Toronto Arenas 1918–19 Toronto St. Patricks 1919 – February 14, 1927 Toronto Maple Leafs February 14, 1927 – present
The Toronto Maple Leafs are a professional ice hockey Ice hockey is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use sticks to direct a puck into the opposing team's goal. It is a fast-paced physical sport. Ice hockey is most popular in areas that are sufficiently cold for natural reliable seasonal ice cover, such as Canada, the Czech Republic, Latvia, the Nordic countries (especially Finland and team based in Toronto Toronto is the largest city in Canada and the provincial capital of Ontario. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. With over 2.5 million residents, it is the fifth most populous municipality in North America. Toronto is at the heart of the Greater Toronto Area (GTA), and is part of a densely populated region, Ontario Ontario is bordered by Manitoba on its west, Hudson Bay on its north, and Quebec on its east, and by five States of the United States to its south : Minnesota, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania (Lake Erie) and New York. All but a small portion of Ontario's 2,700 km (1,677 mi) border with the United States follow inland waterways: from the west at Lake, Canada The land occupied by Canada was inhabited for millennia by various groups of Aboriginal peoples. Beginning in the late 15th century, British and French expeditions explored, and later settled, along the Atlantic coast. France ceded nearly all of its colonies in North America in 1763 after the Seven Years' War. In 1867, with the union of three. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference The Eastern Conference is one of two conferences in the National Hockey League (NHL) used to divide teams. Its counterpart is the Western Conference of the National Hockey League The National Hockey League , often abbreviated to the NHL, is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which six are located in Canada and twenty-four in the United States. Headquartered in New York City, the NHL is widely considered to be the premier (NHL). The organization, one of the "Original Six The Original Six is a term for the group of six teams that comprised the National Hockey League for the 25 seasons between the 1942–43 season and the 1967 NHL Expansion. The name is something of a misnomer, since there were other NHL franchises that ceased operations before 1942, including some that were founded before some of the Original Six" members of the NHL, is officially known as the Toronto Maple Leaf Hockey Club and is the leading subsidiary of Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment Ltd. (MLSE). They have played at the Air Canada Centre The Air Canada Centre is a multi-purpose arena located on Bay Street in downtown Toronto, Ontario. It is the home of the Toronto Maple Leafs of the National Hockey League, the Toronto Raptors of the National Basketball Association and the Toronto Rock of the National Lacrosse League. It was also home to the Toronto Phantoms of the Arena Football (ACC) since 1999, after 68 years at Maple Leaf Gardens.
The Leafs are well known for their long and bitter rivalry with the Montreal Canadiens The Montreal Canadiens are a professional ice hockey team based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League (NHL). The club is officially known as le Club de hockey Canadien. Toronto has won eleven Stanley Cups The Stanley Cup is an ice hockey club trophy, awarded annually to the National Hockey League (NHL) playoffs champion. It has been referred to as The Cup, Lord Stanley's Cup, The Holy Grail, or facetiously (chiefly by sportswriters) as Lord Stanley's Mug. The Stanley Cup is surrounded by numerous legends and traditions, the oldest of which is the as the Maple Leafs since the cup became solely competed for within the NHL in 1927. They also won two cups prior to this: one as the St. Patricks, and one as the Arenas. The franchise's 13 championships are second only to the Canadiens who have 24. However, the Leafs have not won the Cup at all since 1967, the longest-active drought in the NHL, and are the only Original Six team that has not won the Cup since the 1967 NHL expansion.
At $470 million (2009), the Leafs are the most valuable team in the NHL, followed by the New York Rangers The New York Rangers are a professional ice hockey team based in New York, New York, United States. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . Playing their home games at Madison Square Garden, the Rangers are one of the oldest teams in the NHL, having joined in 1926 as an expansion and the Montreal Canadiens.[1]
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Team history
Main article: History of the Toronto Maple LeafsEarly years
Original Logo (1927)The National Hockey League was formed in 1917 in Montreal Montreal (French: Montréal; pronounced [mɔ̃ʁeˈal] in French, i / by teams formerly belonging to the National Hockey Association The National Hockey Association (officially the National Hockey Association of Canada Limited) was a professional ice hockey organization with teams in Ontario and Quebec, Canada. It is the direct predecessor organization to today's National Hockey League (NHL). Founded in 1909 by Ambrose O'Brien (from Renfrew, Ontario), the NHA was possibly the (NHA) that had a dispute with Eddie Livingstone, owner of the Toronto Blueshirts. The owners of the other four clubs – the Montreal Canadiens The Montreal Canadiens are a professional ice hockey team based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League (NHL). The club is officially known as le Club de hockey Canadien, Montreal Wanderers, Quebec Bulldogs, and Ottawa Senators The Ottawa Senators, officially the Ottawa Hockey Club , was an amateur, later becoming a professional, men's ice hockey team based in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada from 1883 to 1954 and a member of the National Hockey League (NHL) from 1917 to 1934. The club had several nicknames, such as the Generals in the 1890s, Silver Seven from 1903 to 1907 and – wanted to get rid of Livingstone, but discovered that the NHA constitution didn't allow them to simply vote him out of the league. Instead, they opted to create a new league, the NHL, and didn't invite Livingstone to join them. They also remained voting members of the NHA, and thus had enough votes to suspend the other league's operations, effectively leaving Livingstone's squad in a one-team league.
However, the other clubs felt it would be unthinkable not to have a team from Toronto (Canada's second largest city at the time) in the new league. They also needed another team to balance the schedule after the Bulldogs suspended operations (and as it turned out, would not ice a team until 1920). Accordingly, the NHL granted a "temporary" Toronto franchise to the Arena Company, owners of the Arena Gardens. The Arena Company was allowed to lease the Blueshirts' players, but was given until the end of the season to resolve the dispute with Livingstone. This temporary franchise did not have an official name, but was informally called "the Blueshirts" or "the Torontos" by the fans and press. Under manager Charlie Querrie and coach Dick Carroll, the Toronto team won the Stanley Cup The Stanley Cup is an ice hockey club trophy, awarded annually to the National Hockey League (NHL) playoffs champion. It has been referred to as The Cup, Lord Stanley's Cup, The Holy Grail, or facetiously (chiefly by sportswriters) as Lord Stanley's Mug. The Stanley Cup is surrounded by numerous legends and traditions, the oldest of which is the in the NHL's inaugural season. Although the roster was comprised almost entirely of former Blueshirts, the Maple Leafs do not claim the Blueshirts' history as their own.
For the next season, rather than return the Blueshirts' players to Livingstone as originally promised, the Arena Company formed its own team, the Toronto Arena Hockey Club, which was readily granted full-fledged membership in the NHL. Also that year, the Arena Company board decided that only NHL teams would be allowed to play at the Arena Gardens--a move which effectively killed the NHA.[2] Livingstone sued to get his players back. 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. When it was obvious that the Arenas would not be able to finish out the season, the NHL agreed to let the Arenas halt operations on February 20, 1919 and proceed directly to the playoffs. The Arenas' .278 winning percentage that season is still the worst in franchise history. However, since the 1919 Stanley Cup Finals ended without a winner due to the worldwide flu epidemic, the Arenas proclaimed themselves champions by default.
The legal dispute forced the Arena Company into bankruptcy, and it was forced to put the Arenas up for sale. 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 it until 1927. This period saw the team's jersey colours change from blue to green, as well as a second Stanley Cup championship in 1922.
During this time, the St. Patricks also allowed other teams to play in the Arena whenever their home rinks lacked proper ice in the warmer months. At the time, the Arena was the only facility east of Manitoba According to the 2006 Census, the largest ethnic group in Manitoba is English Canadian , but there is a significant Franco-Manitoban minority (148,370) and a growing aboriginal population (192,865, including the Métis). Other important ethnic groups include Germans (216,755 - the second-largest group), Scots (209,170), and the Irish (155,915) with artificial ice.[2]
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 Philadelphia is the largest city in Pennsylvania and the sixth-most-populous city in the United States 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 The International League is a minor league baseball league which operates in the eastern United States. Like the Pacific Coast League and the Mexican League, it plays at the Triple-A level, which is one step below Major League Baseball. It was so-named because it had teams in both the United States and Canada (and for several years in the 1950s in championship a few months earlier and had been using that name for 30 years). The Maple Leafs say that the name was chosen in honour of the Maple Leaf Regiment from World War I World War I was a military conflict that lasted from 1914 to 1918 and involved most of the world's great powers, assembled in two opposing alliances: the Allies and the Central Powers. More than 70 million military personnel, including 60 million Europeans, were mobilized in one of the largest wars in history. More than 15 million people were. As the regiment is a proper noun, its plural is formed by adding a simple 's' creating Maple Leafs (not *Maple Leaves). Another story says that Smythe named the team after a team he had once scouted, called the East Toronto Maple Leafs, while Smythe's grandson states that Conn named the team after the Maple Leaf insignia he had worn during the First World War.[3] Initial reports were that the team's colours would be changed to red and white,[4] but the Leafs were wearing white sweaters with a green maple leaf for their first game on February 17, 1927.[5] The next season, the Leafs appeared for the first time in the blue and white sweaters they have worn ever since. The Maple Leafs say that blue represents the Canadian skies and white represents snow, but it also follows the tradition of blue being Toronto's principal sporting colour starting with the Toronto Argonauts The Toronto Argonauts are a Canadian Football League team based in Toronto, Ontario. Founded in 1873, they are one of the oldest extant professional sports teams in North America. The Argonauts have won the Grey Cup championship a record fifteen times, most recently in 2004. They play their home games at Rogers Centre in 1873 and the University of Toronto The University of Toronto is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, situated north of the city's Financial District on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by Royal Charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution of higher learning in the colony of Upper Canada. Originally controlled by the Church of Varsity Blues The Varsity Blues is the name for the intercollegiate sports program at the University of Toronto. Its 26 athletic teams regularly participate in competitions held by Ontario University Athletics and Canadian Interuniversity Sport. The Varsity Blues traces its founding to 1877, with the formation of the men's football team. Since 1908, Varsity in 1877 (and later the Toronto Blue Jays The Toronto Blue Jays are a professional baseball team located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Blue Jays are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball 's American League in 1977).
1930s: Opening of Maple Leaf Gardens and first Maple Leaf dynasty
Toronto Maple Leafs opening night program at MLG, November 12, 1931After four more lacklustre seasons (including three with Smythe as coach), Smythe and the Leafs debuted at their new arena, Maple Leaf Gardens, with a 2-1 loss to the Chicago Black Hawks The Chicago Blackhawks are a professional ice hockey team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League . They have won three Stanley Cup Championships and fourteen division titles since their founding in 1926. The Blackhawks are one of the Original Six NHL teams, along 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 during the first season in their stadium, vanquishing the Montreal Maroons in the first round, the Boston Bruins The Boston Bruins are a professional ice hockey team based in Boston, Massachusetts. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . The team has been in existence since 1924, entering the league as the first United States-based expansion franchise. They are also an Original Six team, along with in the semifinals, and the New York Rangers The New York Rangers are a professional ice hockey team based in New York, New York, United States. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . Playing their home games at Madison Square Garden, the Rangers are one of the oldest teams in the NHL, having joined in 1926 as an expansion in the Stanley Cup Finals. 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 Madison Square Garden, often abbreviated as MSG and known colloquially as The Garden, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in the New York City borough of Manhattan, located at 8th Avenue between 31st and 33rd Streets, situated on top of Pennsylvania Station. Opening on February 11, 1968, it is the longest active major sporting facility in the New York management before the season.
The Leafs' star forward, Ace Bailey, was nearly killed in 1933 when Boston Bruins The Boston Bruins are a professional ice hockey team based in Boston, Massachusetts. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . The team has been in existence since 1924, entering the league as the first United States-based expansion franchise. They are also an Original Six team, along with 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 as 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 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 in 1935, the Detroit Red Wings in 1936, the Chicago Black Hawks The Chicago Blackhawks are a professional ice hockey team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League . They have won three Stanley Cup Championships and fourteen division titles since their founding in 1926. The Blackhawks are one of the Original Six NHL teams, along in 1938, Boston in 1939, and the hated Rangers in 1940. At this time, Smythe allowed Irvin to go to Montreal to help revive the then-moribund Canadiens, replacing him as coach with former Leafs captain Hap Day.
1940s: A second decade of success
Logo (1938/39–1966/67)In the 1942 season, the Maple Leafs were down three games to none in a best-of-seven final in the playoffs against Detroit. However, fourth-line forward Don Metz would galvanize the team, coming from nowhere to score a hat trick In sport, a hat-trick means to achieve a positive feat in the sport three times during a game, or other achievements based on threes. For instance in association football or ice hockey a player might score three goals, whilst in cricket a bowler might take three wickets in three deliveries 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 Rookie is a term for a person who is in his or her first year of play of their sport or has little or no professional experience. The term also has the more general meaning of anyone new to a profession, training or activity , or occasionally to a freshman (especially in athletic teams) goalie Frank McCool and defenceman Babe Pratt. They would upset the Red Wings in the 1945 finals.
The powerful defending champion Montreal Canadiens The Montreal Canadiens are a professional ice hockey team based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League (NHL). The club is officially known as le Club de hockey Canadien and their "Punch Line" (Maurice "Rocket" Richard Joseph Henri Maurice "Rocket" Richard, Sr., PC, OC, OQ was a Canadian professional ice hockey player who played for the Montreal Canadiens of the National Hockey League (NHL) from 1942 to 1960. The "Rocket" was the most prolific goal-scorer of his era, the first to achieve the feat of 50 goals in 50 games. He lived most of his, 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.
1950s: The Barilko Curse
Princess Elizabeth, Duchess of Edinburgh Elizabeth II is the reigning queen of 16 independent sovereign states known as the Commonwealth realms: the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Jamaica, Barbados, the Bahamas, Grenada, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Belize, Antigua and Barbuda, and Saint Kitts and Nevis. In, is greeted by Ted Kennedy at Maple Leaf Gardens, with Conn Smythe behind, 1951.The Maple Leafs and Montreal Canadiens 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 Timmins is a city in northeastern Ontario, Canada on the Mattagami River. At the time of the Canada 2006 Census, Timmins' population was 42,455. At 2,961.52 square kilometres , Timmins was Canada's largest municipality in land area until 1995, when the regional municipality of Wood Buffalo, Alberta was created, although it remained the largest, Ontario Ontario is bordered by Manitoba on its west, Hudson Bay on its north, and Quebec on its east, and by five States of the United States to its south : Minnesota, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania (Lake Erie) and New York. All but a small portion of Ontario's 2,700 km (1,677 mi) border with the United States follow inland waterways: from the west at Lake, barely four months after that moment. The Leafs would not win the Cup again that decade.
1960s: New owners and a new dynasty
Before the 1961–62 season, Smythe sold nearly all of his shares in Maple Leaf Gardens to a partnership composed 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 Smythe's original investment 34 years earlier. Conn Smythe later claimed that he knew nothing about his son's partners, but it is very unlikely that he could have believed Stafford could have raised the money on his own.
Under the new ownership trio, Toronto won another three straight Stanley Cups The Stanley Cup is an ice hockey club trophy, awarded annually to the National Hockey League (NHL) playoffs champion. It has been referred to as The Cup, Lord Stanley's Cup, The Holy Grail, or facetiously (chiefly by sportswriters) as Lord Stanley's Mug. The Stanley Cup is surrounded by numerous legends and traditions, the oldest of which is the from 1962 to 1964. The team featured Hall of Famers Frank Mahovlich, Red Kelly, Johnny Bower, Dave Keon, Andy Bathgate, and Tim Horton, and was helmed by coach and general manager Punch Imlach.
In 1967, the Leafs and Canadiens met in the Cup finals for the last time to date, where Montreal was considered to be a heavy favourite. But Bob Pulford scored the double-overtime winner in Game 3, Jim Pappin got the series winner in Game 6, 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 deal, and in 1969, following a first-round playoff loss to the Bruins, Smythe fired Imlach. Horton declared, "If this team doesn't want Imlach, I guess it doesn't want me."[citation needed] He was traded to the New York Rangers the next year.
1970s and 1980s: The Ballard years
Following Stafford Smythe's death, Harold Ballard bought his shares to take majority control of the team. Ballard's controversial term as the Leafs' owner was marked by several disputes with prominent players, including Keon, Lanny McDonald, and Darryl Sittler, poor win/loss records, and not a single Stanley Cup championship.
During the 1970s, with the overall talent level in the league diluted by the addition of 12 new franchises and the birth of the rival World Hockey Association (WHA), the Leafs were able to ice competitive teams for several seasons. But despite the presence of stars such as Sittler, McDonald, Dave "Tiger" Williams, Ian Turnbull, and Borje Salming, 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 arch-rival Montreal in the semi-finals. One of the few highlights from this era occurred on February 7, 1976, when Sittler scored six goals and four assists against the Bruins to establish a NHL single-game points record that still stands more than 30 years later.
The serious decline started in July 1979, when Ballard brought back Imlach, a long-time friend, as general manager. Imlach traded McDonald to undermine his friend Sittler's influence on the team.[6] Sittler himself was gone two years later, when the Leafs traded him to the Philadelphia Flyers. He was the franchise's all-time leading scorer until Mats Sundin passed Sittler's total in 2007.
The McDonald trade sent the Leafs into a downward spiral. They finished five games under .500 and barely made the playoffs. For the next 12 years, the Leafs (who had shifted to the Norris Division for the 1981–82 season) were barely competitive, not posting another winning record until 1992–93. They missed the playoffs six times and finished above fourth in their division only once (in 1990, the only season where they even posted a .500 record). They made it beyond the first round of the playoffs twice (in 1986 and 1987, 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 records during the 1980s, however, 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.
Early 1990s: Resurgence
Ballard died in 1990, and Steve Stavro, Don Crump and Don Giffen were executors of his will. Calgary Flames GM Cliff Fletcher, who had crafted the Flames' 1989 Stanley Cup championship team, was hired to run the team against the objections of Stavro who told Fletcher directly that he wanted to install his own man.[7]
Fletcher immediately set about building a club that would be competitive once again, making a series of trades and free agent acquisitions which turned the Leafs from an also-ran to a contender almost overnight, starting in 1992–93. Outstanding play from forwards Doug Gilmour (an acquaintance of Fletcher's from Calgary) and Dave Andreychuk (acquired from the Buffalo Sabres in exchange for Grant Fuhr), as well as stellar goaltending from minor league call-up Felix Potvin, led the team to a then-franchise-record 99 points, third place in the Norris Division, and the eighth-best overall record in the league. Toronto dispatched the Detroit Red Wings in seven games in the first round, then defeated the St. Louis Blues in another seven games in the Division Finals.
Hoping to meet long-time rival Montreal (who was playing in the Wales Conference Finals against the New York Islanders) in the Cup Finals, the Leafs faced the Los Angeles Kings in the Campbell Conference Finals. The Leafs led the series 3-2, but dropped Game 6 in Los Angeles. The game was not without controversy, as Wayne Gretzky clipped Gilmour in the face with his stick, but referee Kerry Fraser did not call a penalty and Gretzky scored the winning goal moments later.[8] Gretzky's hat trick in Game 7 finished the Leafs' run, and it was the Kings that moved on to the Cup Finals against the Canadiens.
The Leafs had another strong season in 1993–94, finishing with 98 points, good enough for fifth overall in the league – their highest finish in 16 years. However, despite finishing one point above Calgary, Toronto was seeded third in the Western Conference (formerly the Campbell Conference) by virtue of the Flames' Pacific Division title. The Leafs eliminated the division rival Chicago Blackhawks in six games and the surprising San Jose Sharks in seven before falling to the Vancouver Canucks in five games in the Western Conference Finals. At that year's draft, the Leafs would package Clark in a trade with the Quebec Nordiques that netted them Mats Sundin.
A new home and a new millennium
In 1996, Stavro took on Larry Tanenbaum, the co-founder of Toronto's new National Basketball Association (NBA) team, the Toronto Raptors, as a partner. Maple Leaf Gardens Ltd. was accordingly renamed Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment (MLSE), to be the parent company of the Leafs and the Raptors. MLSE has expanded since then, adding the Toronto Marlies of the AHL and the Toronto FC of the MLS to its stable of franchises.
After two years out of the playoffs in the late 1990s, the Leafs acquired goaltender Curtis Joseph as a free agent from the Edmonton Oilers and signed Pat Quinn, who had been fired by Vancouver in 1997, to serve as head coach. This resulted in the Leafs making another charge during the 1999 playoffs after moving from Maple Leaf Gardens to the new Air Canada Centre, shared with the new Toronto Raptors. The team 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.
Toronto reached the second round of the playoffs in both 2000 and 2001, only to lose both times to the New Jersey Devils, who made the Stanley Cup Finals both seasons and won in 2000. 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 game six of the second round against the Devils.
In 2002, the Leafs dispatched the Islanders and their 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 and Alyn McCauley.
Joseph left to go to the defending champion Red Wings in the 2002 off-season; the team 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 the team lost to Philadelphia in seven games in the first round. 2003 also witnessed a change in the ownership ranks, as Stavro sold his controlling interest in MLSE to the Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan and resigned his position as Chairman of the Board in favour of Tanenbaum. Stavro died in 2006.
The 2003–04 season started in an uncommon way for the team, as they held their training camp in Sweden and played in the NHL Challenge against teams from Sweden and Finland. That year, the Leafs had a very successful regular season, posting a franchise-record 103 points. They finished with the fourth-best record in the league (their best overall finish in 41 years) and also managed a .628 win percentage, their best in 43 years and the third-best in franchise history. Toronto 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.
Post-lockout era
Following the 2004–05 NHL lockout, the Leafs have experienced some rough times, missing the playoffs in five consecutive seasons following a pre-lockout run of six straight playoff appearances. They struggled in 2005–06, and despite a late-season surge (9-1-2 in their final 12), led by third-string goaltender Jean-Sebastien Aubin, the Leafs were eliminated from playoff contention for the first time since 1998. This marked the first time that the team missed the playoffs under coach Pat Quinn, and he was fired shortly after the season. Paul Maurice, an experienced NHL coach who had just coached the Leafs' American Hockey League affiliate, the Toronto Marlies, in their inaugural season, was announced as Pat Quinn's replacement. 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. However, despite the coaching change and addition of new players such as Pavel Kubina and Michael Peca, the Leafs again did not make the playoffs in 2006–07, 2007–08 or 2008–09. As of March 31, 2010, the Leafs occupy last place in the Eastern Conference and have officially been eliminated from playoff contention for the fifth consecutive season following the lock-out.[9]
The alternate logoOn January 22, 2008, general manager John Ferguson, Jr. was fired and was replaced by Cliff Fletcher[10] on an interim basis. On May 7, the Leafs fired head coach Paul Maurice and assistant coach Randy Ladouceur, and replaced them with former San Jose Sharks coach, Ron Wilson, and assistants Tim Hunter and Rob Zettler.[11]
On November 29, 2008, the Maple Leafs hired Brian Burke as their 13th non-interim General Manager (first American) in team history. The acquisition of Burke had ended the second Cliff Fletcher era and settled rumours that Brian was coming to Toronto within the next year.[12] On June 14, 2010, the Leafs named Dion Phaneuf as captain after the two seasons with no captain following Sundin's departure.[13]
Rivalries
See also: National Hockey League rivalries Hockey Knights in Canada mural on the southbound side of Toronto's College StationAs one of the oldest teams in the league, the Leafs have developed numerous rivalries. The deepest of these is with the Montreal Canadiens, which is acknowledged as one of the richest rivalries in ice hockey.[14] The Canadiens have won 24 Stanley Cups, while the Leafs have won 13, putting them at first and second place in NHL history, respectively. The Canadiens' fan point of view is perhaps most famously captured in the popular Canadian short story "The Hockey Sweater", by Roch Carrier, originally published in French as "Une abominable feuille d'érable sur la glace" ("An abominable maple leaf on the ice") referring to the Maple Leafs sweater his mother forces him to wear. This rivalry is also evident in Toronto's College subway station, in which the northbound side of the station has the Canadiens and the southbound side has the Leafs.
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, including a four-game sweep. However, the rivalry has somewhat diminished since the lockout, owing largely to the Leafs' failure to make the postseason since that time.
One of 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. Buffalo is the NHL team that is closest to Toronto, only a short drive along the Queen Elizabeth Way highway.
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 380 kilometres (240 mi) 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. However, since the Maple Leafs moved to the Eastern Conference in 1998, the two teams have faced each other less often each season.
Fan base
Maple Leafs fans are known by the collective nickname "Leafs Nation", which the club uses on its website. Maple Leafs home games have long been one of the toughest tickets to acquire in Canada, even during lean periods.[15] The Leafs, along with the Minnesota Wild, currently have the longest sellout streaks in the NHL. As of 2008, there is a waiting list of about 2,500 names for season tickets. Earlier, they sold out every game at Maple Leaf Gardens from 1946 until the building closed in 1999.[16] The Leafs have also sold out every game at the Air Canada Centre since October 2002.[17] With an average of US$1.9 million per game, the Leafs had the highest average ticket revenue per game in the 2007–08 season; the previous season they earned about $1.5 million per game.[18]
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".[19] Leafs fans are also known for being loyal despite being treated poorly—in a 2008 survey by ESPN The Magazine on rewarding fans, the Leafs were ranked 121st out of the 122 professional teams in the Big Four leagues. Teams were graded by stadium experience, ownership, player quality, ticket affordability, championships won and "bang for the buck"; in particular, the Leafs came last in ticket affordability.[20]
In the United States, several cities in the Sun Belt have sizable numbers of Leaf fans, since many Snowbirds tend to flock to locales such as Atlanta,[21] Phoenix, Tampa Bay, and Miami during the winter, resulting in a boost in turnout and ticket sales when these franchises play the Maple Leafs.[citation needed]
Season-by-season record
Main article: List of Toronto Maple Leafs seasonsNote: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, OTL = Overtime losses, Pts = Points, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against, PIM = Penalties in minutes
| Season | GP | W | L | OTL | Pts | GF | GA | PIM | Finish | Playoffs |
| 2005–06 | 82 | 41 | 33 | 8 | 90 | 257 | 270 | 1291 | 4th, Northeast | Did not qualify |
| 2006–07 | 82 | 40 | 31 | 11 | 91 | 258 | 269 | 1065 | 3rd, Northeast | Did not qualify |
| 2007–08 | 82 | 36 | 35 | 11 | 83 | 231 | 260 | 1087 | 5th, Northeast | Did not qualify |
| 2008–09 | 82 | 34 | 35 | 13 | 81 | 250 | 293 | 1113 | 5th, Northeast | Did not qualify |
| 2009–10 | 82 | 30 | 38 | 14 | 74 | 214 | 267 | 1091 | 5th, Northeast | Did not qualify |
Players
Current roster
Updated July 7, 2010.[22]
| # | Nat | Player | Pos | S/G | Age | Acquired | Birthplace |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| -- | Canada ! | Armstrong, ColbyColby Armstrong | 7.0 !RW | R | 27 | 2010 | Saskatoon, Saskatchewan |
| 22 | Canada ! | Beauchemin, FrancoisFrancois Beauchemin (A) | 2.0 !D | L | 30 | 2009 | Sorel-Tracy, Quebec |
| 42 | Canada ! | Bozak, TylerTyler Bozak | 4.0 !C | R | 24 | 2009 | Regina, Saskatchewan |
| -- | United States ! | Brown, MikeMike Brown | 7.0 !RW | R | 25 | 2010 | Northbrook, Illinois |
| 33 | Canada ! | Caputi, LucaLuca Caputi | 6.0 !LW | L | 21 | 2010 | Toronto, Ontario |
| 4 | United States ! | Finger, JeffJeff Finger | 2.0 !D | R | 30 | 2008 | Houghton, Michigan |
| 35 | Canada ! | Giguere, Jean-SebastienJean-Sebastien Giguere | 1.0 !G | L | 33 | 2010 | Montreal, Quebec |
| 84 | Belarus ! | Grabovski, MikhailMikhail Grabovski | 4.0 !C | L | 26 | 2008 | Potsdam, East Germany |
| 36 | Sweden ! | Gunnarsson, CarlCarl Gunnarsson | 2.0 !D | L | 23 | 2007 | Örebro, Sweden |
| 50 | Sweden ! | Gustavsson, JonasJonas Gustavsson | 1.0 !G | L | 25 | 2009 | Stockholm, Sweden |
| 20 | United States ! | Hanson, ChristianChristian Hanson (RFA) | 4.0 !C | R | 24 | 2009 | Glens Falls, New York |
| 44 | Canada ! | Irwin, BraydenBrayden Irwin | 4.0 !C | R | 23 | 2010 | Toronto, Ontario |
| 15 | Czech Republic ! | Kaberle, TomasTomas Kaberle (A) | 2.0 !D | L | 32 | 1996 | Rakovník, Czechoslovakia |
| 43 | Canada ! | Kadri, NazemNazem Kadri | 4.0 !C | L | 19 | 2009 | London, Ontario |
| 81 | United States ! | Kessel, PhilPhil Kessel | 7.0 !RW | R | 22 | 2009 | Madison, Wisconsin |
| 8 | United States ! | Komisarek, MikeMike Komisarek (A) | 2.0 !D | R | 28 | 2009 | West Islip, New York |
| 41 | Russia ! | Kulemin, NikolaiNikolai Kulemin | 6.0 !LW | L | 24 | 2006 | Magnitogorsk, Soviet Union |
| -- | United States ! | Lebda, BrettBrett Lebda | 2.0 !D | L | 28 | 2010 | Buffalo Grove, Illinois |
| 39 | Canada ! | Mitchell, JohnJohn Mitchell | 4.0 !C | L | 25 | 2003 | Oakville, Ontario |
| 28 | Canada ! | Orr, ColtonColton Orr | 7.0 !RW | R | 28 | 2009 | Winnipeg, Manitoba |
| 3 | Canada ! | Phaneuf, DionDion Phaneuf (C) | 2.0 !D | L | 25 | 2010 | Edmonton, Alberta |
| 38 | Canada ! | Rosehill, JayJay Rosehill | 6.0 !LW | L | 25 | 2008 | Olds, Alberta |
| 2 | Canada ! | Schenn, LukeLuke Schenn | 2.0 !D | R | 20 | 2008 | Saskatoon, Saskatchewan |
| 11 | Sweden ! | Sjostrom, FredrikFredrik Sjostrom | 6.0 !LW | L | 27 | 2010 | Färgelanda, Sweden |
| -- | Canada ! | Versteeg, KrisKris Versteeg | 7.0 !RW | R | 24 | 2010 | Lethbridge, Alberta |
Honoured members
Main article: List of Toronto Maple Leafs award winnersThe 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
- Glenn Anderson, RW/LW, 1991–94, inducted 2008
- Syl Apps, C, 1936–48, inducted 1961
- George Armstrong, C, 1950–71, inducted 1975
- Ace Bailey, LW, 1926–33, inducted 1978
- Andy Bathgate, C, 1963–65, inducted 1978
- Max Bentley, C, 1947–53, inducted 1966
- Leo Boivin, D, 1951–55, inducted 1986
- 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, inducted 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, inducted 2007
- Grant Fuhr, G, 1991–93, inducted 2003
- Mike Gartner, RW, 1994–96, inducted 2001
- Eddie Gerard, D, 1921–22, inducted 1945
- George Hainsworth, G, 1933–37, inducted 1961
- Hap Holmes, G, 1917–19, inducted 1972
- Red Horner, D, 1928–40, inducted 1965
- Tim Horton, D, 1952–70, inducted 1977
- Syd Howe, LW, 1931–32, inducted 1965
- 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
- Brian Leetch, D, 2004, inducted 2009
- 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
- Cliff Fletcher, president/general manager/executive, 1991–97 and 2008–2009, inducted 2004
- Jim Gregory, general manager, 1969–79, inducted 2007
- Foster Hewitt, announcer, 1927–63, inducted 1965
- Punch Imlach, coach/general manager, 1958–69 and 1979–80, inducted 1984
- Dick Irvin, coach, 1931–40, inducted 1958
- Frank Mathers, player/executive, 1948–52, inducted 1992
- Howie Meeker, player/coach/general manager/broadcaster, 1946–57, inducted 1998
- Roger Neilson, coach, 1977–79, inducted 2002
- Bud Poile, player/executive, 1942–48, inducted 1990
- Frank J. Selke, executive, 1929–46, inducted 1960
- Conn Smythe, owner/executive/director, 1927–66, inducted 1958
- Carl Voss, player/executive, 1926–29, inducted 1974
Team captains
- Bert Corbeau, 1927[23]
- 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, 1997–2008
- No captain, 2008–10
- Dion Phaneuf, 2010–present
Franchise scoring leaders
Further information: List of Toronto Maple Leafs recordsThese are the top-ten point-scorers in franchise history, as of the end of the 2009–10 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 |
| Mats Sundin | C | 981 | 420 | 567 | 987 | 1.01 |
| Darryl Sittler | C | 844 | 389 | 527 | 916 | 1.09 |
| Dave Keon | C | 1062 | 365 | 493 | 858 | .81 |
| Borje 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 | 1.01 |
Source: Toronto Maple Leafs Media Guide 2008–09.[24]
Facilities
Besides the Air Canada Centre, the Leafs have a practice facility at the MasterCard Centre for Hockey Excellence. Opened in 2009, it was built on the site of the former Lakeshore Lions Arena (c. 1951). The practice facility has two rinks and is operated by the local Lions Club.
See also
| Toronto portal |
| Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Toronto Maple Leafs |
- 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
- Victoria Maple Leafs farm team 1964-1966
- Toronto Marlies farm team (2005–present)
- Columbia Inferno minor league farm team 2006–present
- List of Toronto Maple Leafs players
References and notes
- Holzman, Morey (2002). Deceptions and Doublecross. Dundurn Press.
- Lashway, John, ed (2008). Toronto Maple Leafs Media Guide 2008–09. Toronto Maple Leafs.
- ^ "NHL Team Valuations". Forbes. 2009-11-11. http://www.forbes.com/lists/2009/31/hockey-values-09_Toronto-Maple-Leafs_312012.html. Retrieved 2008-11-11.
- ^ a b Hunter, Douglas (1997). Champions: The Illustrated History of Hockey's Greatest Dynasties. Chicago: Triumph Books. ISBN 1572432166.
- ^ Thomas Stafford Smythe and Kevin Shea, Centre Ice: The Smythe Family, the Gardens and the Toronto Maple Leafs Hockey Club, Fenn Publishing, 2000, p. 36.
- ^ "Good-bye St. Pats, howdy Maple Leafs", The Globe, February 15, 1927, p. 6.
- ^ "Toronto crumbles New York chances", The Globe, February 18, 1927, p. 8.
- ^ Kernaghan, Jim (December 29, 1979). "Lanny McDonald trade has Sittler in tears". Toronto Star: p. 1.
- ^ Cox, Damien; Stellick, Gord (2004). '67, The Maple Leafs: Their Sensational Victory and the End of an Empire. Wiley. p. 12. ISBN 0-470-83400-5.
- ^ Zeisberger, Mike (2007-04-07). ""Better than a Game 7: Hockey icons' true colours show through". SLAM! Sports. http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Columnists/Zeisberger/2007/04/07/3944053-sun.html. Retrieved 2008-06-28.
- ^ "2009-2010 NHL Regular Season Conference Standings". ESPN.com. http://espn.go.com/nhl/standings. Retrieved 2010-03-31.
- ^ "TSN : NHL - Canada's Sports Leader". http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/news_story/?ID=227906&hubname=. Retrieved 2008-01-22.
- ^ "Maple Leafs fire head coach Paul Maurice". TSN.ca. May 7, 2008. http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=237026&lid=headline&lpos=topStory_nhl. Retrieved 2008-05-07.
- ^ "Leafs introduce Burke as new president and general manager". TSN.ca. November 29, 2008. http://tsn.ca/nhl/teams/story/?id=257760&hubname=nhl-maple_leafs. Retrieved 2009-01-21.
- ^ "Maple Leafs introduce Phaneuf as team's captain". CTV.com. June 14,2010. http://ottawa.ctv.ca/servlet/an/local/CTVNews/20100614/toronto-leafs-phaneuf-captain-100614/20100614/?hub=OttawaHome. Retrieved June 14, 2010.
- ^ "The Rivalry". TSN. http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/feature/?fid=10912&hubname=. Retrieved 2008-04-24.
- ^ Hornsby, Lance (2006-10-18). "Avs, Leafs battle over sellout record". Toronto Sun. http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Hockey/NHL/Colorado/2006/10/18/2059541-sun.html. Retrieved 2008-05-01.
- ^ Maple Leaf Gardens page at Ballparks.com
- ^ ACC has a capacity of 18,800 and the game on October 31, 2002 drew 18,727 fans. [1]
- ^ Westhead, Rick (2008-05-30). "Canadian NHL teams mean money". Toronto Star. http://www.thestar.com/Sports/Hockey/article/433906. Retrieved 2008-05-30.
- ^ "Sabres still searching for new owner". CBC Sports. 2002-11-17. http://www.cbc.ca/sports/story/2002/11/17/thisweekinhockey021117.html. Retrieved 2008-05-01.
- ^ O'Connor, Joe (2008-05-01). "Leafs Are 121St (Of 122) In Rewarding Fans". National post. http://www.nationalpost.com/sports/story.html?id=483856. Retrieved 2008-05-01.
- ^ http://www.atlcanadians.com/events/4th-annual-atlcanadianscom Thrashers party for Canadians
- ^ "Toronto Maple Leafs - Team - Roster". Toronto Maple Leafs. http://mapleleafs.nhl.com/club/roster.htm?type=roster. Retrieved 2010-07-07.
- ^ Lashway, p. 159
- ^ Lashway, p. 184
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Categories: Sports clubs established in 1917 | Toronto Maple Leafs | Northeast Division (NHL)
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