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115-653: The Wolves were the Toronto Maple Leafs ' minor league affiliate from 1944 until 1947, and shared an arena with the PCHL 's Los Angeles Monarchs . This American ice hockey team-related article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . This article related to sports in Los Angeles is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . This article about a sports team in California

230-522: 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

345-603: 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

460-479: 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

575-422: 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

690-590: 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

805-587: 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

920-557: 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

1035-412: 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

1150-549: 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

1265-518: A seat in the 1937 Ontario general election as a member of the Liberal Party . Tommy Gorman had tried to convince Conacher to stay with the Maroons and take over as coach; his retirement led Gorman to hire King Clancy . Clancy did not help improve the team's record, and on December 29 he was fired after 18 games and Gorman was re-instated as coach. Their last game for the Maroons franchise,

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1380-595: A second major-league professional hockey team. In order to accommodate the Maroons, a new arena was built for them in 1924, the Montreal Forum . The Maroons were a highly competitive team, winning the Stanley Cup twice and finishing first in their Canadian Division twice more. Some of the best players of the era played for the Maroons; eleven players were elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame , while five of

1495-419: A suitable arena. In February, 1946 Peto announced plans to build a 20,000-seat arena on the site of the old Baker Bowl at a cost of US$ 2,500,000 (equivalent to about $ 39,061,433 in 2023). However, when his group was unable to get funding for the project by the league-imposed deadline, the NHL cancelled the Maroons franchise. The last active Maroons player in the NHL was Toe Blake , who last played in

1610-494: A team to appeal to the anglophones and return to the NHL. In July 1924, construction began on a new arena, on the site of a former roller-skating rink known as the Forum. By fall, at a cost of CA$ 1,500,000 (equivalent to about $ 26,183,333 in 2023), the Montreal Forum was complete. The Montreal Forum was the first large arena in the NHL. The Maroons joined the NHL in 1924, along with the league's first United States–based team,

1725-534: 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

1840-506: A two-game total-goals series. The Forum was packed with 11,000 fans, in a building whose capacity was listed at 10,000, to watch the Canadiens defeat the defending Stanley Cup champions. The Maroons also participated in another moment of hockey history when, on November 26, 1926, they were the competition in the New York Rangers' NHL debut game. The Maroons got revenge on the Canadiens in the 1927–28 season, by eliminating them in

1955-574: 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

2070-799: Is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Toronto Maple Leafs The Toronto Maple Leafs (officially the Toronto Maple Leaf Hockey Club and often referred to as the Leafs ) are 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

2185-522: 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 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

2300-538: 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 the Boston Bruins , Buffalo Sabres , Detroit Red Wings , the Montreal Canadiens, and

2415-427: 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

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2530-494: 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

2645-528: 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

2760-403: 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

2875-632: 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

2990-465: 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

3105-522: The Boston Bruins . The Canadiens initially objected to a second team in Montreal, but relented when compensated by the expansion fee. The expansion fee for each team was CA$ 15,000 (equivalent to about $ 261,833 in 2023). The Canadiens, the local rivals of the Maroons, received $ 11,000 of the Maroons' fee. While the Canadiens' owner initially lodged a formal objection to ensure he would get adequate compensation for sharing his franchise's territory, he

3220-589: 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

3335-497: 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 expansion drafts , 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

3450-592: 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

3565-686: 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 the league. Instead, they opted to create

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3680-537: 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 was formed in 1917 in Montreal by teams formerly belonging to

3795-611: The University of Pennsylvania did not have an ice plant, and both Penn and Madison Square Garden (which managed the Palestra) balked at the expense of installing one. Neither was the city-owned Convention Hall equipped to produce ice. The only arena in the city with an ice plant, Philadelphia Arena , was ruled out because its sight lines and capacity (5,500) were deemed inadequate even for temporary use. The league refused to extend its deadline to give Peto more time to find or build

3910-417: The 1929–30 season, by finishing first. During these years, the Maroons were led by one of the most feared forward lines in the early NHL years, the " S Line ", consisting of Hooley Smith , Babe Siebert and Nels Stewart , which was also one of the most penalized. In the 1929–30 season, Dunc Munro was signed as player-coach of the team. It was during this season, that Clint Benedict of the Maroons became

4025-687: The 1934–35 season, the Maroons hired Tommy Gorman as coach, who had coached the Chicago Black Hawks to the Championship the previous year. The Maroons finished the season in second place behind Ottawa. In the playoffs, the Montreal Maroons defeated Chicago with defensive hockey, defeated the New York Rangers at wide-open (offensive) hockey, and then defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs, who Gorman considered one of

4140-477: The 1937–38 season, rumours were rampant that the Maroon franchise would be moved to another city. In September 1937, Maroons president Donat Raymond said the team would be staying in Montreal. The team's bleak financial situation finally caught up with them as they finished 12–30–6, the club's worst season since winning only nine games in 1924–25 . Lionel Conacher retired prior to the season to enter politics, winning

4255-467: 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

4370-405: The 1970–71 season. During this era, a team's best players often played the entire game with substitutions only made for injuries. For the 1926–27 season, the NHL expanded to ten teams and was divided into American and Canadian divisions. The Maroons finished third in the Canadian division, behind their rivals the Canadiens, with whom they now shared the Forum. The two teams met in the playoffs for

4485-476: 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,

4600-482: The Canadiens, were part of the Canadian Arena Company, as were Maroons owners James Strachan and Donat Raymond ). It became obvious that only one team could represent Montreal. The Maroons' dire financial straits caused them to sell off several players, including star winger Hooley Smith . Despite the Maroons' financial troubles, they continued to play competitive hockey well into the 1930s. For

4715-661: 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

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4830-462: 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

4945-405: 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

5060-505: 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

5175-525: 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 the Montreal Canadiens . The club had two recognized dynasties which spanned

5290-411: 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,

5405-456: 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

5520-468: The Maroons' ten goals in the series. Stewart won the Hart Trophy for most valuable player. While not a smooth skater, Stewart compensated with size (at six foot one and 195 pounds, he was a giant compared to other players of that era), toughness (amassing 119 penalty minutes), and shooting (scoring 34 of Montreal's 91 goals during the season). Stewart's 34 goals remained an NHL record for rookies until

5635-548: The Montreal Maroons, for $ 165,000. In Montreal, financial strains from the Great Depression hurt the attendances of both the Canadiens and Maroons. However, there were far more francophone supporters for the Canadiens than anglophone supporters for the Maroons. As a result, the Maroons finished with the worst attendance in the league, three seasons in a row. Also, by 1935, both teams were owned by Canadian Arena Company . ( Ernest Savard and Maurice Forget , who owned

5750-669: 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

5865-650: 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

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5980-505: 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

6095-457: 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

6210-440: 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

6325-644: The Stanley Cup until the expansion Philadelphia Flyers won in 1974 . Founded as a team for the English community in Montreal, they shared their home city with the Canadiens , who eventually came under the same ownership as the Maroons but were intended to appeal to the French Canadian population. This was the first time since 1918, when the Montreal Wanderers folded, that Montreal had

6440-606: 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

6555-526: 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

6670-620: 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 ten-season career with an average of 5 minutes, 36 seconds in penalties

6785-499: 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

6900-474: The best hockey teams of all time, in three straight games. The Maroons won their second Stanley Cup; Gorman remains the only coach in history to win back-to-back Cups with two different teams. The Maroons team were the last team to win the Cup without a loss in the playoffs for 17 years. Gorman called this Maroon team "the greatest team that ever stepped on the ice." The playoffs of the 1935–36 season are famous for

7015-411: 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

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7130-557: The club was known by its official name, the Montreal Professional Hockey Club. With the team introducing maroon-coloured sweaters complete with a large capital letter "M" for a logo (the letter officially stood for their home city, not the colour) the "Maroons" nickname was picked up by the media. The club never officially changed the organizational name to incorporate the Maroons name. In the Maroons' first season of operation they finished second to last in

7245-405: 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

7360-411: 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

7475-411: 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

7590-412: 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

7705-412: 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

7820-425: 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

7935-405: The first Stanley Cup in their history. In December 1936, Maroons captain Hooley Smith was traded to the Boston Bruins, a move which would mark the beginning of the end for the franchise. The 1936–37 season saw Nels Stewart break Howie Morenz's record for career goals with 271. Stewart would hold the all-time career record for goals until it was broken by Maurice Richard in 1952. By the start of

8050-404: The first goaltender in NHL history to wear a mask, when he donned one to protect a broken nose. Although the Maroons finished first in the Canadian Division, they were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs by the Boston Bruins. For the 1930–31 season, Stewart again led his team in goals and points, but the Maroons only finished third in the Canadian division, and were eliminated easily in

8165-451: The first round of the playoffs by the New York Rangers. The Maroons made it into the playoffs of the 1931–32 season, by finishing five points ahead of the New York Americans. Montreal defeated Detroit in the opening round, but lost the semifinal match against the Toronto Maple Leafs. The Maroons finished the 1932–33 season in second place in the Canadian division and even had three of the top six players in league points. However, Montreal

8280-901: 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

8395-417: 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

8510-400: 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

8625-576: 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

8740-472: 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

8855-429: 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

8970-476: 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

9085-415: The league. However, the new Forum was selling out and, with the addition of players Nels Stewart , Babe Siebert and Bill Phillips, success came quickly. In a single year, the Maroons went from having their worst record in franchise history to their best. In only their second season of operation, Montreal won their first Stanley Cup . The NHL playoffs that year were a two-game total-goals format. Montreal won

9200-430: The longest NHL playoff game of all time. On March 24–25, the Maroons lost 1–0 to the Detroit Red Wings in 176:30 of play (16:30 of the sixth overtime period). The game was especially significant for Detroit goaltender Normie Smith, who began his career with the Maroons. He shut out the Maroons again in the second game, and allowed Detroit to complete a three-game sweep by allowing only one goal. Detroit proceeded to win

9315-480: The necessary funds for a hockey team. They also made sure to clarify that the Maroons franchise rights would expire in April 1947 unless something was done with them. Peto was able to get the necessary funding, and persuaded the league to transfer the Maroons to Philadelphia. However, despite being larger than all but two NHL cities, Philadelphia did not have an arena that could accommodate an NHL team. The Palestra at

9430-490: The new head coach, and Tim Hunter and Rob Zettler as assistant coaches. Montreal Maroons The Montreal Maroons (officially the Montreal Professional Hockey Club ) were a professional ice hockey team in the National Hockey League (NHL). They played in the NHL from 1924 to 1938 , winning the Stanley Cup in 1926 and 1935 . They were the last non- Original Six team to win

9545-630: 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

9660-741: The opening series over the Pittsburgh Pirates 6–4, then upset the favored Ottawa Senators 2–1. In the NHL playoff final, Montreal defeated Ottawa to advance to the Stanley Cup Finals against the Victoria Cougars of the Western Hockey League . In the last Stanley Cup Finals involving two different leagues, Montreal defeated Victoria three games to one. Contributing to the victory was rookie, and future Hall of Fame member, Nels Stewart, who scored six of

9775-427: 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

9890-405: 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

10005-410: 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

10120-475: The previous failure of the St. Louis Eagles led to the league refusing permission. At the 1945 annual league meeting, held on September 7, it was noted that the backers of the Maroons franchise were in discussion to sell to a group from Philadelphia fronted by Canadiens board member Len Peto . The league governors were prepared to approve the transfer, provided the Philadelphia group could prove they had

10235-557: 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

10350-471: 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

10465-480: The semi-finals. 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

10580-404: 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

10695-483: The semifinals of the playoffs. The Maroons then met the New York Rangers for the 1928 Stanley Cup Finals , but lost the series three games to two. Because the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus occupied Madison Square Garden , all five games were played at the Forum. The 1928–29 season was an oddly bad season for the Maroons, as they finished last in the Canadian division. However, they rebounded in

10810-461: The six head coaches of the Maroons were also honoured. Financial difficulties resulting from the Great Depression led to the Maroons suspending play after 1938. Despite efforts to revive the team, the franchise was cancelled in 1947, leaving the Canadiens as the sole NHL team in Montreal. Since the Maroons' demise, no NHL team that has won a Stanley Cup at any point in its history has subsequently folded or relocated. The Montreal Maroons hockey team

10925-440: 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

11040-401: 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,

11155-410: 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

11270-400: 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

11385-429: 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

11500-431: The upcoming season or not. The league allowed the Maroons to suspend operations for the 1938–39 season . Lacking a formal dispersal draft, some of the Maroons were transferred to the Canadiens. Most of the Maroons players were either sold to the remaining NHL teams or washed out of the league altogether. The Maroons' owners tried to sell their dormant franchise to interests in St. Louis, Missouri , but doubts regarding

11615-599: 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

11730-457: 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

11845-410: 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

11960-520: Was a 6-3 loss on March 17 against the Canadiens. They finished the season with a record of 12 wins, 30 losses and 6 ties for 30 points in 48 games, placing the team last in the Canadian Division and last overall in the league. At the annual league meeting on June 22, the Maroons formally asked the league to suspend the franchise for a year; this was refused, and the league asked the Maroons to confirm by August 1 if they were to participate in

12075-556: Was actually quite enthusiastic about having a second franchise in the same city; rather, he would later state, he "saw in them an important and lucrative local rivalry." At the time of their founding, the Maroons had no nickname. The Maroons' president, James Strachan , had been the owner of the Wanderers in the 1900s. He attempted to secure the Wanderers name, but negotiations failed (Wanderers' last owner Sam Lichtenhein wanted CA$ 5,000 (equivalent to about $ 87,278 in 2023) ), so

12190-489: 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

12305-399: 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

12420-685: Was created to appeal to the anglophone neighbourhoods of Montreal. On January 2, 1918, the Montreal Arena , shared by the Montreal Canadiens and the Montreal Wanderers , burned down. The Canadiens, who drew primarily Montreal's francophones, moved to the Jubilee Arena which, in 1919, also burned down, before settling in the Mount Royal Arena , which had natural ice and seating for 3,250. The Wanderers, team of Montreal's anglophone community, folded. By 1922, work began to build

12535-406: Was eliminated in the first round of the playoffs by Detroit. In the playoffs of the 1933–34 season, the Chicago Black Hawks eliminated both Montreal teams, first defeating the Canadiens, then upsetting the Maroons in the semifinals. In 1935, Leo Dandurand, owner of the Montreal Canadiens, sold that team to Canadian Arena Company, (Ernest Savard, Louis Gelinas and Maurice Forget), which also owned

12650-519: 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

12765-472: 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

12880-417: 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

12995-491: 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

13110-511: 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

13225-632: 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

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