Finals, 1-3 (Rangers)
1933-34 Maple Leafs 48 26 13 9 -- 61 174 119 529 1st in Canadian Lost in Semifinals, 2-3 (Red Wings)
1934-35 Maple Leafs 48 30 14 4 -- 64 157 111 444 1st in Canadian Won in Semifinals, 3-1 (Bruins)
Lost in Finals, 0-3 (Maroons)
1935-36 Maple Leafs 48 23 19 6 -- 52 126 106 579 2nd in Canadian Won in Quarterfinals, 8-6 (TG) (Bruins)
Won in Semifinals, 2-1 (Americans)
Lost in Finals, 1-3 (Red Wings)
1936-37 Maple Leafs 48 22 21 5 -- 49 119 115 371 3rd in Canadian Lost in Quarterfinals, 0-2 (Rangers)
1937-38 Maple Leafs 48 24 15 9 -- 57 151 127 404 1st in Canadian Won in Semifinals, 3-0 (Bruins)
Lost in Finals, 1-3 (Black Hawks)
1938-39 Maple Leafs 48 19 20 9 -- 47 114 107 370 3rd in NHL Won in Quarterfinals, 2-0 (Americans)
Won in Semifinals, 2-1 (Red Wings)
Lost in Finals, 1-4 (Bruins)
1939-40 Maple Leafs 48 25 17 6 -- 56 134 110 485 3rd in NHL Won in Quarterfinals, 2-0 (Black Hawks)
Won in Semifinals, 2-0 (Red Wings)
Lost in Finals, 2-4 (Rangers)
1940-41 Maple Leafs 48 28 14 6 -- 62 145 99 306 2nd in NHL Lost in Semifinals, 3-4 (Bruins)
1941-42 Maple Leafs 48 27 18 3 -- 57 158 136 341 2nd in NHL Won in Semifinals, 4-2 (Rangers)
Stanley Cup Champions, 4-3 (Red Wings)
1942-43 Maple Leafs 50 22 19 9 -- 53 198 159 431 3rd in NHL Lost in Semifinals, 2-4 (Red Wings)
1943-44 Maple Leafs 50 23 23 4 -- 50 214 174 303 3rd in NHL Lost in Semifinals, 1-4 (Canadiens)
1944-45 Maple Leafs 50 24 22 4 -- 52 183 161 317 3rd in NHL Won in Semifinals, 4-2 (Canadiens)
Stanley Cup Champions, 4-3 (Red Wings)
1945-46 Maple Leafs 50 19 24 7 -- 45 174 185 247 5th in NHL Did not qualify
1946-47 Maple Leafs 60 31 19 10 -- 72 209 172 669 2nd in NHL Won in Semifinals, 4-1 (Red Wings)
Stanley Cup Champions, 4-2 (Canadiens)
1947-48 Maple Leafs 60 32 15 13 -- 77 182 143 758 1st in NHL Won in Semifinals, 4-1 (Bruins)
Stanley Cup Champions, 4-0 (Red Wings)
1948-49 Maple Leafs 60 22 25 13 -- 57 147 161 706 4th in NHL Won in Semifinals, 4-1 (Bruins)
Stanley Cup Champions, 4-0 (Red Wings)
1949-50 Maple Leafs 70 31 27 12 -- 74 176 173 804 3rd in NHL Lost in Semifinals, 3-4 (Red Wings)
1950-51 Maple Leafs 70 41 16 13 -- 95 212 138 823 2nd in NHL Won in Semifinals, 4-1 (Bruins)
Stanley Cup Champions, 4-1 (Canadiens)
1951-52 Maple Leafs 70 29 25 16 -- 74 168 157 841 3rd in NHL Lost in Semifinals, 0-4 (Red Wings)
1952-53 Maple Leafs 70 27 30 13 -- 67 156 167 812 5th in NHL Did not qualify
1953-54 Maple Leafs 70 32 24 14 -- 78 152 131 1022 3rd in NHL Lost in Semifinals, 1-4 (Red Wings)
1954-55 Maple Leafs 70 24 24 22 -- 70 147 135 990 3rd in NHL Lost in Semifinals, 0-4 (Red Wings)
1955-56 Maple Leafs 70 24 33 13 -- 61 153 181 1051 4th in NHL Lost in Semifinals, 1-4 (Red Wings)
1956-57 Maple Leafs 70 21 34 15 -- 57 174 192 829 5th in NHL Did not qualify
1957-58 Maple Leafs 70 21 38 11 -- 53 192 226 861 6th in NHL Did not qualify
1958-59 Maple Leafs 70 27 32 11 -- 65 189 201 846 4th in NHL Won in Semifinals, 4-3 (Bruins)
Lost in Finals, 1-4 (Canadiens)
1959-60 Maple Leafs 70 35 26 9 -- 79 199 195 859 2nd in NHL Won in Semifinals, 4-2 (Red Wings)
Lost in Finals, 0-4 (Canadiens)
1960-61 Maple Leafs 70 39 19 12 -- 90 234 176 844 2nd in NHL Lost in Semifinals, 1-4 (Red Wings)
1961-62 Maple Leafs 70 37 22 11 -- 85 232 180 762 2nd in NHL Won in Semifinals, 4-2 (Rangers)
Stanley Cup Champions, 4-2 (Black Hawks)
1962-63 Maple Leafs 70 35 23 12 -- 82 221 180 816 1st in NHL Won in Semifinals, 4-1 (Canadiens)
Stanley Cup Champions, 4-1 (Red Wings)
1963-64 Maple Leafs 70 33 25 12 -- 78 192 172 928 3rd in NHL Won in Semifinals, 4-3 (Canadiens)
Stanley Cup Champions, 4-3 (Red Wings)
1964-65 Maple Leafs 70 30 26 14 -- 74 204 173 1068 4th in NHL Lost in Semifinals, 2-4 (Canadiens)
1965-66 Maple Leafs 70 34 25 11 -- 79 208 187 811 3rd in NHL Lost in Semifinals, 0-4 (Canadiens)
1966-67 Maple Leafs 70 32 27 11 -- 75 204 211 736 3rd in NHL Won in Semifinals, 4-2 (Black Hawks)
Stanley Cup Champions, 4-2 (Canadiens)
1967-68 Maple Leafs 74 33 31 10 -- 76 209 176 634 5th in East Did not qualify
1968-69 Maple Leafs 76 35 26 15 -- 85 234 217 961 4th in East Lost in Quarterfinals, 0-4 (Bruins)
1969-70 Maple Leafs 76 29 34 13 -- 71 222 242 898 6th in East Did not qualify
1970-71 Maple Leafs 78 37 33 8 -- 82 248 211 1133 4th in East Lost in Quarterfinals, 2-4 (Rangers)
1971-72 Maple Leafs 78 33 31 14 -- 80 209 208 887 4th in East Lost in Quarterfinals, 1-4 (Bruins)
1972-73 Maple Leafs 78 27 41 10 -- 64 247 279 716 6th in East Did not qualify
1973-74 Maple Leafs 78 35 27 16 -- 86 274 230 903 4th in East Lost in Quarterfinals, 0-4 (Bruins)
1974-75 Maple Leafs 80 31 33 16 -- 78 280 309 1079 3rd in Adams Won in Preliminary Round, 2-1 (Kings)
Lost in Quarterfinals, 0-4 (Flyers)
1975-76 Maple Leafs 80 34 31 15 -- 83 294 276 1368 3rd in Adams Won in Preliminary Round, 2-1 (Penguins)
Lost in Quarterfinals, 3-4 (Flyers)
1976-77 Maple Leafs 80 33 32 15 -- 81 301 285 1200 3rd in Adams Won in Preliminary Round, 2-1 (Penguins)
Lost in Quarterfinals, 2-4 (Flyers)
1977-78 Maple Leafs 80 41 29 10 -- 92 271 237 1258 3rd in Adams Won in Preliminary Round, 2-0 (Kings)
Won in Quarterfinals, 4-3 (Islanders)
Lost in Semifinals, 0-4 (Canadiens)
1978-79 Maple Leafs 80 34 33 13 -- 81 267 252 1440 3rd in Adams Won in Preliminary Round, 2-0 (Flames)
Lost in Quarterfinals, 0-4 (Canadiens)
1979-80 Maple Leafs 80 35 40 5 -- 75 304 327 1158 4th in Adams Lost in Preliminary Round, 0-3 (North Stars)
1980-81 Maple Leafs 80 28 37 15 -- 71 322 367 1830 5th in Adams Lost in Preliminary Round, 0-3 (Islanders)
1981-82 Maple Leafs 80 20 44 16 -- 56 298 380 1888 5th in Norris Did not qualify
1982-83 Maple Leafs 80 28 40 12 -- 68 293 330 1481 3rd in Norris Lost in Division Semifinals, 1-3 (North Stars)
1983-84 Maple Leafs 80 26 45 9 -- 61 303 387 1682 5th in Norris Did not qualify
1984-85 Maple Leafs 80 20 52 8 -- 48 253 358 1627 5th in Norris Did not qualify
1985-86 Maple Leafs 80 25 48 7 -- 57 311 386 1716 4th in Norris Won in Division Semifinals, 3-0 (Black Hawks)
Lost in Division Finals, 3-4 (Blues)
1986-87 Maple Leafs 80 32 42 6 -- 70 286 319 1827 4th in Norris Won in Division Semifinals, 4-2 (Blues)
Lost in Division Finals, 3-4 (Red Wings)
1987-88 Maple Leafs 80 21 49 10 -- 52 273 345 1782 4th in Norris Lost in Division Semifinals, 2-4 (Red Wings)
1988-89 Maple Leafs 80 28 46 6 -- 62 259 342 1740 5th in Norris Did not qualify
1989-90 Maple Leafs 80 38 38 4 -- 80 337 358 2419 3rd in Norris Lost in Division Semifinals, 1-4 (Blues)
1990-91 Maple Leafs 80 23 46 11 -- 57 241 318 1962 5th in Norris Did not qualify
1991-92 Maple Leafs 80 30 43 7 -- 67 234 294 1734 5th in Norris Did not qualify
1992-93 Maple Leafs 84 44 29 11 -- 99 288 241 1815 3rd in Norris Won in Division Semifinals, 4-3 (Red Wings)
Won in Division Finals, 4-3 (Blues)
Lost in Conference Finals, 3-4 (Kings)
1993-94 Maple Leafs 84 43 29 12 -- 98 280 243 1877 2nd in Central Won in Conference Quarterfinals, 4-2 (Blackhawks)
Won in Conference Semifinals, 4-3 (Sharks)
Lost in Conference Finals, 1-4 (Canucks)
1994-952 Maple Leafs 48 21 19 8 -- 50 135 146 744 4th in Central Lost in Conference Quarterfinals, 3-4 (Blackhawks)
1995-96 Maple Leafs 82 34 36 12 -- 80 247 252 1742 3rd in Central Lost in Conference Quarterfinals, 2-4 (Blues)
1996-97 Maple Leafs 82 30 44 8 -- 68 230 273 1331 6th in Central Did not qualify
1997-98 Maple Leafs 82 30 43 9 -- 69 194 237 1481 6th in Central Did not qualify
1998-99 Maple Leafs 82 45 30 7 -- 97 268 231 1095 2nd in Northeast Won in Conference Quarterfinals, 4-2 (Flyers)
Won in Conference Semifinals, 4-2 (Penguins)
Lost in Conference Finals, 1-4 (Sabres)
1999-00 Maple Leafs 82 45 27 7 3 100 246 222 1103 1st in Northeast Won in Conference Quarterfinals, 4-2 (Senators)
Lost in Conference Semifinals, 2-4 (Devils)
2000-01 Maple Leafs 82 37 29 11 5 90 232 207 1430 3rd in Northeast Won in Conference Quarterfinals, 4-0 (Senators)
Lost in Conference Semifinals, 3-4 (Devils)
2001-02 Maple Leafs 82 43 25 10 4 100 249 207 1212 2nd in Northeast Won in Conference Quarterfinals, 4-3 (Islanders)
Won in Conference Semifinals, 4-3 (Senators)
Lost in Conference Finals, 2-4 (Hurricanes)
2002-03 Maple Leafs 82 44 28 7 3 98 236 208 1390 2nd in Northeast Lost in Conference Quarterfinals, 3-4 (Flyers)
2003-04 Maple Leafs 82 45 24 10 3 103 242 204 1452 2nd in Northeast Won in Conference Quarterfinals, 4-3 (Senators)
Lost in Conference Semifinals, 2-4 (Flyers)
2004-053 Maple Leafs -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --
2005-064 Maple Leafs 82 41 33 -- 8 90 257 270 1291 4th in Northeast Did not qualify
2006-07 Maple Leafs 82 40 31 -- 11 91 258 269 1065 3rd in Northeast Did not qualify
Season Team Name GP W L T OTL Pts GF GA PIM Finish Playoffs
Grand Totals Maple Leafs 5710 2499 2391 783 37 5818 17709 17481 83038 -- --
1 In February, 1927, Conn Smythe, the new owner of the team, changed the team name and logo from "St. Patricks" to "Maple Leafs".
2 Season was shortened because of the 1994-95 NHL lockout.
3 Season was cancelled because of the 2004-05 NHL lockout.
4 As of this season, games remaining tied after overtime are decided by shootout.

Players

Current roster

As of March 23, 2007. [5]

Goaltenders
# Player Catches Acquired Place of Birth
1 Canada Andrew Raycroft L 2006 Belleville, Ontario
30 Canada Jean-Sebastien Aubin R 2004 Montreal, Quebec
Defencemen
# Player Shoots Acquired Place of Birth
3 Canada Wade Belak R 2001 Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
7 Canada Ian White R 2002 Steinbach, Manitoba
8 Canada Carlo Colaiacovo L 2001 Toronto, Ontario
15 Czech Republic Tomas Kaberle - A L 1996 Rakovnik, Czechoslovakia
24 Canada Bryan McCabe - A L 2001 St. Catharines, Ontario
25 United States Hal Gill L 2006 Concord, Massachusetts
31 Czech Republic Pavel Kubina R 2006 Celadna, Czechoslovakia
56 United States Andy Wozniewski L 2003 Buffalo Grove, Illinois
Forwards
# Player Position Shoots Acquired Place of Birth
10 Canada Alexander Steen C L 2002 Winnipeg, Manitoba
13 Sweden Mats Sundin - C C R 1994 Bromma, Sweden
14 Canada Matt Stajan C L 2002 Mississauga, Ontario
16 Canada Darcy Tucker LW L 2000 Castor, Alberta
18 Canada Chad Kilger LW L 2004 Cornwall, Ontario
21 United States John Pohl C R 2005 Rochester, Minnesota
22 Canada Boyd Devereaux C L 2006 Seaforth, Ontario
23 Ukraine Alexei Ponikarovsky LW L 1998 Kiev, U.S.S.R.
26 Canada Ben Ondrus RW R 2003 Sherwood Park, Alberta
27 Canada Michael Peca (IR) C R 2006 Toronto, Ontario
33 United States Bates Battaglia LW L 2005 Chicago, Illinois
39 Canada Travis Green C R 2007 Castlegar, British Columbia
42 Canada Kyle Wellwood C R 2001 Old Castle, Ontario
54 Canada Kris Newbury C L 2003 Brampton, Ontario
80 Kazakhstan Nik Antropov C L 1998 Ust-Kamenogorsk, U.S.S.R.
92 Canada Jeff O'Neill C/RW R 2005 Richmond Hill, Ontario
94 Canada Yanic Perreault C L 2007 Sherbrooke, Quebec

Hall of Famers

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


Builders


Team captains


Retired numbers

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)[8] and Bailey (whose career ended with a severe head injury)[9] 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. MSLE 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.

First round draft picks


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

Player Pos GP G A Pts P/G
Darryl Sittler C 844 389 527 916 1.09
Mats Sundin* C 907 388 521 909 1.00
Dave Keon C 1062 365 493 858 .81
Börje Salming D 1099 148 620 768 .70
George Armstrong RW 1187 296 417 713 .60
Ron Ellis RW 1034 332 308 640 .62
Frank Mahovlich LW 720 296 303 599 .83
Bob Pulford LW 947 251 312 563 .59
Ted Kennedy C 696 231 329 560 .80
Rick Vaive RW 534 299 238 537 1.00

NHL awards and trophies


Toronto Maple Leafs individual records

See also

References

  1. ^ "The Toronto Maple Leaf Hockey Club, Limited" (advertisement), Toronto Star, February 17, 1927, p. 18.
  2. ^ "Good-bye St. Pats, howdy Maple Leafs," The Globe, February 15, 1927, p. 6
  3. ^ "Toronto crumbles New York chances," The Globe, February 18, 1927, p. 8.
  4. ^ Lance Hornby "The Story of Maple Leaf Gardens, 100 Memories at Church and Carlton", page 37.
  5. ^ McDonell, Chris. (2005). Hockey's Greatest Stars: Legends and Young Lions. Firefly Books. p. 84. ISBN 1-55407-038-4.
  6. ^ a b "Lanny McDonald trade has Sittler in tears," Jim Kernaghan, Toronto Star, December 29 1979, p. 1.
  7. ^ "Leafs Re-Acquire Perreault". MapleLeafs.com. 2007-02-26. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  8. ^ "Alumni Bios: Bill Barilko". Toronto Maple Leafs.
  9. ^ "Alumni Bios: Ace Bailey". Toronto Maple Leafs.
Preceded by Stanley Cup Champions
1917-18 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Stanley Cup Champions
1921-22 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Stanley Cup Champions
1931-32 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Stanley Cup Champions
1941-42 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Stanley Cup Champions
1944-45 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Stanley Cup Champions
1946-47, 1947-48, 1948-49 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Stanley Cup Champions
1950-51 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Stanley Cup Champions
1961-62, 1962-63, 1963-64 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Stanley Cup Champions
1966-67 		Succeeded by
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