The Greatest Maple Leafs of All-Time

The Toronto Maple Leafs’ history is one full of both great pride and misery. The Toronto Maple Leafs dynasty is one that could likely only be rivaled by rivals the Montreal Canadiens and the Detroit Red Wings. The Maple Leafs have drank from the Stanley Cup 13 times a number only exceeded by the Montreal Canadiens . The Toronto Maple Leafs have more inductees in the Hall of Fame than any other franchise in NHL history. So, it is clear that during their existence, the Maple Leafs have had many great players put on the blue and white. So, then who is the greatest Leaf to play in Ontario’s capital?

Mats Sundin

Not only is Mats Sundin arguably the best captain to ever where the “C” in Toronto, but may could argue Sundin is amongst some of the greatest captains in league history. He captained the Maple Leafs for 11 seasons where he would become the team’s longest serving captain while racking up the most goals and points by any Leaf. During his career Sundin only failed to hit 70 points in his first and least seasons in the league and lead the Maple Leafs in scoring ever season he was with the team except in 02-03 when he was eclipsed by Alexander Mogilny. His most productive season as a Leaf came in 96-97 when he recorded 41 goals and 94 points.

A compilation of Mats Sundin goals during his time with the Leafs.

 Sundin played in 8 NHL All-Star games, is tied for 21^st in all-time goals, 33^rd in assists, and is 27^th on the all-time points list. Sundin is the first and only Swedish player to break the 500 goal plateau and was the first European-born player to be selected first overall in the NHL entry draft.   This past season Sundin was honoured at the Air Canada Centre when he had his number 13 raised to the rafters. Sundin finished his career with the Maple Leafs compiling 420 goals and 987 points in a Maple Leafs uniform. Sundin was also fortunate enough this year to be named as one of the 4 players to be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame this year in the city that adopted him Toronto, ON.

               

Darryl Sittler

 Darryl Sittler is, for many Leaf fans, a very recognizable face. Sittler wore the “C” for the Leafs’ for 6 years and was a leader in Toronto during his 12 seasons with the Leafs. What Sittler is most known for is the night he put a stamp into the record books. On February 7^th 1976 Sittler set a record that to this day has not been touched, Sittler recorded 10 points in a single game when he put up 6 goals and 4 assists against the Boston Bruins in an 11-4 win. Many players have hit 8 points, but to this day Sittler’s 10 is still one record that may never be challenged.

Darryl Sittler’s 10 point performance.

 Sittler finished his career as a Leaf racking up 916 points, second  behind only Mats Sundin for the most in club history. In 1975, Sittler’s first season as Leafs captain, Sittler became the first Maple Leaf player to hit 100 points in a season when he recorded 41 goals and 59 assists. Sittler was inducted into the Hockey Hallf of Fame in 1989 finishing his NHL career with 484 goals and 1,121 points. On February 28^th, 2003 Sittler had his no. 27 raised to the rafters at the Air Canada Centre in front of an extremely energetic crowd. 

Doug Gilmour

Doug Gilmour or “Dougie” as he Leaf fans called him is one of the Hallmark names in Leafs history. Gilmour played seasons with Buffalo, St. Louis, Calgary, New Jersey, Chicago, and Montreal, but he will go down in history as one of the greatest Leafs of all time. Gilmour was acquired by the Maple Leafs during the later end of the 91-92 season in a historical trade that saw General Manager Cliff Fletcher make, what was at the time, the biggest trade in NHL history with 10 players going one way or another. This trade paid off immediately for the Leafs as the following season Gilmour would put up a Maple Leaf record, recording 127 points. He would win the Frank J. Selke trophy as the league’s most defensive forward and finished as the runner up as the league’s MVP. The following season Gilmour finished with 111 points.

A tribute video of Doug Gilmour.

Gilmour would become the Leaf’s captain during the 1994 season after captain Wendel Clark was traded to the Quebec Nordiques for future captain Mats Sundin. Gilmour would finish his Maple Leaf career with 452 points in 391 games. Gilmour had his number 93 retired at the ACC on January 31^st, 2009 when the Leafs raised it to the rafters. Gilmour was also fortunate enough to be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2011.

Wendel Clark

 Wendel Clark was, and in many respects still is, the face of the Toronto Maple Leafs. Clark started his NHL campaign when he was selected first overall in the 1985 entry draft. Clark would play his first season as a Maple Leaf and finish 3^rd in voting for the Calder Trophy (rookie of the year). Clark captained the Leafs from 1991-1994. Clark would be traded by the Leafs to the Quebec Nordiques in return for young Swedish star Mats Sundin. Clark was known not just for his offensive play, but more for his physical play, this was reflected by his nickname “captain crunch.”

A tribute video of Wendel Clark.

Clark was plagued with injuries most of his career, only playing an entire season just once in his career. It was his injuries that really stopped him from putting up even more impressive numbers. Clark’s most productive season came in the 93-94 season when Clark put up 46 goals and 76 points. Clark played 3 different stints with the Leafs and because of this became a fan favourite. On November 27^th, 2008 Clark was added to an elite group of Maple Leaf greats when he had his number 17 raised to the rafters at the Air Canada Centre. 

Johnny Bower

Johnny Bower even at his old age of 88 years old can still be spotted in the crowd at many Maple Leaf games. Bower was the Maple Leafs’ goalie from 1958-1970 in which time he put up some incredible numbers. Bower won the Vezina trophy for best goaltender in 1961 and 1965, the Haps Holmes Memorial Award  for best goals against average in 1952, 1957, and 1958, was a first team all-star in 1961, and on top of all that hoisted the Stanley Cup in 1962, 1963, 1964, and 1967. Johnny Bower was elected into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1976 and in 2007 Bower was honoured with a Star on Canada’s Walk of Fame.  Bower recorded 37 shutouts during his career which is good enough for 39^th all-time.

A tribute video of Johnny Bower.

Despite his battle with poor eyesight throughout his career Bower was able to still play at a very competitive level including capturing the Stanley Cup and the Vezina Trophy in this time. Bower helped the Leafs win their last Stanley Cup and because of this he will be remembered as one of the great goaltenders and Maple Leafs to ever play the game.

Borje Salming

Borje Salming was one of the great defensemen of his era. Salming was one of the first European players to come over to North America to play in the NHL which really helped to open the door for many other Europeans. Salming played 16 seasons with the Maple Leafs being named a first team all-star in 1977 and a second team all-star on five other occasions. Salming finished his career having played 1148 games in the NHL with 1099 of them in a Leafs uniform finishing with a respectable 150 goals and 787 points with which 148 goals and 748 of those points coming with the Leafs.

A tribute video of  Borje Salming.

Salming was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1998 becoming the first Swede to be given the honour. Salming also had his number 21 retired and raised to the rafters at the ACC on October 4^th, 2006. Salming still holds the NHL record for the most points by an undrafted defenseman and also holds over 6 Maple Leaf records. Salming holds the record for the most career points and goals by a Leafs defenseman, the most career assists by a Leaf player, the most assists by a Leafs defenseman in a season, and also has the best career plus-minus by any Maple Leaf. With all these stats and more it is no question that Salming was one of the great D-men in NHL history and by far one of the greatest players to ever don the blue and white.    

Looking back it is clear to see that the Toronto Maple Leafs history has been one full of great players and great memories. And with such a rich history there are many more other hockey greats that could also have easily topped this list. Each of these 6 have brought pride, excitement, and even championships to the city of Toronto and they will be forever honoured in the rafters of the Air Canada Centre and the Hockey Hall of Fame, but even more important the will be remembered by Maple Leafs fans of both then and now. However, in saying all this I must ask, who do you think is the greatest retired Maple Leaf of all time?

Why the Optimism?

   This past Thursday was supposed to mark the start to the 2012-2013 season, but of course thanks to the lockout we wait until a deal is reached. Now in the past few weeks some players have voiced their optimism of a new deal coming together before the entire season is wiped out, while others continue to believe there is no deal in sight. So, why is this?

   Sidney Crosby this week was one of the few players who made it clear that he thinks the entire season won't be lost. Crosby stated, "I can't see it getting to that point, I really can't. It hasn't even crossed my mind to be honest with you. I think, if anything, my thoughts are more just about whether the NHL has a date in mind (for the season to start) and just when they're actually going to start negotiating." Crosby believes that the fact that both sides have been meeting together and that negotiations are taking place means that they are getting somewhere.

   Wayne Gretzky is another who has voiced his optimism that a new deal will be made before the season's projected end. Gretzky believes that the real timeline to get a deal done is the Winter Classic. The Winter Classic this year is scheduled to be between the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Detroit Red Wings on New Year's Day.

                                          Wayne Gretzky interview about the lockout

    The Winter Classic has been pointed out as a date of interest partially because of the huge profits the game brings and with this year's scheduled to be the biggest so far the NHL would be stupid to let this opportunity slip them by. The game between the Leafs and Wings is scheduled at Michigan Stadium where the record for the most people at a hockey game was set in 2010. The plan for this game is to try and break the record of over 104,000 people by hoping to get close to 115,000 fans in the stands and with a wait list for tickets already in effect that doesn't seem to be a problem. Tickets for the game have been priced between $79 and $279 so NHL is looking to make anywhere between $9,000,000 and 33,000,000 on ticket sales alone.

             A preview of HBO: 24/7 from 2011 featuring the Flyers and Rangers

   Now although, both sides have been meeting including two more meetings this past Wednesday and Thursday, it seems that, like we've heard so many times since the lockout began, both sides are no closer to a deal than when the lockout began. This week neither the NHL nor the NHLPA brought any new proposals to the table, solidifying the belief that no solution to the lockout is close.

    Now for those hoping to stick by Crosby's comments, take them with a grain of rice because it was Crosby who said during the summer that the fans need not worry about an NHL lockout coming into affect.

The Lockout: A Forced Retirement

      So far the NHL has cancelled games up until October 24th so most of the season could still be played out and games that have already been cancelled could still be tacked on to the end of the season, barring a deal is finally reached. However, assuming this doesn't come to light, certain players may be more impacted than others.
   
     One name that comes to mind is all-star goaltender and future hall-of-famer Martin Brodeur. At the end of last season rumours swirled all over that Brodeur may be playing in his last season, believing retirement was imminent at the end of the season. Marty went on to sign a 2 year deal at the end of the season, but if he has to sit around and wait to play in his final seasons in the NHL is it maybe in his best interest to retire now?

    This is just one example of a group of NHLers that may go unnoticed when talks about who is impacted the most by the NHL lockout circulate. In 2004 this same phenomenon happened with another one of the game's greats. Brett Hull signed a contract for the beginning of the 04-05 season with the Phoenix Coyotes, a team that was looking to finally prove themselves as a contender. Now the season prior was the NHL lockout and the season prior to that Hull put up a respectable 25 goals and 68 points in 81 games. Great numbers for someone his age.

   So, Hull headed into the 04-05 season after a lockout with new rules and a much faster game. After only 5 games and recording just 1 assist Brett Hull announced his retirement from the game believing he could no longer keep up with new pace and speed of the game. Hull would finish he career with 1,391 points, good enough for 22nd all time. However, he finished just 35 points away from moving up to 15th all-time a feet that would have been very achievable had there have been no lockout during the 03-04 season.

A look at back some of Brett Hull's greatest moments.

   It seems that some NHLers may now be put into the same position as Hull and may lose out on that one last season. Besides Brodeur, this season also heard much speculation that Senators captain Daniel Alfredsson may be playing in his last season in the NHL. This made the all-star game in Ottawa this past season just that more emotional for the league and the city of Ottawa. However, Alfredsson decided the end of the season that he was not ready to hang up the skates just yet and that he would be back for another campaign. However, with the NHL lockout now in place have we seen Alfredsson's last game in a Senators' uniform?


   Next to Brodeur and Alfredsson, other players that may have to contemplate retirement this year or the next couple years are Teemu Selanne, Dwayne Roloson, Jaromir Jagr, and Jason Arnott to name a few. Lets just hope that once again we don't see the NHL ruin the chance for some of the games greats to hit those memorable milestones.

A Sign of What's Not to Come

       It has been a very busy last week and a half with many more NHLers flocking to Europe to find somewhere to play some hockey. In this past week alone Danny Briere, Claude Giroux, Joe Pavelski, Gabriel Landeskog,  Andrei Markov, Zdeno Chara, Patrice Bergeron, Jamie Benn, and Matt Duchene have all packed their bags and headed to Europe. Now with news coming from sports outlets such as ESPN and recently Sportsnet that they will now be broadcasting some KHL games this season this may give a little hope for true hockey fans to see their favourite stars in action.
   
      However, what this influx of players heading overseas still, even after more than 20 days since the lockout was announced, means is there's a sign that a resolution to the lockout is no closer than when the lockout began. Last weekend the NHLPA and the NHL were at the table trying to hammer out a deal that would bring an end to the lockout, but like the other meetings between the two sides, nothing was accomplished and it seems that a deal may be a lot further away than most NHL fans would hope.

      During the negotiations the players have been meeting along with Don Fehr (NHLPA Executive Direcctor) to be more informed about the lockout situation, however many players have still continued to head to Europe. Does this mean that the players are aware there is no deal in sight? That's what it is starting to look like. Would players continue to sign contracts and commit to playing for other teams if they knew that an agreement to end the NHL lockout was just around the corner? That seems highly unlikely.

      Both the NHL and NHLPA have continued to meet privately in Toronto this weekend, but until one side or the other brings something new to the table don't expect any significant news. Fans looking to catch some hockey action in the mean time can catch KHL games on ESPN. The next game will air on Sunday October 13th at 9 am when Dynamo Moscow (featuring Alex Ovechkin) takes on Sibir HD.