Toronto Maple Leafs
The Toronto Maple Leafs are an ice hockey team in the National Hockey League (NHL).
| Toronto Maple Leafs | |
|---|---|
| Conference | Eastern |
| Division | Atlantic |
| Founded | 1917 |
| History | Toronto Arenas 1917–1919 Toronto St. Patricks 1919–1927 Toronto Maple Leafs 1927–present |
| Home arena | Scotiabank Arena |
| City | Toronto, Ontario |
| Colours | Blue, white[1][2] |
| Media | Leafs Nation Network Sportsnet Ontario TSN4 Sportsnet 590 The Fan TSN Radio 1050 |
| Owner(s) | Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment Ltd. (Larry Tanenbaum, chairman) |
| General manager | Kyle Dubas |
| Head coach | Sheldon Keefe |
| Captain | John Tavares |
| Minor league affiliates | Toronto Marlies (AHL) Newfoundland Growlers (ECHL) |
| Stanley Cups | 13 (1917–18, 1921–22, 1931–32, 1941–42, 1944–45, 1946–47, 1947–48, 1948–49, 1950–51, 1961–62, 1962–63, 1963–64, 1966–67) |
| Conference championships | 0 |
| Presidents' Trophies | 0[note 1] |
| Division championships | 6 (1932–33, 1933–34, 1934–35, 1937–38, 1999–2000, 2020–21) |
| Official website | www |
Origin
They were formed in 1917 as one of the six original NHL teams. They were called the Toronto Arenas, but changed their name to St. Patricks, then to Maple Leafs, in the 1920s. The maple leaf is a symbol of Canada. The hockey team was actually named for an older team, a minor league baseball team called the Toronto Maple Leafs.
History
The Maple Leafs have won the Stanley Cup championship 13 times, more than any team except the Montreal Canadiens. However, they have not won since 1967.
Early years
They won in their first year, 1918, and then again in 1922 and 1932. In their early years, they had many NHL scoring champions: "Babe" Dye in 1923 and 1925, "Ace" Bailey in 1929, Harvey "Busher" Jackson in 1932, Charlie Conacher in 1934 and 1935, and Gordie Drillon in 1938. However, no Toronto player has been scoring champion since then.
Victories
They were a strong team in the 1940s. They won the Stanley Cup in 1942 against the Detroit Red Wings, four games to three, even though they were losing three games to none at one point. This was the first of six championships in ten years; they also won in 1945, then three years in a row: 1947, 1948, and 1949, and again in 1951. Some of their best players in that time included goaltender Turk Broda, forward Syl Apps, and defence "Babe" Pratt, who won the Hart Trophy as the most valuable player in 1944. Ted "Teeder" Kennedy won the Hart Trophy in 1955; but no other Maple Leaf has won that award.
The team won four Stanley Cups in the 1960s: three in a row - 1962, 1963, and 1964 - and again in 1967. Frank Mahovlich, a left winger, was the star player. They were also led by defenceman Tim Horton (who began the Tim Horton's doughnut shops), center Dave Keon, goaltender Johnny Bower, and winger George Armstrong. Keon won the Conn Smythe Trophy as the top player in the playoffs in 1967.
Later years
In the late 1970s, the Maple Leafs were a good team, with players such as centre Darryl Sittler (who scored a record 10 points in one game) and Swedish defence Borje Salming (one of the first Europeans to play in the NHL). However, there were 18 NHL teams by then, so it was hard to come first. Wendel Clark was a strong player in the 1980s; he became the team's all-time top scorer. Mats Sundin was another Swedish star in the 1990s and 2000s. They also had some good goaltenders around this time: Curtis Joseph, then Ed Belfour.
Toronto Maple Leafs Media
Team photo of the Arenas from the 1917–18 season. The club won its first Stanley Cup in their inaugural season.
Team photo of the club during the 1921–22 season. Then known as the St. Patricks, the club won its second Stanley Cup in 1922.
Opening ceremony for the first game at Maple Leaf Gardens on 11 November 1931
The Kid Line consisted of Charlie Conacher, Joe Primeau, and Busher Jackson (left to right). They led the Leafs to win the 1932 Stanley Cup, as well as four more Stanley Cup finals appearances over the next six years.
The Maple Leafs score against Detroit during the 1942 Cup Finals. The Leafs went on to win the series, performing the only reverse-sweep in the Finals.
Maple Leafs players during the 1946–47 season. The team would win its sixth Stanley Cup that season.
Johnny Bower was the Maple Leafs' goaltender from 1958 to 1969. He helped the team win four Cups.
Captaining the team from 1958 to 1969, George Armstrong led the team to four Stanley Cups. Armstrong is the all-time leader in games played with the Maple Leafs.
Punch Imlach won four Cups as the Leafs' coach in the 1960s. However, his second stint as general manager in the 1979–80 season was controversial, as he traded Lanny McDonald, and engaged in a public dispute with team captain Darryl Sittler.
First game between the Leafs and Chicago Blackhawks during the 1994 Stanley Cup playoffs.
_(cropped).jpg)
References
- ↑ Ledra, Cristina; Pickens, Pat (November 22, 2016). NHL team nicknames explained. NHL Enterprises, L.P.. https://www.nhl.com/news/nhl-team-nickname-origins-explained/c-283976168. Retrieved June 13, 2019. "Conn Smythe bought the Toronto St. Pats in 1927 after the franchise almost had been sold to a group in Philadelphia. He immediately changed the name of the team to the Maple Leafs to honor Canada's soldiers who wore the Maple Leaf while fighting during World War I. "We chose it ... hoping that the possession of this badge would mean something to the team that wore it and when they skated out on the ice with this badge on their chest ... they would wear it with honor and pride and courage, the way it had been worn by the soldiers of the first Great War in the Canadian Army," said Smythe, who also changed the team's colors from green and white to blue and white.".
- ↑ "History". MapleLeafs.com. NHL Enterprises, L.P. Retrieved June 28, 2021.
Notes