146-656: Hockey Day may refer one of the following days during the National Hockey League regular season: Hockey Day in Canada Hockey Day in America Hockey Day Minnesota [REDACTED] [REDACTED] List of sports-related pages with the same or similar names This article includes a list of sports-related pages with the same or similar names. If an internal link for
292-453: A kinescope of a goal, and replayed it for the television audience seconds later. Regular-season games were not broadcast in their entirety until 1968, and only one game was televised each Saturday night until the 1990s. From 1952 to 1964, the HNIC telecast followed the lead of the radio broadcast by beginning at 9 p.m. ET; games were typically joined in progress shortly before (or during)
438-586: A 30-minute pre-game show airing at 6:30 p.m. ET. Olympic women's ice hockey champion Cassie Campbell joined Hockey Night in Canada in 2006 as a rink-side reporter, becoming (on October 14, 2006) the first female colour commentator on an HNIC broadcast. Campbell substituted when Harry Neale was snowed in at his home in Buffalo . ( Helen Hutchinson was the first woman to appear on HNIC telecasts in 1974, when she conducted between-period interviews on
584-779: A Sunday afternoon), the retirement of Steve Yzerman 's jersey in 2007, Sidney Crosby 's comeback game in Pittsburgh against the New York Islanders in 2011, and early editions of the league's major outdoor games (such as the Winter Classic ). However, due to their decline in popularity, outdoor games are no longer shown on the CBC or branded HNIC unless a Canadian team is involved. The CBC provides extensive Stanley Cup playoff coverage every spring (focusing on Canadian teams), and has exclusive English-language rights to
730-522: A competitive club, hiring Pat Burns as the new coach, and making a series of trades and free-agent acquisitions, such as acquiring Doug Gilmour and Dave Andreychuk , which turned the Leafs into a contender. Assisted by stellar goaltending from minor league call-up Felix Potvin , the team posted a then-franchise-record 99 points. Toronto dispatched the Detroit Red Wings in seven games in
876-422: A couple bucks for a poppy or something like that. These guys paid for your way of life that you enjoy in Canada, these guys paid the biggest price." On June 5, 2020, Sportsnet announced that it had hired TSN commentator and former Hockey Night in Canada broadcaster Chris Cuthbert . Jim Hughson retired before the 2021–22 season . Hockey Night features, until 2019, included the "Coach's Corner" segment during
1022-603: A forward group made up of Frank Mahovlich , and team captain George Armstrong . The beginning of the 1960–61 season also saw the debut of rookies Bob Nevin , and Dave Keon . Keon previously played for the St. Michael's Majors (the Maple Leafs junior affiliate), but had impressed Imlach during the Leafs' training camp, and joined the team for the season. Despite these new additions, the Leafs' 1961 playoff run ended in
1168-459: A good Hockey Night , for now. — Ron MacLean , closing the last CBC-produced Hockey Night in Canada broadcast (June 13, 2014) Negotiating a new contract with the CBC, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman reportedly recognized the broadcaster's financial difficulties and offered a smaller package which would have consisted of a national doubleheader on Saturday nights (as opposed to regional coverage of multiple games), reduced playoff coverage, and
1314-479: A green maple leaf for their first game on February 17, 1927. On September 27, 1927, it was announced that the Leafs had changed their colour scheme to blue and white. Although Smythe later stated he chose blue because it represents the Canadian skies and white to represent snow, these colours were also used on the trucks for his gravel and sand business. The colour blue was also a colour historically associated with
1460-422: A group of his own and made a $ 160,000 CA$ 160,000 (equivalent to $ 2,762,198 in 2023)) offer. With the support of minority shareholder Bickell, Smythe persuaded Querrie and Nathanson to accept their bid, arguing that civic pride was more important than money. Bickell would become team president. Smythe took control on February 14, 1927; installing himself as governor and general manager. He immediately renamed
1606-590: A large portion of their roster had enlisted, including Apps, and Broda, who did not play on the team for several seasons due to their obligations with the Canadian Forces . During this period, the Leafs turned to lesser-known players such as rookie goaltender Frank McCool and defenceman Babe Pratt . The Maple Leafs beat the Red Wings in the 1945 Finals . They won the first three games, with goaltender McCool recording consecutive shutouts. However, in
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#17327945512031752-680: A professional ice hockey team based in Toronto . The Maple Leafs compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference . The club is owned by Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment , a company that owns several professional sports teams in the city, while the team's broadcasting rights are split between BCE Inc. and Rogers Communications . The club
1898-606: A punch, but Bailey, writhing on the ice, had his career ended. The Leafs held the Ace Bailey Benefit Game , the NHL's first All-Star Game , to collect medical funds to help Bailey. His jersey was retired later the same night. The Leafs reached the finals five times in the next seven years but bowed out to the now-disbanded Maroons in 1935, the Detroit Red Wings in 1936, Chicago in 1938, Boston in 1939 and
2044-412: A reversal of the 1942 finals, the Red Wings won the next three games. The Leafs were able to win the series, winning the seventh game by the score of 2–1 to prevent a complete reversal of the series played three years ago. After the end of the war, players who had enlisted were beginning to return to their teams. With Apps and Broda regaining their form, the Maple Leafs beat the first-place Canadiens in
2190-549: A season. Smythe, who reenlisted in the Canadian Army at the outbreak of World War II , was given leave from military duty to view the final game of the 1942 finals. He arrived at the game in full military regalia. Earlier, at the outbreak of war, Smythe arranged for many of his Maple Leafs players and staff to take army training with the Toronto Scottish Regiment . Most notably, the Leafs announced
2336-710: A specific sport article referred you to this page, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended sport article, if one exists. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Hockey_Day&oldid=999146465 " Category : Set index articles on sports Hidden categories: Articles with short description Short description is different from Wikidata All set index articles Hockey Night in Canada#Hockey Day in Canada CBC Television has aired National Hockey League (NHL) broadcasts under
2482-534: A then-franchise-record 103 points. They finished with the fourth-best record in the League, and their highest overall finish in 41 years, achieving a .628 win percentage, their best in 43 years, and third-best in franchise history. In the 2004 playoffs , the Leafs defeated the Senators in the first round of the postseason for the fourth time in five years, with Belfour posting three shutouts in seven games, but lost to
2628-519: A total value of at least $ 3.2 billion. BCE (owners of Bell Media and previous cable rights-holder TSN ) bid for sole national rights to the NHL, and attempted to contact the CBC about a partnership; the CBC Sports staff did not respond. Rogers Communications also made a bid of its own. On November 26, 2013, the NHL announced a 12-year deal with Rogers for exclusive Canadian television and digital media rights to all NHL broadcasts beginning with
2774-413: A week, but doubleheader games had debuted in 1995 at 7:30 pm and 10:30 pm (ET) start times. Since 1998, the games begin at 7:00 pm and 10:00 pm (ET). The broadcast features various segments during the intermissions and between games, as well as pre- and post-game coverage of the night's games, and player interviews. It also shows the hosts' opinions on news and issues occurring in the league. Ahead of
2920-574: A winner due to the worldwide flu epidemic . The legal dispute forced the Arena Company into bankruptcy, and it was forced to sell the team. On December 9, 1919, Querrie brokered the team's purchase by the owners of the St. Patricks Hockey Club (Percy and Fred Hambly), allowing him to maintain an ownership stake in the team. The new owners renamed the team the Toronto St. Patricks (or St. Pats for short), which they used until 1927. Changing
3066-479: A wrap-up of the night's games and a lengthy interview with (and viewer questions to) a player or coach, usually from one of the game's teams. After Hours was revived for 2016–17, and is shown on Sportsnet and the CBC. Only on rare occasions has HNIC broadcast regular-season games involving two U.S.-based teams, and this has usually been due to exceptional circumstances. Special occasions have included Wayne Gretzky 's final game in 1999 (which actually took place on
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#17327945512033212-471: Is the right time for him to immediately step down." Cherry said to a Toronto Sun reporter, "I know what I said and I meant it. Everybody in Canada should wear a poppy to honour our fallen soldiers ... I would have liked to continue doing 'Coach's Corner'. The problem is if I have to watch everything I say, it isn't 'Coach's Corner ' ". He later said that if he had to do it again, he would have said "everybody". The following Saturday, MacLean reflected on
3358-769: The Coach's Corner segment and was the on-location host of Sportsnet's Hometown Hockey games. Cherry, called "iconic" by Rogers resident Keith Pelley, remained under contract to the CBC until he was released on November 11, 2019. Several other CBC Hockey Night veterans continued in roles with HNIC and Rogers' NHL coverage, including game announcers Jim Hughson (who retired in 2021) and Bob Cole (who retired in 2019); reporters Elliotte Friedman , Scott Oake , and Cassie Campbell-Pascall ; and analysts Glenn Healy , Kelly Hrudey , Craig Simpson , Garry Galley , and P. J. Stock . New hires included game announcers Dave Randorf and Paul Romanuk . The CBC-Rogers agreement reduced
3504-616: The Hockey Night in Canada (often abbreviated Hockey Night or HNiC ) brand that is primarily associated with its Saturday night NHL broadcasts throughout its history in various platforms. The brand is owned by the CBC and was exclusively used by CBC Sports through the end of the 2013–14 NHL season . Saturday NHL broadcasts began in 1931 on the CNR Radio network, and debuted on television in 1952. Initially games were aired once
3650-427: The 1947 finals . To bolster their centre depth, the Leafs acquired Cy Thomas and Max Bentley in the following off-season. With these key additions, the Leafs were able to win a second consecutive Stanley Cup, sweeping the Red Wings in the 1948 finals . With their victory in 1948, the Leafs moved ahead of Montreal as the team having won the most Stanley Cups in League history. Apps announced his retirement following
3796-494: The 1962–63 season , the Leafs finished first in the league for the first time since the 1947–48 season . In the following playoffs, the team won their second Stanley Cup of the decade. The 1963–64 season saw certain members of the team traded. With Imlach seeking to reinvigorate the slumping Leafs, he made a mid-season trade that sent Duff, and Nevin to the Rangers for Andy Bathgate and Don McKenney . The Leafs managed to make
3942-590: The 1967 Stanley Cup playoffs . From 1965 through 1975, HNIC also produced and broadcast a Wednesday-night game on CTV (the CBC's privately owned competitor); the midweek games began to be broadcast by local stations during the 1975–76 NHL season . The Vancouver Canucks joined the NHL in 1970–71 , increasing the number of HNIC venues from two to three. During the 1979–80 and 1980–81 seasons, four more Canadian teams (the Edmonton Oilers , Quebec Nordiques , Winnipeg Jets , and Calgary Flames ) joined
4088-528: The 1973 NHL amateur draft , and drafted Lanny McDonald . General Manager Jim Gregory also acquired the 10th overall pick from the Philadelphia Flyers , and the 15th overall pick from the Bruins, using them to acquire Bob Neely and Ian Turnbull . In addition to these first-round picks, the Leafs also acquired Borje Salming during the 1973 off-season. Despite acquiring Tiger Williams in
4234-403: The 1974 draft , and Roger Neilson as head coach in the 1977–78 season , the Maple Leafs found themselves eliminated in the playoffs by stronger Flyers or Canadiens teams from 1975 to 1979. Although Neilson was a popular coach with fans and his players, he found himself at odds with Ballard, who fired him late in the 1977–78 season. Nielson was later reinstated after appeals from the players and
4380-564: The 1982 Stanley Cup Finals , the CBC's only other nationally televised postseason games that year were the April 23 Boston - Quebec game (Game 6), the April 25 Quebec-Boston game (Game 7), and the May 6 Vancouver - Chicago game (Game 5). All the other games were seen regionally. CTV had the national rights for the 1986 Calgary - St. Louis playoff series, except in the Calgary market (in which
4526-590: The 1988 Stanley Cup Finals was hampered by fog before a power outage caused its cancellation with the Edmonton Oilers and Boston Bruins tied, 3–3. The CBC televised that game and the "official" fourth game (on May 26), which the Oilers won 6–3. Toronto Maple Leafs The Toronto Maple Leafs (officially the Toronto Maple Leaf Hockey Club and often referred to as the Leafs ) are
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4672-632: The 1994 NHL entry draft , the Leafs packaged Wendel Clark in a multi-player trade with the Quebec Nordiques that landed them Mats Sundin . Missing two consecutive playoffs in 1997 and 1998 , the Leafs relieved Fletcher as general manager. On February 12, 1998, MLGL purchased the Toronto Raptors , a National Basketball Association franchise, and the arena the Raptors were building, from Allan Slaight and Scotiabank . With
4818-465: The 2007–08 season , John Ferguson Jr. was fired in January 2008 and replaced by former Leafs' general manager Cliff Fletcher on an interim basis. The team retained Toronto-based sports lawyer Gord Kirke to begin a search for a new team president and general manager, and negotiate a contract. The Leafs did not qualify for the postseason , marking the first time since 1928 the team had failed to make
4964-613: The 2014–15 season , the Rogers Sports & Media company had secured exclusive national multimedia rights to NHL games. Rogers would sub-license Saturday night and playoff games to the CBC. In addition, the HNiC brand would be licensed to Rogers for Sportsnet -produced Saturday NHL broadcasts airing on CBC Television, as well as the Rogers-owned Citytv and Sportsnet outlets. This sub-license agreement runs through
5110-415: The 2014–15 season ; the deal was valued at $ 5.2 billion, twice as much as what NBC paid for its 2011 long-term contract with the league. The CBC sub-licensed a package of games from Rogers, allowing the network to continue airing Hockey Night in Canada for at least the first four seasons of the agreement (2014–15 through 2017–18). The last CBC-produced Hockey Night broadcast aired on June 13, 2014, when
5256-760: The Boston Bruins , Buffalo Sabres , Detroit Red Wings , the Montreal Canadiens, and the Ottawa Senators . The team's American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate is the Toronto Marlies . Several individuals who hold an association with the club have been inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame . Nineteen players have had their numbers retired by the Maple Leafs, including the first in professional sports. The National Hockey League
5402-660: The CBC Television network and digital broadcasts on CBCSports.ca. It was reached after controversy during the 2006–07 NHL season, when private broadcaster CTVglobemedia tried to acquire exclusive Canadian distribution rights to the NHL for its own networks (including broadcast network CTV and cable channels TSN and RDS ). The CBC also produced Hockey Night in Canada Radio , a daily radio program which premiered on October 1, 2007, on Sirius Satellite Radio channel 122 (also known as Sports Play-by-Play 1). Although
5548-521: The Cinderella-story Carolina Hurricanes in six games in the conference finals. The 2001–02 season was particularly impressive in that injuries sidelined many of the Leafs' better players, but the efforts of depth players, including Alyn McCauley , Gary Roberts and Darcy Tucker , led them to the conference finals. As Joseph opted to become a free agent during the 2002 off-season, the Leafs signed Ed Belfour as
5694-500: The Conn Smythe Trophy . From 1968 to 1970, the Maple Leafs made it to the playoffs only once. They lost several players to the 1967 NHL expansion draft , and the team was racked with dissension because of Imlach's authoritative manner, and his attempts to prevent the players from joining the newly formed Players' Association . Imlach's management of the team was also brought into question due to some of his decisions. It
5840-592: The Eaton family , and construction of the arena was completed in five months. The Maple Leafs debuted at their new arena, Maple Leaf Gardens , with a 2–1 loss to the Chicago Black Hawks on November 12, 1931. The opening ceremonies for Maple Leaf Gardens included a performance from the 48th Highlanders of Canada Pipe and Drums. The military band has continued to perform in every subsequent season home opening game, as well as other ceremonies conducted by
5986-566: The Forum ; the Forum's reserve generators could only illuminate the rink enough to keep the game moving, and the CBC abandoned its coverage after the first period. Chris Cuthbert was assigned by the CBC to report and provide updates on Game 1 of the Washington - New Jersey playoff series. When Quebec blacked out, the CBC tasked Cuthbert with working the rest of the game. In Boston, WSBK-TV lost
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6132-542: The HNIC broadcasts are broadcast on a part-time television network owned by Rogers' Sportsnet subsidiary and affiliated with the CBC's English-language television stations (although CBC Television branding and continuity is still used on air). A licence for the arrangement was approved by the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission in April 2015. The loss of NHL rights accompanied other reductions in CBC funding and revenue, leading
6278-759: The Hartford – Montreal playoff series was televised in French and the Edmonton - Philadelphia and Toronto - Minnesota games were shown only on local stations CITV in Edmonton and CHCH in Hamilton , respectively. The Vancouver - Buffalo game was televised by the CBC regionally in British Columbia , since the ACTRA Awards show was tape-delayed into prime time on the west coast . Except for
6424-616: The Los Angeles Kings clinched the Stanley Cup in a four-games-to-one final series over the New York Rangers , ending with a montage set to Queen's "The Show Must Go On" which included season and playoff highlights interspersed with images and sounds from the CBC's six decades of NHL coverage. The new season had a significant change in format for Hockey Night , with games no longer split by region. The CBC
6570-467: The Montreal Canadiens . The club had two recognized dynasties which spanned the 1946–47 to 1950–51 seasons and the 1961–62 to 1966–67 seasons, during which the Leafs won a combined eight of eleven Stanley Cup championships. These successes were followed by an extended championship drought, which at 57 seasons is the longest in league history . The Maple Leafs have rivalries with
6716-494: The NHL All-Star Game , Stanley Cup playoffs and Stanley Cup Finals , with the latter simulcast on a Rogers network if needed. The NHL Winter Classic aired in 2015 on the CBC, moving to Sportsnet the following year. The CBC did not pay any rights fees to Rogers or the NHL, but Rogers assumed responsibility for production and advertising sales. Promotions for CBC programs are included on CBC simulcasts; Rogers paid
6862-501: The "three stars" selection of the first game(s), and before the face-off of Game 2, MacLean and Cherry return to give updates on scores and highlights from around the league. The commentators for Game 2 preview the upcoming contest. Since then, the second-intermission crew return to give updates on scores and highlights from around the league. On the November 9, 2019 "Coach's Corner", Cherry suggested that Canadian immigrants benefit from
7008-467: The 1948 finals, with Ted Kennedy replacing him as the team's captain. Under a new captaincy, the Leafs managed to make it to the 1949 finals , facing the Red Wings, who had finished the season with the best overall record. However, the Leafs went on to win their third consecutive Cup, sweeping the Red Wings in four games. This brought the total of Detroit's playoff game losses against the Leafs to eleven. The Red Wings were able to end this losing streak in
7154-467: The CBC and Molson retained exclusive rights). CTV was unable to televise Games 2 and 3 of this series due to prior commitments. The CBC was allowed to televise Games 2 and 3 to Alberta and British Columbia , but not nationally. On April 18, 1988 (during Game 1 of the Montreal – Boston playoff series) at 8:08 p.m. local time, Quebec experienced a power outage. Darkness enveloped Montreal and
7300-417: The CBC but the network would have suffered a major blow to its prestige if it was excluded from NHL broadcasts. Lacroix said that the deal "is the right outcome for Canadian hockey fans", allowing Hockey Night in Canada to remain on the CBC for a wider audience at a low cost before the 2015 Pan-American Games and 2016 Summer Olympics (whose broadcast rights were owned by the broadcaster). CBC staff called
7446-571: The CBC to CTV to avoid a lengthy NABET strike against the CBC. Bob Cole , Dan Kelly and Jim Robson shared the play-by-play for the CBC's 1980 coverage. In 1986, the CBC televised games one and two of the Stanley Cup Finals in Montreal and Calgary ; it televised games three, four and five nationally. When CTV televised games one and two, both games were blacked out in Montreal and Calgary. The first game four (May 24) of
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#17327945512037592-472: The CBC's advertising revenue, which fell by 37 percent in the last quarter of 2014 from the previous year. Industry analysts reported that, despite the agreement's increased promotion of other CBC programming, the corporation might lose more advertising revenue during the Stanley Cup playoffs. In June 2016, Rogers announced that George Stroumboulopoulos was leaving Sportsnet. Ron MacLean was reinstated as
7738-533: The Canadiens in 1946. In his absence, the quality of players it produced declined. Many who were called up to the Leafs in the early 1950s were found to be seriously lacking in ability. It was only later in the decade that the Leafs' feeder clubs produced prospects that helped them become competitive again. After a two-year drought from the playoffs, the Maple Leafs clinched a berth after the 1958–59 season . Under Punch Imlach , their new general manager and coach,
7884-661: The City of Toronto. The use of blue by top-level Toronto-based sports clubs began with the Argonaut Rowing Club in the 19th century, later adopted by their football team, the Toronto Argonauts , in 1873. By 1930, Smythe saw the need to construct a new arena, viewing the Arena Gardens as a facility lacking modern amenities and seating. Finding an adequate number of financiers, he purchased land from
8030-462: The Flyers in six games during the second round. Following the 2004–05 NHL lockout , the Maple Leafs experienced their longest playoff drought in the team's history. They struggled in the 2005–06 season ; despite a late-season surge (9–1–2 in their final 12 games), led by goaltender Jean-Sebastien Aubin , Toronto was out of playoff contention for the first time since 1998. This marked the first time
8176-405: The Leafs made it to the 1959 Finals , losing to the Canadiens in five games. Building on a successful playoff run, the Leafs followed up with a second-place finish in the 1959–60 regular season. Although they advanced to their second straight Cup Finals, the Leafs were again defeated by the Canadiens in four games. Beginning in the 1960s, the Leafs became a stronger team, with Johnny Bower as
8322-505: The Leafs the final spot from the Norris. The low finishes allowed the team to draft Wendel Clark first overall at the 1985 NHL entry draft . Clark managed to lead the Leafs to the playoffs from 1986 to 1988, as well as the 1990 playoffs . Ballard died on April 11, 1990. Don Crump, Don Giffin, and Steve Stavro were named executors of Ballard's estate. Stavro succeeded Ballard as chairman of Maple Leaf Gardens Ltd. and governor of
8468-411: The Maple Leafs' Stanley Cup victories, the team saw several player departures, including Bathgate, and Brewer, as well as several new additions, including Marcel Pronovost , and Terry Sawchuk . During the 1966–67 season , the team had lost 10 games in a row, sending Imlach to the hospital with a stress-related illness. However, from the time King Clancy took over as the head coach, to Imlach's return,
8614-456: The Maple Leafs. Cliff Fletcher was hired by Giffin to be the new general manager, although this was opposed by Stavro, who told Fletcher that he wanted to appoint his own general manager. Notwithstanding Stavro's initial reluctance with Fletcher's appointment, the Leafs' new ownership would soon earn a reputation for steering clear of exerting undue interference in hockey operations, in stark contrast to Ballard. Fletcher soon set about building
8760-584: The Maroons folded in 1938, Smith and Ferguson hosted Canadiens games in English. The popularity of the radio show (and Hewitt) across Canada made it an obvious choice for early Canadian network-television programming. Although it was never carried on a U.S. radio station, HNIC became popular with listeners in the northern United States ; if a U.S.-based team (in Boston , Chicago , Detroit , or New York City )
8906-494: The NHL until the 2015–16 season, but the CBC ended production of HNIC Radio for the 2014–15 season due to high production costs and conflicts with Rogers. We close tonight with what I said back in '87, [my] first time around at the helm of this broadcast, "Here's to an endless summer, and here's to an early fall ..." We will leave you congratulating the Los Angeles Kings with the music of Queen, and [we] bid you
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#17327945512039052-669: The NHL's conferences in 1998, the Leafs were moved from the Western to the Eastern Conference. On February 13, 1999, the Leafs played their final game at the Gardens before moving to their new home at the then-Air Canada Centre. In the 1999 playoffs , the team advanced to the conference finals but lost in five games to the Buffalo Sabres . In the 1999–2000 season , the Leafs hosted the 50th NHL All-Star Game . By
9198-425: The NHL's inaugural season was formally announced on November 26, 1917, with concerns over the Bulldogs' financial stability surfacing. The League granted temporary franchise rights to the Arena Company, owners of the Arena Gardens . The NHL granted the Arena responsibility of the Toronto franchise for only the inaugural season, with specific instructions to resolve the dispute with Livingstone or transfer ownership of
9344-428: The NHL. The Oilers and Flames were featured frequently, since the teams were playoff contenders during the 1980s. The Nordiques, owned by Carling O'Keefe (a rival of HNIC sponsor Molson ) with a small Anglophone fan base, were never broadcast from Quebec City during the regular season. The CBC announced before the preliminary round of the 1976 playoffs that they would not televise any preliminary-round games, and
9490-400: The Ottawa area and Eastern Canada. During the 2015–16 season, the second-most-important game (typically featuring either the Jets, the Senators or the Montreal Canadiens) was allocated to Citytv. Sportsnet also sometimes simulcast the CBC's or Citytv's featured games, and broadcasters (of teams) regionally contracted to Sportsnet as needed. Although second-tier games were shown on Citytv during
9636-452: The Rangers in 1940. After the end of the 1939–40 season , Smythe allowed Irvin to leave the team as head coach, replacing him with former Leafs captain Hap Day . In the 1942 Stanley Cup Finals , the Maple Leafs were down three games to none in the best-of-seven series against Detroit. Fourth-line forward Don Metz then galvanized the team, to score a hat-trick in game four and the game-winner in game five. Goalie Turk Broda shut out
9782-457: The Rangers that year. He had been tapped as the Rangers' first general manager and coach for their inaugural season ( 1926–27 ) but had been fired in a dispute with Madison Square Garden management before the season had begun. Maple Leafs star forward Ace Bailey was nearly killed in 1933 when Boston Bruins defenceman Eddie Shore checked him from behind at full speed into the boards. Leafs defenceman Red Horner knocked Shore out with
9928-558: The Saturday night doubleheader typically originates in Eastern Canada , beginning at 7 p.m. ET (4 p.m. PT). Since 2021–22 , Chris Cuthbert , Craig Simpson , and Kyle Bukauskas serve as the lead broadcast team, primarily calling the CBC Toronto Maple Leafs broadcast. Other Eastern Canada games aired on Citytv are called by the secondary team of John Bartlett , Garry Galley , and Shawn Mackenzie. When three or more early games involve Canadian teams, Sportsnet uses its regional announcers for those broadcasts. From 2008 to 2020, Jim Hughson
10074-440: The St. Pats as a favour to his friend Querrie, who needed to financially reorganize his hockey team. After several financially difficult seasons, the St. Patricks' ownership group (Querrie and Nathan Nathanson) seriously considered selling the team to C. C. Pyle for CA$ 200,000 (equivalent to $ 3,452,747 in 2023). Pyle sought to move the team to Philadelphia. However, Toronto Varsity Blues coach Conn Smythe put together
10220-455: The Stanley Cup Finals. Its playoff coverage and rights to the Finals continue under the Rogers sublicensing agreement, with coverage shared with Sportsnet and all Canadian-based teams' series being shown on CBC. Due to rights agreements with Rogers, playoff games are not available to livestream on the CBC Gem or CBC Sports online platforms, even if the broadcast airs on CBC Television. In 1972 , Hockey Night in Canada moved playoff coverage from
10366-428: The TV broadcast that became Hockey Night in Canada from 1952 until 1988. The Canadian Radio Broadcasting Commission (CRBC) broadcast Montreal Canadiens and Maroons games on its Quebec stations in 1933. Imperial Oil took over sponsorship from General Motors the following year , and the broadcast became known as the Imperial Esso Hockey Broadcast . The broadcasts began at 9 p.m. Eastern Time , around
10512-655: The Toronto Arena Hockey Club, which was readily granted full membership in the NHL. The Arena Company also decided that year that only NHL teams were allowed to play at the Arena Gardens—a move which effectively killed the NHA. Livingstone sued to get his players back. Mounting legal bills from the dispute forced the Arenas to sell some of their stars, resulting in a horrendous five-win season in 1918–19. With
10658-581: The Toronto franchise back to the League at the end of the season. The franchise did not have an official name but was informally called "the Blueshirts" or "the Torontos" by the fans and press. Although the inaugural roster was made up of players leased from the NHA's Toronto Blueshirts, including Harry Cameron and Reg Noble , the Maple Leafs do not claim the Blueshirts' history as their own. During
10804-533: The Wednesday night CTV telecasts.) Trevor Pilling became HNIC executive producer on July 23, 2010, replacing Sherali Najak. In September 2012, Steve Sloan and Joel Darling became the show's executive producers when Pilling became the head of CBC Sports programming. The CBC's deal with the NHL ran through the 2013–14 season , and was replaced in 2014–15 by a sublicensing deal with Rogers Communications . The deal included over-the-air broadcasts of games on
10950-619: The Wings in game six, and Sweeney Schriner scored two goals in the third period to win the seventh game 3–1, completing the reverse-sweep . The Leafs remain the only team to have successfully performed a reverse-sweep in the Stanley Cup finals. Captain Syl Apps won the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy that season, not taking one penalty, and finished his 10-season career with an average of 5 minutes, 36 seconds in penalties
11096-499: The acquisition, MLGL was renamed Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment (MLSE), acting as the parent company of the two teams. Larry Tanenbaum was a driving force in the acquisition, having bought a 12.5 percent stake in Maple Leaf Gardens Limited (MLGL) in 1996. Curtis Joseph was acquired as the team's starting goalie, while Pat Quinn was hired as the head coach before the 1998–99 season . Realigning
11242-456: The agreement as a "structured exit" from NHL coverage if Rogers did not extend it. Rogers' Hockey Night was initially guided by Scott Moore, appointed Rogers Media president of Sportsnet and NHL properties in January 2014; Moore, with Rogers Media since 2010, was a former CBC Sports president. Rogers reviewed on-air content and production of games and ancillary content, including announcers and other personnel. Hockey Night ' s new look
11388-401: The broadcaster called HNIC Radio a return "back to the radio airwaves" for HNIC , HNIC Radio was an NHL-oriented talk show with appearances by HNIC hosts and commentators; it did not cover games. After the merger of Sirius Satellite Radio and XM Satellite Radio, the show moved to NHL Network Radio (Sirius channel 207 and XM channel 211). Rogers did not take over national radio rights to
11534-736: The broadcasts went national in 1931 as the General Motors Hockey Broadcast . The program began broadcasting Saturday-night Toronto Maple Leafs games on November 12, 1931 , over the Canadian National Railway radio network , of which CFCA was an affiliate. The more-powerful CFRB replaced CFCA as the program's Toronto flagship station in 1932. The show was sponsored by General Motors Products of Canada and produced by MacLaren Advertising , which had acquired exclusive radio-broadcasting rights for Maple Leaf Gardens from Conn Smythe in 1931 and produced
11680-411: The club secure its fourth Stanley Cup in five years. His glory was short-lived, as he disappeared in a plane crash near Timmins , Ontario, four months later. The crash site was not found until a helicopter pilot discovered the plane's wreckage plane about 80 kilometres (50 mi) north of Cochrane, Ontario 11 years later. The Leafs did not win another Cup during the 1950s, with rumours swirling that
11826-405: The club was on a 10-game undefeated streak, building momentum before the playoffs. The Leafs made their last Cup finals in 1967 . Playing against Montreal, the heavy favourite for the year, the Leafs managed to win, with Bob Pulford scoring the double-overtime winner in game three; Jim Pappin scored the series winner in game 6. Keon was named the playoff's most valuable player and was awarded
11972-540: The colours of the team from blue to green, the club won their second Stanley Cup championship in 1922 . Babe Dye scored four times in the 5–1 Stanley Cup-clinching victory against the Vancouver Millionaires . In 1924, the team's ownership changed again, as movie theatre impresario Nathan Nathanson and mining magnate Jack Bickell purchased the shares of the Hamblys. Bickell invested CA$ 25,000 in
12118-411: The company facing increasing financial difficulties, and the Arenas officially eliminated from the playoffs, the NHL agreed to let the team forfeit their last two games. Operations halted on February 20, 1919, with the NHL ending its season and starting the playoffs. The Arenas' .278 winning percentage that season remains the worst in franchise history. However, the 1919 Stanley Cup Finals ended without
12264-509: The corporation for CBC production staff and rent for offices and Studio 41 of the Canadian Broadcasting Centre for Hockey Night and Sportsnet coverage . Hockey Night in Canada was a financial boon for CBC Television , which received half of its total estimated advertising revenue from the broadcasts. To assign responsibility for televised content, compliance with regulatory guidelines and advertising to Rogers,
12410-467: The corporation to cut its budget, staff, and programming. In April 2014, the CBC decided not to compete for NHL or other professional-sports broadcast rights. Among staff members laid off were the advertising sales staff who handled Hockey Night . In an internal staff notification of the Rogers deal, CBC president Hubert T. Lacroix wrote that the arrangement with Rogers "may not be the ideal scenario" for
12556-537: The end of 1971, the World Hockey Association (WHA) began operations as a direct competitor to the NHL. Believing the WHA would not be able to compete against the NHL, Ballard's attitude caused the Maple Leafs to lose key players, including Parent to the upstart league. Undermanned and demoralized, the Leafs finished with the fourth-worst record for the 1972–73 season . They got the fourth overall pick in
12702-477: The end of the Rogers deal with the NHL. Hockey broadcasting originated with play-by-play radio broadcasts from Toronto's Arena Gardens , which began on February 8, 1923, on Toronto station CFCA when Norman Albert announced the third period of play of an intermediate men's Ontario Hockey Association game. Foster Hewitt took over announcing duties within a month, and after several years of sporadic coverage that began to include National Hockey League games,
12848-601: The end of the season, they recorded their first 100-point season and won their first division title in 37 years. In both the 2000 and 2001 playoffs , the Leafs defeated the Ottawa Senators in the first round and lost to the New Jersey Devils in the second round. In the 2002 playoffs , the Leafs dispatched the Islanders and the Senators in seven games each during the first two rounds, only to lose to
12994-492: The face with his stick, but referee Kerry Fraser did not call a penalty, and Gretzky scored the winning goal moments later. The Leafs eventually lost in game seven 5–4. The Leafs had another strong season in 1993–94 , starting the season on a 10-game winning streak, and finishing it with 98 points. The team made it to the conference finals again, only to be eliminated by the Vancouver Canucks in five games. At
13140-453: The first intermission of the first game. Hockey Night in Canada typically begins at 6:30 p.m. Eastern time (a little more than 30 minutes before the first game's opening faceoff) with Hockey Central Saturday , a pre-game show . Ron MacLean hosts Hockey Central Saturday with analysts Kelly Hrudey , Elliotte Friedman , Kevin Bieksa , and Jennifer Botterill . The first game of
13286-750: 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. They led the series 3–2 but dropped game six in Los Angeles. The game was not without controversy, as Wayne Gretzky clipped Gilmour in
13432-417: The following postseason, eliminating Toronto in the 1950 NHL playoffs. The Maple Leafs and Canadiens met again in the 1951 finals , with five consecutive overtime games played in the series. Defenceman Bill Barilko managed to score the series-winning goal in overtime, leaving his defensive position (despite coach Joe Primeau 's instructions otherwise) to pick up an errant pass and score. Barilko helped
13578-469: The games. From 2012–13 until early in the 2019–20 season , the first intermission of Game 2 contained a short analysis segment with Ron MacLean and Don Cherry followed by "Inside the Game" and "Scoreboard Saturday" with highlights of earlier games. Game 2 was followed on the CBC from 2000–01 to 2014–15 by After Hours , a post-game show hosted by Oake and DeBrusk from the game's arena. The program featured
13724-400: The goaltender, and Bob Baun , Carl Brewer , Tim Horton and Allan Stanley serving as the Maple Leafs' defencemen. To bolster their forward group during the 1960 off-season, Imlach traded Marc Reaume to the Red Wings for Red Kelly . Originally a defenceman, Kelly was asked to make the transition to the role of centre , where he remained for the rest of his career. Kelly helped reinforce
13870-510: The gondola of an airship . By the 1931–32 NHL season , the Maple Leafs were led by the "Kid Line" consisting of Busher Jackson , Joe Primeau and Charlie Conacher and coached by Dick Irvin . The team captured their third Stanley Cup that season, vanquishing the Chicago Black Hawks in the first round, the Montreal Maroons in the semifinals, and the New York Rangers in the finals. Smythe took particular pleasure in defeating
14016-419: The hockey club. The debut also featured Foster Hewitt in his newly constructed press box above the ice surface, where he began his famous Hockey Night in Canada radio broadcasts that eventually came to be a Saturday-night tradition. The press box was often called "the gondola", a name that emerged during the Gardens' inaugural season when a General Motors advertising executive remarked how it resembled
14162-429: The inaugural season of the Maple Leafs' Toronto Marlies farm team, was named as Quinn's replacement. On June 30, 2006, the Leafs bought out fan-favourite Tie Domi 's contract. The team also decided against picking up the option year on goaltender Ed Belfour's contract; he became a free agent. However, despite the coaching change, as well as a shuffle in the roster, the team did not make the playoffs in 2006–07 . During
14308-417: The inaugural season, the club performed the first trade in NHL history, sending Sammy Hebert to the Senators, in return for cash. Under manager Charlie Querrie , and head coach Dick Carroll , the team won the Stanley Cup in the inaugural 1917–18 season . For the next season , rather than return the Blueshirts' players to Livingstone as originally promised, on October 19, 1918, the Arena Company formed
14454-514: The inaugural season, these games were later moved to Sportsnet (with Citytv sometimes airing all-U.S. games or simulcasting the CBC game) to encourage pay-television subscriptions. Until the end of the first period on November 9, 2019, MacLean hosted "Coach's Corner"; the segment featured former NHL Coach of the Year Don Cherry. Cherry analyzed the first period(s) of the game(s) in progress, expressed his opinions about issues affecting
14600-516: The incident during Hockey Night in Canada (his first without Cherry) and announced the end of "Coach's Corner". The second game airs at 10 p.m. ET (7 p.m. PT, 8 p.m. MT) on the CBC and Sportsnet, originating from a Mountain or Pacific Time Zone city and usually featuring at least one of Western Canada 's three teams: the Calgary Flames , Edmonton Oilers or Vancouver Canucks . Regular-season games rarely last longer than three hours since
14746-400: The introduction of quicker faceoffs , and every double-header game is seen in its entirety. Since 2021–22, for Western Canada games, Harnarayan Singh , Louie DeBrusk , and Scott Oake are the lead broadcast team, while from 2016-2022, David Amber took over MacLean as host. Like the early games, when at least two Western Canadian teams played, Sportsnet assigned regional announcers to call
14892-475: The league. Instead, they opted to create a new league, the NHL, and did not 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 league with one team. The NHL had decided that it would operate a four-team circuit, made up of the Canadiens, Montreal Maroons , Ottawa, and one more club in either Quebec City or Toronto. Toronto's inclusion in
15038-522: The loss of digital rights and the All-Star Game. Rights to the remaining properties not covered under the CBC contract would have been offered to other broadcasters. However, CBC Sports ' staff (including executive director Jeffrey Orridge ) continued to insist on exclusivity for every Saturday-night game involving Canadian teams. The CBC was unable to reach a deal; the league reportedly aimed for its next round of Canadian television contracts to have
15184-630: The new starting goaltender. Belfour played well during the 2002–03 season and was a finalist for the Vezina Trophy . The Leafs lost to Philadelphia in seven games during the first round of the 2003 playoffs . In 2003, an ownership change occurred in MLSE. Stavro sold his controlling interest in MLSE to the Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan (OTPP) and resigned his position as chairman in favour of Tanenbaum. Quinn remained as head coach but
15330-448: The picture but continued audio of the game with Fred Cusick and Derek Sanderson by telephone. Canwest/Global aired the 1988 Calgary-Edmonton playoff series nationally, except for the Edmonton and Calgary markets (where the CBC retained exclusive rights). After Wayne Gretzky was traded to the Los Angeles Kings in 1988 , the network began showing occasional double-headers when Canadian teams visited Los Angeles to showcase
15476-427: The playoffs for three consecutive seasons. It was also Sundin's last year with the Leafs, as his contract was due to expire at the end of the season. However, he refused Leafs management's request to waive his no-trade clause for the team to rebuild by acquiring prospects or draft picks. On May 7, 2008, after the 2007–08 season, the Leafs fired Maurice, as well as assistant coach Randy Ladouceur , naming Ron Wilson as
15622-405: The playoffs, regardless of record. Since the Norris only had five teams in total, this meant only the last-place team in the division missed the postseason. In 1985–86, for instance, they finished with a .356 winning percentage, the fourth worst in the league. However, due to playing in a Norris Division where no team cracked the 90-point mark, the Leafs still made the playoffs because Detroit had
15768-410: The postseason as well as the Cup finals. In game six of the 1964 Cup finals, Baun suffered a fractured ankle and required a stretcher to be taken off the ice. He returned to play with his ankle frozen, and eventually scored the game-winning goal in overtime against the Red Wings. The Leafs won their third consecutive Stanley Cup in a 4–0 game 7 victory; Bathgate scored two goals. The two seasons after
15914-445: The program moved to national television). Toronto's CFRB (originally a CNR Radio affiliate) took over the broadcast from CFCA in 1932, and continued to broadcast Maple Leaf games for many years with CBC Radio's Toronto station CBL. Hockey Night in Canada began airing on Saturday nights on CBC Television in 1952 . According to the CBC, instant replay made its world debut on a 1955 HNIC broadcast; CBC director George Retzlaff made
16060-557: The public. He continued as Leafs' head coach until after the 1979 playoffs, when he was fired again, alongside Gregory. Gregory was replaced by Imlach as general manager. In the first year of his second stint as general manager, Imlach became embroiled in a dispute with Leafs' captain Darryl Sittler over his attempt to take part in the Showdown series for Hockey Night in Canada . In a move to undermine Sittler's influence on
16206-541: The quarterfinal series between the Toronto Maple Leafs and New York Islanders on April 29, 1978, Kelly teamed up with Brian McFarlane . The 1978 Stanley Cup Finals between the Montreal Canadiens and Boston Bruins and the 1979 Stanley Cup Finals between the Montreal Canadiens and New York Rangers were also simulcast. On April 9, 1980, the CBC carried the ACTRA Awards ceremony. Game 2 of
16352-634: The rights were sold back to the individual Canadian teams. Since Montreal earned a bye into the quarterfinals, this impacted Toronto and Vancouver 's television coverage. While CHCH and CITY televised all three games of the Toronto- Pittsburgh series (with Bill Hewitt and Brian McFarlane ), CHAN picked up the Vancouver- New York Islanders series. Game 1 of the Philadelphia -Toronto playoff series
16498-446: The sacrifices of veterans without wearing remembrance poppies : "You people that come here ... you love our way of life, you love our milk and honey, at least you can pay a couple bucks for a poppy or something like that! These guys paid for your way of life that you enjoy in Canada! These guys paid the biggest price." The Royal Canadian Legion , Canada's poppy distributor, denounced Cherry's statement: "Mr. Cherry's personal opinion
16644-471: The season. They were eliminated in the first round against the Rangers. A series of events in 1971 made Harold Ballard the primary owner of the Maple Leafs. After a series of disputes between Bassett, Ballard and Stafford Smythe, Bassett sold his stake in the company to them. Shortly afterwards, Smythe died in October 1971. Under the terms of Stafford's will, of which Ballard was an executor , each partner
16790-423: The second period. Its start time was moved up to 8:30 p.m. ET at the beginning of the 1963–64 season , allowing games to be joined in progress late in the first period. In the fall of 1968, regular-season games were shown in their entirety and the program began at 8 p.m. Although a handful of games were broadcast in colour during the 1966–67 regular season, all HNIC games began colour broadcasting during
16936-404: The semifinals against the Red Wings, with Armstrong, Bower, Kelly and others, suffering from injuries. In November 1961, Smythe sold nearly all of his shares in the club's parent company, Maple Leaf Gardens Limited (MLGL), to a partnership composed of his son Stafford Smythe , and his partners, newspaper baron John W. H. Bassett and Toronto Marlboros president Harold Ballard . The sale price
17082-537: The semifinals. With the conclusion of the 1952–53 regular season , the Leafs failed to make it to the postseason for the first time since the 1945–46 playoffs. The Leafs' poor performance may be attributed partly to a decline in their sponsored junior system (including the Toronto St. Michael's Majors and the Toronto Marlboros ). The junior system was managed by Frank J. Selke until his departure to
17228-440: The sport (or the league), and gave tips on various points of hockey; MacLean was Cherry's foil . "Coach's Corner" was followed by highlights of other evening games. MacLean also hosts "Saturday Headlines", the second-intermission segment, with Hrudey, Friedman, Bieska, and Botterill. The segment usually focuses on the previous week's NHL news, along with highlights and analysis of the games in progress. Until November 9, 2019, after
17374-435: The sport's most popular player. The games were often joined in progress, since the start time for HNIC was still 8 p.m. ET, while Gretzky's Kings home games began at 7:30 p.m. Pacific (10:30 p.m. ET). Weekly double-headers became permanent during the 1994–95 season , with games starting at 7:30 p.m. ET and 7:30 p.m. PT, respectively. The start times were moved up to 7 p.m. ET and PT in 1998, with
17520-765: The start of the second period of play. The games began to be broadcast on the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC), the CRBC's successor, in 1936. The program acquired what would become its permanent title— Hockey Night in Canada —around that time, which was coined by Foster Hewitt. It featured the Maple Leafs and was hosted by Gordon Calder, with play-by-play announcer Hewitt and colour commentary by Percy Lesueur , in much of Ontario and points west. Montreal Maroons broadcasts were hosted by Doug Smith and Elmer Ferguson in English, and René Lecavalier called Montreal Canadiens games in French. After
17666-511: The studio host of Hockey Night 's early game, in addition to his on-location role on Hometown Hockey . David Amber was the late-game studio host. Bob Cole retired in April 2019, and Don Cherry was fired after a November 9 incident during his "Coach's Corner" segment in which he said that eastern Canada's immigrants were being disrespectful for not wearing poppies on Remembrance Day : "You people that come here;... you love our way of life, you love our milk and honey, at least you can pay
17812-440: The team had missed the postseason under Quinn, who was later relieved as head coach. Quinn's dismissal was controversial since many of the young players who were key contributors to the Leafs' late-season run had been drafted by him before Ferguson's arrival, while Ferguson's signings ( Jason Allison , Belfour, Alexander Khavanov , and Eric Lindros ) had suffered season-ending injuries. Paul Maurice , who had previously coached
17958-401: The team the Maple Leafs, after the national symbol of Canada. He attributed his choice of a maple leaf for the logo to his experiences as a Canadian Army officer and prisoner of war during World War I . Viewing the maple leaf as a "badge of courage", and a reminder of home, Smythe decided to give the same name to his hockey team, in honour of the many Canadian soldiers who wore it. However,
18104-410: The team was " cursed ", and would not win a cup until Barilko's body was found. The "curse" came to an end after the Leafs' 1962 Stanley Cup victory, which came six weeks before the discovery of the wreckage of Barilko's plane. Their 1951 victory was followed by lacklustre performances in the following seasons. The team finished third in the 1951–52 season and was eventually swept by the Red Wings in
18250-400: The team was not the first to use the name. A Toronto minor-league baseball team had used the name "Toronto Maple Leafs" since 1895. Although Smythe would not acquire controlling interest in the team until 1947, he would be the franchise's dominant voice for the next four decades. Initial reports were that the team's colours were to be red and white, but the Leafs wore white sweaters with
18396-429: The team, Imlach traded McDonald, who was Sittler's friend. By the end of the 1979–80 season , Imlach had traded away nearly half of the roster he had at the beginning of his tenure as general manager. With the situation between Ballard and Sittler worsening, Sittler asked to be traded. Forcing the Leafs' hand, the club's new general manager, Gerry McNamara , traded Sittler to the Flyers on January 20, 1982. Rick Vaive
18542-514: The values we believe in." Cherry later told the Toronto Sun that he would not apologize: "I have had my say." The Canadian Broadcast Standards Council (CBSC) said that its internal systems was overloaded by a high number of complaints. Two days later, on November 11 , Sportsnet president Bart Yabsley announced that Cherry had been fired: "Following further discussions with Don Cherry after Saturday night's broadcast, it has been decided it
18688-599: The worst record in the league. In 1987–88, they entered the final day of the season with the worst record in the league, but were only one point behind the Minnesota North Stars and thus were still in playoff contention. The Red Wings was the only team in the division with a winning record. However, the Leafs upset the Red Wings in their final game while the North Stars lost to the Flames hours later to hand
18834-406: Was "no place for those who want to evade conscription in their own country". He had also said that because the Gardens' owners agreed to host the fight they had "put cash ahead of class". Under the new ownership, Toronto won another three straight Stanley Cups. The team won the 1962 Stanley Cup Finals beating the defending champion Chicago Black Hawks on a goal from Dick Duff in game 6. During
18980-410: Was $ 2.3 million (equivalent to $ 23,015,000 in 2023), a handsome return on Smythe's original investment 34 years earlier. Initially, Conn Smythe claimed that he knew nothing about his son's partners and was furious with the arrangement (though it is highly unlikely he could have believed Stafford could have financed the purchase on his own). However, he did not stop the deal because of it. Conn Smythe
19126-489: Was allowed to buy the other's shares upon their death. Stafford's brother and son tried to keep the shares in the family, but in February 1972 Ballard bought all of Stafford's shares for $ 7.5 million, valuing the company at $ 22 million (equivalent to $ 157,817,000 in 2023). Six months later, Ballard was convicted of charges including fraud, and theft of money and goods, and spent a year at Milhaven Penitentiary . By
19272-399: Was apparent that he was too loyal to aging players who had been with him since 1958. In the 1967–68 season , Mahovlich was traded to Detroit in a deal that saw the Leafs acquire Paul Henderson and Norm Ullman . The Leafs managed to return to the playoffs after the 1968–69 season , only to be swept by the Bruins. Immediately after, Stafford Smythe confronted Imlach and fired him. This act
19418-575: Was formed in 1917 in Montreal by teams formerly belonging to the National Hockey Association (NHA) that had a dispute with Eddie Livingstone , owner of the Toronto Blueshirts . The owners of the other four clubs—the Montreal Canadiens , Montreal Wanderers , Quebec Bulldogs and the Ottawa Senators —wanted to replace Livingstone, but discovered that the NHA constitution did not allow them to simply vote him out of
19564-684: Was founded as the Toronto Arenas for the inaugural 1917–18 NHL season , and rebranded to the Toronto St. Patricks after two years. Conn Smythe renamed the franchise to the Maple Leafs after buying it in 1927. The team played home games at the Mutual Street Arena for its first 14 seasons before moving to Maple Leaf Gardens in 1931. Since February 1999, the Maple Leafs play at Scotiabank Arena (formerly known as Air Canada Centre). Toronto has won more Stanley Cup championships and played more NHL seasons than any team other than
19710-519: Was given a retiring salary of $ 15,000 per year for life, an office, a secretary, a car with a driver, and seats to home games. Smythe sold his remaining shares in the company, and resigned from the board of directors in March 1966, after a Muhammad Ali boxing match was scheduled for the Gardens. Smythe found Ali's refusal to serve in the United States Army offensive, noting that the Gardens
19856-472: Was his former player Smith, although he did not finish the 1979–80 season after being hospitalized by a car accident on March 14, 1980. Joe Crozier was named the new head coach until January 10, 1981, when he was succeeded by Mike Nykoluk . Nykoluk was head coach until April 2, 1984. Dan Maloney returned as head coach from 1984 to 1986, with John Brophy named head coach from 1986 to 1988. Both coaches had little success during their tenure. Doug Carpenter
20002-498: Was hurtful, divisive and in no way condoned by the Legion." Sportsnet apologized for his remarks, stating that they were discriminatory and offensive and "do not represent our values and what we stand for as a network." His co-host, Ron MacLean, tweeted regret for giving a thumbs-up and for allowing Cherry to make the comments. The NHL released a statement on Cherry's comments: "The comments made last night were offensive and contrary to
20148-523: Was joined by Rogers' over-the-air Citytv network, the Sportsnet family of specialty channels and (initially) FX Canada , who aired other games nationally with the CBC and shared the Hockey Night in Canada brand. Decisions on network assignments for the games were made on a week-by-week basis, ensuring that viewers have live on-air access to every Hockey Night game. The CBC continued to cover
20294-417: Was named the new head coach to begin the 1989–90 season when the Leafs posted their first season above .500 in the decade. The team did not have much success during the decade, missing the playoffs entirely in 1982, 1984 and 1985. On at least two occasions, they made the playoffs with the worst winning percentages on record for a playoff team. However, in those days, the top four teams in each division made
20440-491: Was named the team's captain shortly after Sittler's departure. The Maple Leafs' management continued in disarray throughout most of the decade, with an inexperienced McNamara named as Imlach's replacement in September 1981. He was followed by Gord Stellick on April 28, 1988, who was replaced by Floyd Smith on August 15, 1989. Coaching was similarly shuffled often after Nielson's departure. Imlach's first choice for coach
20586-511: Was not without controversy, with some older players, including Horton, declaring that, "if this team doesn't want Imlach, I guess it doesn't want me". The Maple Leafs completed the 1969–70 season out of the playoffs. With their low finish, the Leafs were able to draft Darryl Sittler at the 1970 NHL amateur draft . The Leafs returned to the playoffs after the 1970–71 season with the addition of Sittler, as well as Bernie Parent and Jacques Plante , who were both acquired through trades during
20732-460: Was playing in Toronto on a Saturday night, thousands of fans in the American city whose team faced the Leafs would listen to the CBC broadcast via skywave (usually via 50,000-watt flagships CBL or CBM ); a game often attracted more listeners to HNIC than local stations did. CBC Radio aired Saturday-night HNIC broadcasts through 1965, followed by Sunday Night NHL Hockey through 1976 (when
20878-569: Was replaced as general manager by John Ferguson Jr. Before the 2003–04 season , the team held their training camp in Sweden and played in the NHL Challenge against teams from Sweden and Finland. The Leafs went on to enjoy a very successful regular season, leading the NHL at the time of the All-Star Game (with Quinn named head coach of the East's All-Star Team). They finished the season with
21024-527: Was revealed on March 10, 2014, when CBC personality George Stroumboulopoulos became studio host of Hockey Night and Citytv's Sunday night Hometown Hockey package with Sportsnet's Daren Millard and Jeff Marek . Stroumboulopoulos, an alumnus of Toronto sports radio station CJCL and host of a CBC talk show , was seen as an effort by Rogers to expand Hockey Night 's appeal to a younger demographic. Although Ron MacLean ceded hosting Hockey Night to Stroumboulopoulos, he remained with Don Cherry on
21170-540: Was televised locally to Southern Ontario by CHCH. Game 1 of the 1977 Pittsburgh - Toronto playoff series was seen regionally in southern Ontario on Hamilton's CHCH. During the 1978 playoffs , the NHL Network began simulcasting many games with Hockey Night in Canada . Dan Kelly , the NHL Network's lead play-by-play announcer, covered play-by-play with HNIC 's colour commentators; in Game 7 of
21316-559: Was the lead play-by-play voice of Hockey Night in Canada until his retirement on September 21, 2021; Hughson only called national Vancouver Canucks home games during the previous season due to the COVID-19 pandemic . Before the 2014–15 season, additional games involving Canadian teams were split to air regionally on CBC stations; Winnipeg Jets games were often seen in Central Canada , and Ottawa Senators games were seen in
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