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Though it has been nearly four decades since they won the Stanley Cup, the Toronto Maple Leafs remain, historically, one of the NHL's most successful franchises. The club began life as the Toronto Arenas when the NHL formed back in 1917. They joined the Montreal Canadiens, Montreal Wanderers and Ottawa Senators as the new league's founding members. Success was immediate as Toronto won the first Stanley Cup in the NHL. Renamed the St. Patricks in 1919, the club won another Cup in 1922 with Babe Dye Ð one of hockey's first superstars Ð leading the charge. After being sold to Conn Smythe in 1927, the team was renamed the Maple Leafs, paying homage to the familiar Canadian symbol. Toronto won its third Cup in 1932 following its first season in the brand new Maple Leaf Gardens. Much credit went to the "Kid Line" of Busher Jackson, Charlie Conacher and Joe Primeau. Over the next nine seasons, the Maple Leafs would frustrate fans by losing in the finals six times. But things were about to change. Toronto recaptured Lord Stanley's mug in 1942. The win was particularly notable given that the Leafs came back from a 3-0 series deficit in the final. To this day, they are one of only two teams to have done so in any playoff series. Boasting talent such as Syl Apps, Sr., goalie Turk Broda, Babe Pratt, Ted Kennedy and Frank McCool, Leafs teams would capture five Cups in total during the 1940s. On the strength of a goal by Bill Barilko (who tragically died in a plane crash a few months later), the Leafs were again champions in 1951, but a drought was on the horizon. Over the next ten seasons, Toronto would miss the playoffs four times. They made the final twice but came up empty-handed. Beginning in 1962, the Leafs Ð aided by greats such as Tim Horton, Red Kelly, Dave Keon, Frank Mahovlich and goalie Johnny Bower Ð won three straight Cups. See 'Canadiens' P.# Con't from P.# By now the Montreal Canadiens, then the only other Canadian-based team, had been firmly entrenched as the Leafs' chief nemesis. The two rivals would square off in the 1967 final, with Toronto coming out on top in six games. Not only was this Toronto's last Cup to date, the win also marked the end of the NHL's "Original Six" era. Toronto missed the playoffs the following season, one of the few times a defending Cup champion has done so. This proved to be a sign of mediocrity to come. Despite a roster with names such as Keon, Darryl Sittler, Lanny McDonald and Borje Salming, the 1970s Toronto teams continually disappointed fans. The 1980s would prove even worse, with Toronto unable to put together a single winning season. When they did make the playoffs, defeat was usually assured. The '80s were infamous in part because of owner Harold Ballard, who traded away popular players knowing full well that Toronto's dedicated fans would continue to sell out Maple Leaf Gardens. Ballard's attitude also made Toronto a less-than-favoured destination for players of the day. Still, Toronto carried some notable names during the '80s. Salming continued to be a steady force on the blueline. Rick Vaive, Al Iafrate, Gary Leeman, Wendel Clark and Russ Courtnall were other fan favourites during this era. Hope was renewed in the 1990s. Steve Stavro purchased the team following Ballard's death, while players such as Doug Gilmour, Glenn Anderson and young goalie Felix Potvin helped signal a turnaround. By the 1993 playoffs, it finally appeared as though the Leafs might return to Cup glory. With scoring winger Dave Andreychuk and blueliners Dave Ellett and Todd Gill also on board, Toronto made it to the Conference final. Facing off against Wayne Gretzky's Los Angeles Kings, the Leafs blew a 3-2 series lead. To make matters worse, the hated Canadiens went on to win the Cup. The Leafs were back in the Conference final in 1994, but were handily defeated by the Vancouver Canucks. After two consecutive first round losses in 1995 and 1996, Toronto went into rebuilding mode. The "Buds" were again competitive in 1998-99 with a roster highlighted by captain Mats Sundin, wingers Steve Thomas and Sergei Berezin, blueliners Bryan Berard and Dmitri Yushkevich, and new number one netminder Curtis Joseph. That season also saw the franchise relocate from the aging Maple Leaf Gardens to the massive new Air Canada Centre Ð a bittersweet transition. To celebrate the move, the Leafs surprised many by making it to the Conference final that spring. They ultimately lost to the Buffalo Sabres. Toronto advanced to Round Two in 2000 and 2001, defeating the Ottawa Senators both times. This escalated the "Battle of Ontario" rivalry that had been brewing between the two teams. The Leafs met the Sens again in the 2002 playoffs and once more defeated them before losing in the Conference final to the Carolina Hurricanes. Toronto lost in Round One to the Flyers in 2003. By now the team had a new look, with Alexander Mogilny, Owen Nolan, Nik Antropov and Darcy Tucker playing key roles and Ed Belfour having replaced the departed Joseph between the pipes. The once-frugal franchise was now among the league's big spenders. Despite finishing the 2003-04 season with a franchise record 103 points and ousting Ottawa in the first round once more, the Leafs proved no match for the Flyers in the second round. After a brutal lockout wiped out an entire NHL season, play resumed in the fall of 2005. The Maple Leafs looked promising enough with Sundin, Tucker and Antropov joining the likes of Bryan McCabe, Tomas Kaberle, Jason Allison, Alexander Steen and Eric Lindros. But potential doesn't put W's on the board. Toronto watched the 2006 postseason from the sidelines. Since then, coach Pat Quinn has been fired and replaced by former Carolina benchboss Paul Maurice. The Leafs also inked top defenceman McCabe to a five-year deal and brought in goaltender Andrew Raycroft from the Boston Bruins to replace the aging Belfour. Other recent additions include blueliners Hal Gill and Pavel Kubina, as well as coveted two-way centre Mike Peca. Now it will be up to these and the other modern-day Toronto Maple Leafs to carry on the club's rich tradition. Hall of Famers Jack Adams; George Armstrong; Syl Apps; Ace Bailey; Max Bentley; Johnny Bower; Turk Broda; King Clancy; Charlie Conacher; Clarence "Hap" Day; Gordie Drillon; Dick Duff; Babe Dye; Mike Gartner; Reginald "Red" Horner; Tim Horton; Punch Imlach; Busher Jackson; Red Kelly; Ted Kennedy; Dave Keon; Harry Lumley; Frank Mahovlich; Lanny McDonald; Reg Noble; Bud Poile; Babe Pratt; Joe Primeau; Bob Pulford; Borje Salming; Terry Sawchuk; Sweeney Schriner; Darryl Sittler; Allan Stanley; Norm Ullman Team Captains Hap Day 1927-37 Charlie Conacher 1937-38 Red Horner 1938-40 Syl Apps 1940-43, 1945-48 Bob Davidson 1943-45 Ted Kennedy 1948-55 Sid Smith 1955-56 Jimmy Thomson and Ted Kennedy 1956-57 George Armstrong 1957-69 Dave Keon 1969-75 Darryl Sittler 1975-81 Rick Vaive 1981-86 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 The club's policy is to retire numbers only for those who "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." However, the team also has a policy of "Honoured Numbers" for great players. Recognized under this policy have been: 1 Turk Broda, G, 1937-52; and Johnny Bower, G, 1959-70 7 King Clancy, D, 1931-37; and Tim Horton, D, 1950-70 9 Charlie Conacher, RW, 1930-38; and Ted Kennedy, C, 1943-57 10 Syl Apps, C, 1937-48; and George Armstrong, 1950-71 27 Frank Mahovlich, LW, 1957-68; and Darryl Sittler, C, 1971-82 Franchise Scoring Leaders (includes totals from St. Patricks and Arenas) 1. Darryl Sittler (916 points in 844 games) 2. Dave Keon (858 points in 1,062 games) 3. Mats Sundin (833 points in 832 games) 4. Borje Salming (768 points in 1,099 games) 5. George Armstrong (713 points in 1,187 games) 6. Ron Ellis (640 points in 1,034 games) 7. Frank Mahovlich (599 points in 720 games) 8. Bob Pulford (563 points in 947 games) 9. Ted Kennedy (560 points in 696 games) 10. Rick Vaive (537 points in 534 games) Stanley Cups 1918 (as Arenas); 1922 (as St. Pats); 1932, 1942; 1945, 1947; 1948, 1949; 1951, 1962; 1963; 1964; 1967 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, defenseman: Ian Turnbull, 79 (1976-77) Most Points in a season, rookie: Peter Ihnacak, 66 (1982-83) Most Wins in a season: Ed Belfour, 37 (2002-03) Ð Compiled article, with notes from Wikipedia.
