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Toronto Maple Leafs
File:TorontoMapleLeafsLogo.png
Conference	Eastern
Division	Northeast
Founded	1917
History	Toronto 1917–18 Toronto Arenas 1918–19 Toronto St. Patricks 1919–February 14, 1927 Toronto Maple Leafs February 14, 1927–present
Home arena	Air Canada Centre
City	Toronto, Ontario
Team colours	Royal Blue and White
Media	Leafs TV Rogers Sportsnet Ontario CFMJ (640 AM) FAN (590 AM)
Owner(s)	Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment Ltd.
General manager	John Ferguson Jr.
Head coach	Paul Maurice
Captain	Mats Sundin
Minor league affiliates	Toronto Marlies (AHL) Columbia Inferno (ECHL)
Stanley Cups	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 championships	none
Division championships	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 are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League (NHL). The organization, one of the "Original Six" members of the NHL, is officially known as the Toronto Maple Leaf Hockey Club, owned by Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment Ltd. (MLSE). They play at the Air Canada Centre (ACC). The 'Leafs' are well known for their long and bitter rivalry with the Montreal Canadiens, and more recent rivalry with the Ottawa Senators. The franchise has won thirteen Stanley Cups, eleven as the Leafs, one as the Toronto St. Patricks, and one as the Toronto Arenas.

Franchise History

see: History of the Toronto Maple Leafs

Early years (1917-27)

The National Hockey League was formed in 1917 in Montreal from teams formerly belonging to the National Hockey Association, because of a dispute with Eddie Livingstone, owner of the Toronto Blueshirts. However, rather than expel him, they created a new league without him.

As Quebec would not play, the other clubs wanted a team in Toronto. The NHL granted a "temporary" franchise for Toronto to the owners of Arena Gardens, using the Blueshirts' players for the season until the dispute was resolved. Under manager Charlie Querrie and Coach Dick Carroll, the Toronto team won the Stanley Cup in the NHL's inaugural season. For the next season, the Toronto Arena Hockey Club was formed. Mounting legal bills from the dispute forced the Arenas to sell most of their stars, resulting in a horrendous five-win season in 1918-19. The Arenas' .278 winning percentage that season is still the worst in franchise history.

The franchise was put up for sale and Querrie put together a group that mainly consisted of the people who had run the senior amateur St. Patricks team in the Ontario Hockey Association. The new owners renamed the team the Toronto St. Patricks (or St. Pats for short) and would operate until 1927. The St. Pats would win the Cup in 1922. The jersey colour was changed from blue to green.

The Conn Smythe era

Querrie lost a lawsuit to Livingstone and decided to put the St. Pats up for sale. He gave serious consideration to a $200,000 bid from a Philadelphia group. However, Toronto Varsity Graduates coach Conn Smythe put together an ownership group of his own and made a $160,000 offer for the franchise. With the support of St. Pats shareholder J. P. Bickell, Smythe persuaded Querrie to reject the Philadelphia bid, arguing that civic pride was more important than money.

After taking control on Valentine's Day 1927 Smythe immediately renamed the team the Maple Leafs. (The Toronto Maple Leafs baseball team had won the International League championship a few months earlier and had been using that name for 30 years.) Initial reports were that the team's colours would be changed to red and white, but the Leafs were wearing white sweaters with a green maple leaf for their first game on February 17, 1927 The next season, the Leafs appeared for the first time in the blue and white sweaters they have worn ever since.

1930s: Opening of Maple Leaf Gardens and first Maple Leaf dynasty

After four more lacklustre seasons (including three with Smythe as coach), Smythe and the Leafs debuted their new arena, Maple Leaf Gardens, with a 2-1 loss to the Chicago Blackhawks on November 12, 1931.

Led by the "Kid Line" (Busher Jackson, Joe Primeau and Charlie Conacher) and coach Dick Irvin, the Leafs would capture their third Stanley Cup victory during the first season in their new digs, vanquishing the Montreal Maroons in the first round, the Boston Bruins in the semis and, in the Stanley Cup Finals the hated New York Rangers. Mr. Smythe took particular pleasure in defeating the Rangers that year; he had been tapped as the Rangers' first general manager and coach in the Rangers' inaugural season (1926-27), but had been fired in a dispute with Madison Square Garden management before the season.

The Leafs' star forward, Ace Bailey, was nearly killed in 1933 when Boston Bruins defenseman Eddie Shore checked him from behind into the boards at full speed. Maple Leafs defenseman Red Horner was able to knock Shore out with a punch, but it was too late for Bailey, who was by now writhing on the ice, had his career ended. The Leafs would hold the NHL's first All-Star game to benefit Mr. Bailey.

The Leafs would reach the finals five more times in the next seven years, but would not win, bowing out to the now-defunct Maroons, the Detroit Red Wings in 1936, the Chicago Black Hawks in 1938, Boston in 1939, and the hated Rangers in 1940.

1940s: A Second Decade of Success

Toronto looked sure to suffer a similar fate in 1942, down three games to none in a best-of-seven final in 1942 against Detroit. However, fourth-line forward Don Metz would galvanize the team, coming from nowhere to score a hat trick in game four and the game-winning goal in game five, with the Leafs winning both times. Captain Syl Apps had won the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy that season, not taking one penalty and finishing his ten-season career with an average of 5 minutes, 36 seconds in penalties a season. Goalie Turk Broda would shut out the Wings in game six, and Sweeney Schriner would score two goals in the third period to win the seventh game 3-1.

Apps told writer Trent Frayne in 1949, "If you want me to be pinned down to my biggest 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 defenseman Babe Pratt. They would upset the Red Wings in the 1945 finals.

The powerful defending champion Montreal Canadiens and their "Punch Line" (Maurice "Rocket" Richard, Toe Blake and Elmer Lach), would be the Leafs' nemesis two years later when the two teams clashed in the 1947 finals. Ted "Teeder" Kennedy would score the game-winning goal late in game six to win the Leafs their first of three straight Cups — the first time any NHL team had accomplished that feat. With their Cup victory in 1948, the Leafs moved ahead of Montreal for the most Stanley Cups in league history. It would take the Canadiens 10 years to reclaim the record.

The 1950s: The Barilko Curse

The Leafs and Habs would meet once again in the finals in 1951, with all five games going to overtime. Tod Sloan scored with 42 seconds left in the third period of game five to send it to an extra period, and defenceman Bill Barilko, who had scored only six goals in the regular season, scored the game-winner to win Toronto their fourth Cup in five years. Barilko's glory, however, was short-lived: he disappeared in a plane crash near Timmins, Ontario barely four months after that historic moment. The Leafs would not win the Cup again that decade.

New owners, new dynasty in the 1960s

Before the 1961-62 season, Smythe sold nearly all of his shares in Maple Leaf Gardens to a partnership of his son Stafford Smythe, newspaper baron John Bassett and Toronto Marlboros president Harold Ballard. The sale price was $2.3 million--a handsome return on Conn Smythe's original investment 34 years earlier.

And then, Toronto was able to reel off another three straight Stanley Cup victories from 1962 to 1964, with the help of Hall of Famers Frank Mahovlich, Red Kelly, Johnny Bower, Dave Keon, Andy Bathgate and Tim Horton, and under the leadership of coach and general manager Punch Imlach.

In 1967, the Leafs and Canadiens met in the Cup finals for the last time. Montreal was considered to be a heavy favourite as analysts said that the Leafs were just a bunch of has-beens. But Bob Pulford scored the double-overtime winner in game three, Jim Pappin got the series winner in game six, and Keon won the Conn Smythe Trophy as most valuable player of the playoffs as the Maple Leafs won the Stanley Cup in six games. The Leafs have not won the Stanley Cup since.

In 1968, Mahovlich was traded to Detroit in a blockbuster trade. Then in 1969, following a first-round playoff loss to Boston, Smythe fired Imlach. Horton declared, "If this team doesn't want Imlach, I guess it doesn't want me." He was traded to the New York Rangers the next year.

1970s and 80s: The Ballard years

Following Stafford Smythe's death, Harold Ballard bought his shares to take control of the team. Ballard's term as owner was marked by several disputes with prominent players, including Dave Keon, Lanny McDonald, and Darryl Sittler, poor win/loss records, and not a single Stanley Cup.

During the 1970s, with the overall level of talent in the league diluted by the addition of 12 new franchises and the birth of the rival World Hockey Association (WHA), the Leafs, led by a group of stars such as Sittler, McDonald, enforcer Dave "Tiger" Williams, Ian Turnbull, and Borje Salming (the first European to make a name for himself in the NHL) were able to ice competitive teams for several seasons. But they only once made it past the second round of the playoffs, besting the New York Islanders, a soon-to-be dynasty, in the 1978 quarter-finals, only to be swept by 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 record that still stands more than 30 years later.

The serious decline started in July 1979, when Ballard brought back Imlach, a longtime friend, as general manager. Imlach traded McDonald to undermine his friend Sittler's influence on the team. Sittler himself was gone two years later, when the Leafs traded him to the Philadelphia Flyers. He left as the franchise's all-time leading scorer.

In 1979-80, they finished five games under .500 and only made the playoffs due to the presence of the Quebec Nordiques, a refugee from the WHA, in the Adams Division. For the next 12 years, the Leafs were barely competitive, not posting another winning record until 1992-93. They missed the playoffs six times and only finished above fourth in their division once (in 1990, the only season where they even posted a .500 record). They only made it beyond the first round of the playoffs once (in 1986, advancing to the division finals). The low point came in 1984-85, when they finished 32 games under .500, the second-worst record in franchise history (their .300 winning percentage was only 22 percentage points higher than the 1918-19 Arenas).

The Leafs' poor record did result in several high draft picks. Wendel Clark, the first overall pick in the 1985 draft, was the lone success from the entry drafts of this period and went on to captain the team.

Resurgence in the 1990s

Ballard died in 1990, and a year later his longtime friend, supermarket tycoon Steve Stavro, bought a majority stake in the Leafs from his estate. Unlike Ballard, Stavro hated the limelight, rarely interfered in the Leafs' hockey operations, and hired experienced hockey professionals, starting with ex-Calgary Flames GM Cliff Fletcher after the 1991-92 season, to build a club that would once again be competitive.

Fletcher made a series of trades and free agent acquisitions which turned the Leafs from an also-ran to a contender, starting in 1992-93. Outstanding play from Doug Gilmour, Dave Andreychuk and Felix Potvin would lead the team to a franchise-record 99 points, third in the Norris Division and the eighth-best overall. The Leafs dispatched the Detroit Red Wings in the first round, then defeated the St. Louis Blues in the Division finals.

Hoping to meet long-time rival Montreal in the Cup Finals, the Leafs faced the Los Angeles Kings, led by the great Wayne Gretzky, in the Campbell Conference Finals. The Leafs led the series 3-2, but dropped Game 6 in Los Angeles. 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 and their highest finish in 16 years. However, despite finishing one point above Calgary, the Leafs were seeded third in the Western Conference (formerly the Campbell Conference) by virtue of the Flames' Pacific Division title. The Leafs would defeat the Chicago Blackhawks in six games and the San Jose Sharks in seven before losing to the Vancouver Canucks in five games in the Western Conference Finals.

A New Home

In 1996, Leafs owner 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), and it remains the parent company of both the Leafs and Raptors, as well as Toronto FC of Major League Soccer (MLS), to the present day.

After two years out of the playoffs in the late 1990s, the Leafs made another charge during the 1999 playoffs after moving from Maple Leaf Gardens to the new Air Canada Centre, shared with the new Toronto Raptors of the NBA. The Leafs eliminated the Philadelphia Flyers and Pittsburgh Penguins in the first two rounds of the playoffs, but lost in five games to the Buffalo Sabres in the Eastern Conference Finals.

The Maple Leafs would reach the second round in both 2000 and 2001, losing both times to the New Jersey Devils, who would make the Stanley Cup Finals both seasons. The 2000 season was particularly notable because it marked the Leafs' first division title in 37 years, as well as the franchise's first-ever 100-point season. The season ended on a particular low, however, with the Leafs being held to just 6 shots in the final contest (game six) against the Devils.

In 2002, 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.

Joseph left to go to the defending champion Red Wings in the 2002 off-season; the team almost immediately found a replacement in veteran Ed Belfour, who came over from the Dallas Stars and had been a crucial part of their 1999 Stanley Cup run. Belfour could not help their playoff woes in the 2003 playoffs, however, as 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 playing in the NHL Challenge against teams from Sweden and Finland. That year, the Leafs posted a franchise-record 103 points. They also finished with the fourth-best record in the league – their best overall finish in 41 years. They also managed a .628 win percentage, their best in 43 years (and the third-best in franchise history). They defeated the Senators in the first round of the playoffs for the fourth time in five years, but lost to the Flyers in the second round in six games.

2006 to present

The Leafs struggled in 2005-06, and despite a late-season surge, 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 as a result 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, even with the coaching change and new player additions such as Pavel Kubina and Michael Peca, the Leafs again did not make the playoffs in 2006-07.

Season-by-season record

This is a partial list of the last five seasons completed by the Maple Leafs. For the full season-by-season history, see Toronto Maple Leafs seasons

Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, OTL = Overtime losses, Pts = Points, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against, PIM = Penalties in minutes, TG = Playoff series decided on total goals

|-bgcolor="#eeeeee" | 2006-07 || 1 || 1 || || -- || || || || || || ||

Starting 2005-06 NHL season, games remaining tied after overtime are decided by shootout.

Players

Current roster

As of October 7, 2007.

Goaltenders
#		Player	Catches	Acquired	Place of Birth
1		Andrew Raycroft	L	2006	Belleville, Ontario
35		Vesa Toskala	L	2007	Tampere, Finland

Defencemen
#		Player	Shoots	Acquired	Place of Birth
7		Ian White	R	2002	Steinbach, Manitoba
8		Carlo Colaiacovo	L	2001	Toronto, Ontario
15		Tomas Kaberle – A	L	1996	Rakovnik, Czechoslovakia
24		Bryan McCabe – A	L	2001	St. Catharines, Ontario
25		Hal Gill	L	2006	Concord, Massachusetts
31		Pavel Kubina	R	2006	Celadna, Czechoslovakia
56		Andrew Wozniewski	L	2003	Buffalo Grove, Illinois

Forwards
#		Player	Position	Shoots	Acquired	Place of Birth
3		Wade Belak	RW	L	2001	Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
9		Mark Bell (Suspended)	LW	L	2007	St. Pauls Station, Ontario
10		Alexander Steen	C	L	2002	Winnipeg, Manitoba
13		Mats Sundin – C	C	R	1994	Bromma, Sweden
14		Matt Stajan	C	L	2002	Mississauga, Ontario
16		Darcy Tucker	RW	L	2000	Castor, Alberta
18		Chad Kilger	LW	L	2004	Cornwall, Ontario
21		John Pohl	C	R	2005	Rochester, Minnesota
22		Boyd Devereaux	C	L	2006	Seaforth, Ontario
23		Alexei Ponikarovsky	LW	L	1998	Kiev, U.S.S.R.
33		Bates Battaglia	LW	L	2005	Chicago, Illinois
42		Kyle Wellwood	C	R	2001	Old Castle, Ontario
54		Kris Newbury	C	L	2003	Brampton, Ontario
55		Jason Blake	LW	L	2007	Moorhead, Minnesota
80		Nik Antropov	C	L	1998	Ust-Kamenogorsk, U.S.S.R.

Hall of Fame

The following members of the Toronto Maple Leafs have been inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame. The list includes anyone who played for the Leafs who was later inducted as a player. The list of builders includes anyone inducted as a builder who spent any part of their career in a coaching, management, or ownership role with the Leafs.

Players

• Jack Adams, C, 1922-26, inducted 1959
• George Armstrong, C, 1950-71, inducted 1975
• Syl Apps, C, 1936-48, inducted 1961
• Ace Bailey, LW, 1926-33, inducted 1978
• Andy Bathgate, C, 1963-65, inducted 1978
• Max Bentley, C, 1947-53, inducted 1966
• Johnny Bower, G, 1958-70, inducted 1976
• Turk Broda, G, 1936-52, inducted 1967
• Harry Cameron, D, 1917-23, inducted 1962
• Gerry Cheevers, G, 1961-62, inducted 1985
• King Clancy, D, 1930-36, inducted 1958
• Sprague Cleghorn, D, 1920-21, 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, to be inducted 2007
• Grant Fuhr, G, 1991-93, inducted 2003
• Mike Gartner, RW, 1994-96, inducted 2001
• Red Horner, D, 1928-40, inducted 1965
• Tim Horton, D, 1952-70, inducted 1977
• Busher Jackson, LW, 1929-39, inducted 1971

• Red Kelly, D, 1960-67, inducted 1969
• Ted Kennedy, C, 1943-57, inducted 1966
• Dave Keon, C, 1960-75, inducted 1986
• Harry Lumley, G, 1952-56, inducted 1980
• Frank Mahovlich, LW, 1957-68, inducted 1981
• Lanny McDonald, RW, 1973-79, inducted 1992
• Dickie Moore, LW, 1964-65, inducted 1974
• Larry Murphy, D, 1995-97, inducted 2004
• Frank Nighbor, C, 1929-30, inducted 1947
• Reg Noble, LW, 1919-24, inducted 1962
• Bert Olmstead, RW, 1958-62, inducted 1985
• Bernie Parent, G, 1970-72, inducted 1984
• Pierre Pilote, D, 1968-69, inducted 1975
• Jacques Plante, G, 1970-73, inducted 1978
• Babe Pratt, D, 1942-46, inducted 1966
• Joe Primeau, C, 1927-36, inducted 1963
• Marcel Pronovost, D, 1965-70, inducted 1978
• Bob Pulford, LW, 1956-70, inducted 1991
• Borje Salming, D, 1973-89, inducted 1996
• Terry Sawchuk, G, 1964-67, inducted 1971
• Sweeney Schriner, LW, 1939-46, inducted 1962
• Darryl Sittler, C, 1970-82, inducted 1989
• Allan Stanley, D, 1958-68, inducted 1981
• Norm Ullman, C, 1968-75, inducted 1982
• Harry Watson, LW, 1946-55, inducted 1994

Builders

• Harold Ballard, owner/executive/director, 1957-89, inducted 1977
• J. P. Bickell, shareholder/director, 1919-51, inducted 1978
• Cliff Fletcher, president/general manager, 1991-97, inducted 2004
• Ken Dryden, president/vice-chairman, 1997-2004, inducted 1983
• Jim Gregory, general manager, 1969-79, will be inducted in 2007
• Punch Imlach, coach/general manager, 1958-69 and 1979-80, inducted 1984
• 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

• Hap Day 1927-37
• Charlie Conacher 1937-38
• Red Horner 1938-40
• Syl Apps 1940-43
• Bob Davidson 1943-45
• Syl Apps 1945-48
• Ted Kennedy 1948-55
• Sid Smith 1955-56
• Jimmy Thomson 1956-57
• Ted Kennedy 1957
• George Armstrong 1957-69

• Dave Keon 1969-75
• Darryl Sittler 1975-79
• no captain 1979-80
• Darryl Sittler 1980-82
• Rick Vaive 1982-86
• no captain 1986-89
• Rob Ramage 1989-91
• Wendel Clark 1991-94
• Doug Gilmour 1994-97
• Mats Sundin 1997- present

Retired numbers

• 5 Bill Barilko, D, 1947-51
• 6 Ace Bailey, LW, 1926-33
• 99 Wayne Gretzky (Number retired league-wide by NHL; banner raised at Air Canada Centre February 6, 2000 at NHL All Star Game)

The Leafs have a policy of retiring numbers only for players "who have made a significant contribution to the Toronto Maple Leaf Hockey Club and have experienced a career-ending incident while a member of the Maple Leaf team". Barilko (whose career ended with death in a plane crash) and Bailey (whose career ended with a severe head injury) met the criteria. These two numbers were not officially retired until October 17, 1992. Ron Ellis received permission from Bailey, by the time of his career the Leafs' Director of Scouting, to wear number 6.

Honoured numbers

In 1993, the Leafs began a policy of honouring their greatest players by declaring their number an "Honoured Number" rather than retirement. MLSE CEO Richard Peddie formed a committee in 2005 to study the issue and announced the decision to continue with the honoured number program late that year, citing a desire to allow current players to build upon the legacy of those numbers.

• 1 Turk Broda, G, 1937-52; honoured March 11, 1995.
• 1 Johnny Bower, G, 1959-70; honoured March 11, 1995.
• 4 Clarence "Hap" Day, D, 1924-37; Head Coach, 1940-50; Assistant General Manager, 1950-57; honoured October 4 2006.
• 4 Leonard "Red" Kelly, D, 1961-67; Head Coach, 1973-77; honoured October 4,2006.
• 7 King Clancy, D, 1931-37; Head Coach, 1953-56; honoured November 21, 1995.
• 7 Tim Horton, D, 1950-70; honoured November 21, 1995.
• 9 Charlie Conacher, RW, 1930-38; honoured February 28, 1998.
• 9 Ted Kennedy, C, 1943-57; honoured October 3, 1993.
• 10 Syl Apps, C, 1937-48; honoured October 3, 1993.
• 10 George Armstrong, 1950-71; Head Coach, 1988-89; honoured February 28, 1998.
• 21 Borje Salming, D, 1973-89; honoured October 4, 2006.
• 27 Frank Mahovlich, LW, 1957-68; honoured October 3, 2001.
• 27 Darryl Sittler, C, 1970-82; honoured February 8, 2003.

First round draft picks

• 1963: Walt McKechnie (6th overall)
• 1964: Tom Martin (5th overall)
• 1965: none
• 1966: John Wright (4th overall)
• 1967: none
• 1968: Brad Selwood (10th overall)
• 1969: Ernie Moser (9th overall)
• 1970: Darryl Sittler (8th overall)
• 1971: none
• 1972: George Ferguson (11th overall)
• 1973: Lanny McDonald (4th overall), Bob Neely (10th overall) Ian Turnbull (15th overall)
• 1974: Jack Valiquette (13th overall)
• 1975: Don Ashby (6th overall)
• 1976: none
• 1977: John Anderson (11th overall) Trevor Johansen (12th overall)
• 1978: none
• 1979: Laurie Boschman (9th overall)
• 1980: none
• 1981: Jim Benning (6th overall)
• 1982: Gary Nylund (3rd overall)
• 1983: Russ Courtnall (7th overall)
• 1984: Al Iafrate (4th overall)
• 1985: Wendel Clark (1st overall)

• 1986: Vincent Damphousse (6th overall)
• 1987: Luke Richardson (7th overall)
• 1988: Scott Pearson (6th overall)
• 1989: Scott Thornton (3rd overall), Rob Pearson (12th overall) Steve Bancroft (21st overall)
• 1990: Drake Berehowsky (10th overall)
• 1991: none
• 1992: Brandon Convery (8th overall) and Grant Marshall (23rd overall)
• 1993: Kenny Jonsson (12th overall) and Landon Wilson (19th overall)
• 1994: Eric Fichaud (16th overall)
• 1995: Jeff Ware (15th overall)
• 1996: none
• 1997: none
• 1998: Nik Antropov (10th overall)
• 1999: Luca Cereda (24th overall)
• 2000: Brad Boyes (24th overall)
• 2001: Carlo Colaiacovo (17th overall)
• 2002: Alexander Steen (24th overall)
• 2003: none
• 2004: none
• 2005: Tuukka Rask (21st overall)
• 2006: Jiri Tlusty (13th overall)
• 2007: none

Franchise scoring leaders

These are the top-ten point-scorers in franchise history, as of the end of the 2006–07 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

† Sundin has tied or exceeded Sittler's marks for goals, assists and total points during the 2007–08 season.

NHL awards and trophies

Stanley Cup

• 1917-18 (as Arenas), 1921-22 (as St. Pats), 1931-32, 1941-42, 1944-45, 1946-47, 1947-48, 1948-49, 1950-51, 1961-62, 1962-63, 1963-64, 1966-67

Prince of Wales Trophy

• 1947-48, 1962-63

Art Ross Trophy

• Babe Dye: 1922-23 (league scoring leader prior to inception of trophy)
• Babe Dye: 1924-25 (league scoring leader prior to inception of trophy)
• Ace Bailey: 1928-29 (league scoring leader prior to inception of trophy)
• Harvey Jackson: 1931-32 (league scoring leader prior to inception of trophy)
• Charlie Conacher: 1933-34 (league scoring leader prior to inception of trophy)
• Charlie Conacher: 1934-35 (league scoring leader prior to inception of trophy)
• Gordie Drillon: 1937-38 (league scoring leader prior to inception of trophy)

Calder Memorial Trophy

• Syl Apps: 1936-37 (trophy known as "Calder Trophy")
• Gaye Stewart: 1942-43 (trophy known as "Calder Trophy")
• August "Gus" Bodnar: 1943-44
• Frank McCool: 1944-45
• Howie Meeker: 1946-47
• Frank Mahovlich: 1957-58
• Dave Keon: 1960-61
• Kent Douglas: 1962-63
• Brit Selby: 1965-66

Conn Smythe Trophy

• Dave Keon: 1966-67

Frank J. Selke Trophy

• Doug Gilmour: 1992-93

Hart Memorial Trophy

• Babe Pratt: 1943-44
• Ted Kennedy: 1954-55

Jack Adams Award

• Pat Burns: 1992-93

King Clancy Memorial Trophy

• Curtis Joseph: 1999-00

Lady Byng Memorial Trophy

• Joe Primeau: 1931-32
• Gordie Drillon: 1937-38
• Syl Apps: 1941-42
• Sid Smith: 1951-52, 1954-55
• Red Kelly: 1960-61
• Dave Keon: 1961-62, 1962-63
• Alexander Mogilny: 2002-03

Vezina Trophy

• Turk Broda: 1940-41, 1947-48
• Al Rollins: 1950-51
• Harry Lumley: 1953-54
• Johnny Bower: 1960-61
• Terry Sawchuk & Johnny Bower: 1964-65

Toronto Maple Leafs individual records

• Most Goals in a season: Rick Vaive, 54 (1981-82)
• Most Assists in a season: Doug Gilmour, 95 (1992-93)
• Most Points in a season: Doug Gilmour, 127 (1992-93)
• Most Penalty Minutes in a season: Tie Domi, 365 (1997-98)
• Most Points in a season, defenceman: Ian Turnbull, 79 (1976-77)
• Most Points in a season, rookie: Peter Ihnacak, 66 (1982-83)
• Most Wins in a season (goaltender): Ed Belfour (2002-03), Andrew Raycroft (2006-2007),37
• Most consecutive games without a goal: Bob McGill, 198 (1982-86)

Miscellaneous

Leafs Nation

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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."

In the United States, several cities in the Sun Belt have sizable numbers of Leaf fans, as many Snowbirds tend to flock to locales such as Phoenix, Tampa Bay, and Miami during the winter, resulting in a boost in turnout and ticket sales when these franchises play the Maple Leafs.

The Leafs are sometimes referred to as "the Buds" (as in maple bud and/or short for buddy) by their legions of fans which has paralleled the use of "Habs" as a secondary nickname for the Montreal Canadiens.

The somewhat peculiar spelling of the word "Leafs" vs. "Leaves" is in actuality grammatically allowable, just as "dwarfs" is an alternative to the spelling "dwarves".

Maple Leafs home games have long been one of the toughest tickets to acquire in Canada, even during lean periods. The Leafs have sold out almost every game since 1946. While scalping is technically illegal in Toronto, there are numerous scalpers around the Air Canada Centre. The only ways to get into a game are to buy tickets months in advance or to deal with scalpers at a markup considerably above face value.

Rivalries

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The Maple Leafs' greatest rival is the Montreal Canadiens, given the long history of Original Six matchups and playoff meetings between the two clubs. The fact that Montreal is Canada's most populated French-speaking city also gives the rivalry a nationalistic flair, which is perhaps best captured in the popular Canadian short story "The Hockey Sweater" by Roch Carrier.

The rivalry between the Leafs and the Ottawa Senators, known as The Battle of Ontario, has heated up since the late 1990s, owing in no small part to the Canadiens' struggles during that period. While Ottawa has dominated during most of the teams' regular season matchups in recent years, the Leafs have won all four postseason series between the two teams.

The Leafs' biggest U.S.-based rivals of late have been the Philadelphia Flyers, who defeated the Leafs in the 2003 and 2004 Stanley Cup Playoffs. The rivalry goes back to the 1970s when the Flyers and Leafs had the reputation as being two of the toughest (and often most penalized) teams in the league. Games between the two teams are still often very physical.

The Buffalo Sabres have also been cited as notable American rivals of the Leafs, mainly because of Buffalo's proximity to Toronto. In fact, Buffalo is the NHL team which is closest to Toronto, only a short drive along the Queen Elizabeth Way. A large contingent of Leaf fans typically travels the short drive to Buffalo for road games there, giving them a somewhat neutral setting.

The Leafs also maintain a traditional Original Six rivalry with the Detroit Red Wings. The teams' close proximity to each other (the two cities are just 230 miles apart) and a number of shared fans - particularly in markets such as Windsor, Ontario - means the rivalry is found more in the crowd than on the ice; since the Maple Leafs moved to the Eastern Conference in 1998, the two teams have faced each other less often each season.

See also

• National Hockey League rivalries
  • List of Detroit Red Wings-Toronto Maple Leafs playoff series
• Toronto Blueshirts (1912-17)
• Pittsburgh Hornets minor league farm team (1961-1967)
• Toronto Marlboros farm team 1927-1989
• Markham Waxers former farm team
• St. Catharines Saints 1982-1986
• Newmarket Saints farm team 1986-1991
• St. John's Maple Leafs farm team 1991-2005
• Toronto Marlies farm team (2005-present)
• Columbia Inferno minor league farm team 2006-present
• List of Stanley Cup champions
• List of NHL seasons
• List of NHL players
• List of ice hockey teams in Ontario

References and Notes

• Holzman, Morey (2002). Deceptions and Doublecross. Dundurn Press.

1. "Good-bye St. Pats, howdy Maple Leafs," The Globe, February 15, 1927, p. 6
2. "Toronto crumbles New York chances," The Globe, February 18, 1927, p. 8.
3. "Lanny McDonald trade has Sittler in tears," Jim Kernaghan, Toronto Star, December 29 1979, p. 1.
4. "Alumni Bios: Bill Barilko". Toronto Maple Leafs.
5. "Alumni Bios: Ace Bailey". Toronto Maple Leafs.
6. "CBC News Report". {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |retrieved= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)

External links

• Toronto Maple Leafs official web site
• Toronto Maple Leafs News Live news feed of Toronto Maple Leafs News
• TML Fever Unoffical Site

• Sports clubs established in 1917
• Toronto Maple Leafs