Toronto Maple Leafs

The Toronto Maple Leafs are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. They play in the National Hockey League (NHL). The organization is officially known as the Toronto Maple Leaf Hockey Club.

Franchise history

Early years (1917-26)

The NHL was formed in 1917 for one reason -to kick out Eddie Livingstone, owner of the Toronto Blueshirts franchise of the forerunner National Hockey Association. Livingstone was accused of creating unfair advantages for himself and his team. However, the other three charter NHL teams--the Montreal Canadiens, Ottawa Senators and Montreal Wanderers--believed it would be unthinkable not to have a team in Toronto. They decided to grant Toronto a new team, the Arenas (run by the Arena Gardens). However, Livingstone would still get to lease his players to the team. The Arenas won the Stanley Cup in the NHL's inaugural season.

The team would be renamed the St. Patricks in the midst of a losing stretch in 1919, but would once again reach the Cup in 1922, with Babe Dye (who had an overtime winner in game two and four goals in the deciding fifth game) being the team's hero. They would narrowly miss the playoffs in 1923, despite Dye's 26 goals in only 22 games.

The Conn Smythe era

In February 1927, Conn Smythe purchased the St. Pats and renamed them the Maple Leafs. Smythe had put together the New York Rangers in 1926, but was fired before the season started. He kept the St. Pats' green uniforms for one year as a nod to the old team's fans. However, the next season, the Leafs appeared for the first time in the blue and white sweaters they have worn ever since. While the Leafs say that blue represents the Canadian skies and white represents snow, it is also true that top-level Toronto teams have worn blue since the CFL's Toronto Argonauts adopted blue as their primary colour in 1873.

After four more lackluster seasons, Smythe and the Leafs debuted their new arena, Maple Leaf Gardens, in November 1931, and their Kid Line (Busher Jackson, Charlie Conacher, and Joe Primeau), which would propel them to Toronto's third Cup victory during the first season in their new digs. They would go the distance in the semi-finals against the Boston Bruins in 1932, winning in the sixth overtime of the final game, but would be overwhelmed in the Stanley Cup finals by the New York Rangers. The Leafs' star forward, Ace Bailey, was nearly killed in 1933 when Boston Bruins' defenceman Eddie Shore checked him from behind into the boards. Defenceman Red Horner was able to knock Shore out with a punch, but it was too late and Bailey's career was over. Undeterred, the Leafs would reach the finals five more times in the next seven years, but would not win, bowing out to the now-defunct Montreal Maroons, the Detroit Red Wings in 1936, the Chicago Blackhawks in 1938, the Boston Bruins in 1939, and the New York Rangers in 1940.

They looked sure to suffer a similar fate in 1942, down three games to none in a best-of-seven final in 1942 against the Detroit Red Wings. Fourth-line forward Don Metz would galvanize the team, coming from nowhere to score a hat trick in game 4 and the game-winning goal in game 5, with the Leafs winning both times. Captain Syl Apps, Sr. had won the Lady Byng Trophy that season, not taking one penalty and finishing his ten-season career with an average of 5.6 penalty minutes a season. Goalie Turk Broda would shut out the Wings in game 6, and Sweeney Schriner would score two goals in the third period to win the seventh game 3-1. It was the first time a major pro sports team came back from behind 3-0 to win a best-of-seven championship series.

Three years later, with their heroes from 1942 dwindling (due to either age, health, or the war), the Leafs turned to lesser-known players like goalie Frank McCool and blueliner Babe Pratt. They would upset the Detroit Red Wings in the 1945 finals.

The Habs would be the Leafs' nemesis two years later when they met in the 1947 finals. Ted "Teeder" Kennedy would score the game-winning goal late in game 6 to win the Leafs their first of three straight Cups -- the first time any NHL team had accomplished that feat. It may have been four straight (or even five, considering what happened in 1951), had the Red Wings' Leo Reise not scored in sudden-death of game 7 of the Detroit-Toronto semi-final series in 1950.

The Leafs and Habs would meet once again in the finals in 1951, with all five games going to overtime. Max Bentley scored with 32 seconds left in the third period of game 5 to send it to an extra period, and defenceman Bill Barilko, who had scored only six goals in the regular season, scored the game-winner to win Toronto their fourth Cup in five years. Barilko's glory was short-lived: He disappeared in a plane crash near Timmins, Ontario barely four months after that historic moment. Barilko's legacy is still remembered over 50 years later, and the band The Tragically Hip's "Fifty Mission Cap" is based on his plight.

The last great Leafs teams

Toronto was unable to match up with their Cup-winning teams of the late 40's and early 50's for a long time, and stronger teams like the Detroit Red Wings and Montreal Canadiens won the cup year-after-year. They did not win another Stanley Cup until 1962, ironically the same year that Barilko's remains were discovered.

The Leafs were able to reel off three straight Stanley Cup victories from 1962 to 1964, with the help of Hall of Famers Frank Mahovlich, Red Kelly, Johnny Bower, Dave Keon, Andy Bathgate and Tim Horton.

In 1967, the Leafs and Habs met in the Cup finals for the last time. Montreal was considered to be a heavy favourite as analysts said that the Leafs were just a bunch of has-beens. But Bob Pulford scored the double-overtime winner in game 3, Jim Pappin got the game winner in game 6, and Keon won the Conn Smythe Trophy as Most Valuable Player of the playoffs as the Maple Leafs won in six games. That showed everybody that experience can win Stanley Cups. The Leafs have not won the Stanley Cup, or even been to the finals, since that year, while Montreal would churn out eleven Cup victories during the Leafs' now-39-year drought.

The Ballard Years

During the 1970s, the Leafs, led by a group of stars such as Darryl Sittler (the all-time leading scorer for the franchise), Lanny McDonald, Keon, enforcer Dave "Tiger" Williams, and Börje Salming (the first Swede to make a name for himself in the NHL) were able to ice competitive teams for several seasons. On February 7, 1976, in fact, Sittler would score six goals and four assists against the Boston Bruins, posting a now three-decade-long NHL single-game record. But they only once made it past the second round of the playoffs, besting the New York Islanders, a to-be 1980s Stanley Cup dynasty, in the 1978 quarter-finals, only to be swept by their arch-nemesis team, the Montreal Canadiens, in the semi-finals.

The 1980s were dominated by longtime owner Harold Ballard. Ballard was part of a partnership that bought the team from Conn Smythe in 1961 (along with Conn's son Stafford and newspaper baron John Bassett), and won a battle for control of the team in 1971. One of the most detested owners in NHL history, he traded away many of the team's most popular players (including Sittler, McDonald, and Keon). Ballard assumed (correctly, as it turned out) that games at Maple Leaf Gardens would be sellouts regardless of the team's on-ice quality, and thus refused outright to see any point in setting a payroll higher than necessary to be profitable.

The result was a Toronto Maple Leafs team that was barely competitive from 1980 to 1992. In that stretch the Leafs failed to post a winning record, missing the playoffs five times and only finishing above fourth in their division once. They only made it out of the first round once (in 1986, advancing to the division finals), winning only 11 games in seven playoff trips. The Leafs landed several high draft picks, but none of them would pan out, not with Ballard breathing down their necks around. They also didn't retain quality talent scouts since Ballard felt completely selfish, uninterested in dealing with stars who would inevitably demand a high salary. Most high-calibre players weren't interested in coming to Toronto anyway due to the bad reputation Ballard himself relished having. One of the few bright spots during this period was the popular star Wendel Clark. Many fans consider the Ballard era as the darkest period in the franchise's history.

Resurgence in and after the 1990s

Ballard died in 1990, and Steve Stavro, a reclusive supermarket tycoon, eventually bought the team. After a few more years of rebuilding, in 1993 the Leafs reached the upper echelons of the NHL. Doug Gilmour, who had come over from the Calgary Flames the previous season, scored 32 goals and 127 points to lead the team in scoring. Dave Andreychuk had also come to the Leafs (from the Buffalo Sabres) and would score 25 goals in 31 games, as well as being the league's leading power-play goal scorer. Felix Potvin was solid with a 2.50 goals-against average. Toronto had their highest point total in team history to that date, with 99. The Leafs dispatched the Red Wings in the first round with an overtime winner in game seven, then won the Norris Division final by winning over the St. Louis Blues.

With Montreal facing the New York Islanders in the Wales Conference finals, Canadians were once again dreaming of a Montreal-Toronto clash for the Cup as the Leafs faced the Los Angeles Kings in the Campbell Conference Final. The Leafs were up 3-2 in the series, but lost game 6 in a game that will go down in infamy for Leafs fans: many believe that a missed high sticking call on Gilmour cost them the game. Wayne Gretzky's hat trick in game 7 put a damper on that though, as the Kings moved on to the finals.

Those hoping for an all-Canadian Stanley Cup final in 1993 had to make do with an all-Canadian Western Conference final (newly renamed from the Campbell Conference) in 1994. The Leafs, however, were no match for the Vancouver Canucks, losing in five games.

After two years out of the playoffs in the late 1990s, the Leafs made another charge in the 1999 playoffs, moving out of Maple Leaf Gardens and into the new Air Canada Centre. Mats Sundin, who joined the team from the Quebec Nordiques in 1994, had one of his most productive seasons, scoring 31 goals and totaling 83 points. Sergei Berezin scored 37 goals, Curtis Joseph won 35 games with a 2.56 GAA average, and enforcer Tie Domi racked up 198 penalty minutes. The Leafs eliminated the Philadelphia Flyers and Pittsburgh Penguins in the first two rounds of the playoffs, but lost in five games to the Buffalo Sabres in the Eastern Conference finals.

The Maple Leafs would reach the second round in both 2000 and 2001, losing both times to the New Jersey Devils, who would make the Stanley Cup Finals both seasons. In 2002, they would dispatch the Islanders and Ottawa Senators in the first two rounds, but would lose to the cinderella Carolina Hurricanes in the Conference finals. The 2002 season was particularly impressive in that the Leafs had many of their better players sidelined by injuries against the Islanders and Senators, and managed to make it to the conference finals with thanks to the skills and determination of lesser-known players. And only because short but hard forward Darcy Tucker has a reputation for checking everything in sight may the Maple Leafs have won the 2002 Islanders series. Tucker was not punished in Game 5 of that series for his blindsiding of Islanders captain Michael Peca. Without Peca, the Islanders couldn't go on properly. Unfortunately, poor Toronto would have to go through that while Sundin was injured in the Eastern Conference Finals. (By the way, the Carolina Hurricanes, the Leafs' conference finals opponent, finally lost the Stanley Cup, despite Erik Cole leading all NHL rookies in the playoffs with six goals and nine points three assists weren't leading).

Curtis Joseph left to go to the Red Wings in the 2002 off-season; the team almost immediately found a replacement in veteran Ed Belfour, who had come over from the Dallas Stars. Belfour could not help their playoff woes in the 2003 playoffs, however, as they lost to the Philadelphia Flyers in seven games in the first round. The 2003-04 season started in an uncommon way for the team, as they held their training camp in Sweden, and playing in the NHL Challenge against teams from Sweden and Finland. That year, the Leafs posted a franchise record number of points and finished fourth in the Eastern Conference. They defeated the Senators in the first round of the playoffs for the fourth time in five years, but lost in the second round, this time against the Flyers in six games. The Leafs did not make the playoffs in 2006.

The Toronto Maple Leafs are the only Original Six franchise to have not reached the Stanley Cup Finals since the 1967 NHL Expansion. The Chicago Blackhawks, the only other Original Six team not to win a Stanley Cup since 1967 (who haven't won since 1961), have been to the Finals three times since then. Toronto's greatest arch-rival, the Montreal Canadiens, have won eleven Cups since the Leafs' last win. Toronto have been swept in the playoffs at total of 6 times throughout the franchise history.

The team's management has been widely criticized for the trading away of vital draft picks in exchange for veteran players throughout the 90's, right up to the lost season of 2004-2005 due to the NHL lockout.

Following

The Leafs are an immensely popular team, and have the largest fan base in the world. In November 2002, however, the Maple Leafs were named by Sports Illustrated hockey writer Michael Farber as the Most Hated Team in Hockey. Fans of other Canadian NHL teams complain that the team receives excessive coverage on television and in the print media, and that Hockey Night in Canada routinely televises Leaf games against even weak opponents rather than games involving the other Canadian clubs, even when they are more meaningful in terms of playoff implications. He even mentioned that many rival fans believe that the refs were partial towards the Leafs. Games are usually quite heated whenever the Leafs play in other Canadian NHL cities. Some of those other Canadian NHL cities have quite sizable contingents of Leafs fans of their own since the Leafs were the only English Canadian team from 1938 until the Vancouver Canucks joined the league in 1970. Their greatest rival will always be the Montreal Canadiens, given the long history of Original Six matchups between the two clubs. The fact that Montreal is Canada's main French-speaking city also gives the rivalry a nationalistic flair, which is perhaps best captured in the popular Canadian short story, "The Hockey Sweater". The rivalry with the Ottawa Senators has heated up in recent years.

The Leafs' biggest U.S.-based rivals have been the Philadelphia Flyers, who defeated the Leafs in the 2003 and 2004 Stanley Cup Playoffs. The Buffalo Sabres have also been cited as notable American rivals of the Leafs, mainly due to Buffalo's close proximity to the Canadian border. If the Maple Leafs are playing the Florida Panthers in December there are usually more Leaf fans in the arena as well due to a large contigent of Torontonians visiting South Florida around that time.

Maple Leafs home games have long been one of the toughest tickets in Canada, even during lean periods. While scalping is technically illegal in Toronto, it is virtually the only way to get into a Leafs home game, even at the much larger Air Canada Centre.

Current developments

On January 28, 2006, the Leafs lost their eighth game in a row, their first streak of that length in 10 years, before head coach Pat Quinn joined the team. That was a home overtime loss versus arch-nemesis Montreal Canadiens, and when Montreal right-winger Alexei Kovalev caught Toronto backup goalie Mikael Tellqvist with an empty-net goal, the game turned by way of Montreal, and eventually Saku Koivu would lock up the Leafs in overtime in a low-shooting game, 4-3. The streak was snapped on January 30, 2006, with a win against the Florida Panthers.

Despite a late-season surge, which included more ice time for goaltender Jean-Sébastien Aubin, the Leafs were eliminated from playoff contention for the first time since 1998 on April 15, 2006. This marked the first time that the team missed the playoffs under coach Pat Quinn, and as a result he was fired along with assistant coach Rick Ley five days later. Defenceman Aki Berg left the team shortly afterwards. Paul Maurice, the former head coach of the Leafs' AHL affiliate, the Toronto Marlies, and a former NHL head coach who led the Carolina Hurricanes to victory over the Leafs in the 2002 Eastern Conference final was announced as Pat Quinn's replacement^*. After much speculation on whether Bryan McCabe would remain a Maple Leaf or not, Toronto wrote up a five-year contract on June 1st, which McCabe signed on June 28, which means that McCabe will remain in Toronto for at least half another decade. At the 2006 NHL Entry Draft the Leafs selected Jiri Tlusty with the 13th Overall pick. On the same day, the Leafs traded 2005 first round pick Tuukka Rask to the Boston Bruins for Goaltender Andrew Raycroft. Raycroft will fight Aubin and Tellqvist to take over as #1 goaltender.

On June 30, 2006 the Maple Leafs bought out the contract of long-time fan favourite, Tie Domi. In addition to Domi, the Maple Leafs also decided against picking up the option year on the contract of goaltender Ed Belfour. Both players became free agents on July 1, 2006, effectively ending their tenures with the Toronto Maple Leafs.

On July 1, 2006 the Maple Leafs signed free agent defencemen Hal Gill (from Boston) and Pavel Kubina (from Tampa Bay) to long term deals.

Season-by-season record

Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, OTL = Overtime losses, Pts = Points, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against, PIM = Penalties in minutes

Season	Team Name	GP	W	L	T	OTL	Pts	GF	GA	PIM	Finish	Playoffs
1917-18	Arenas	22	13	9	0	--	26	108	109	--	1st (tie) in NHL	Won Stanley Cup
1918-19	Arenas	18	5	13	0	--	10	65	92	262	3rd (last) in NHL	Out of playoffs
1919-20	St. Patricks	24	12	12	0	--	24	119	106	219	3rd in NHL	Out of playoffs
1920-21	St. Patricks	24	15	9	0	--	30	105	100	254	1st in NHL	Lost in Finals
1921-22	St. Patricks	24	13	10	1	--	27	98	97	114	2nd in NHL	Won Stanley Cup
1922-23	St. Patricks	24	13	10	1	--	27	82	88	200	3rd in NHL	Out of playoffs
1923-24	St. Patricks	24	10	14	0	--	20	59	85	178	3rd in NHL	Out of playoffs
1924-25	St. Patricks	30	19	11	0	--	38	90	84	249	2nd in NHL	Lost NHL Semi-Final
1925-26	St. Patricks	36	12	21	3	--	27	92	114	325	6th in NHL	Out of playoffs
1926-27	St. Pats/Leafs¹	44	15	24	5	--	35	79	94	546	5th (last) in Canadian	Out of playoffs
1927-28	Maple Leafs	44	18	18	8	--	44	89	88	436	4th in Canadian	Out of playoffs
1928-29	Maple Leafs	44	21	18	5	--	47	85	69	541	3rd in Canadian	Lost in 2nd round
1929-30	Maple Leafs	44	17	21	6	--	40	116	124	613	4th in Canadian	Out of playoffs
1930-31	Maple Leafs	44	22	13	9	--	53	118	99	540	2nd in Canadian	Lost in 1st round
1931-32	Maple Leafs	48	23	18	7	--	53	155	127	625	2nd in Canadian	Won Stanley Cup
1932-33	Maple Leafs	48	24	18	6	--	54	119	111	622	1st in Canadian	Lost in finals
1933-34	Maple Leafs	48	26	13	9	--	61	174	119	529	1st in Canadian	Lost Semi-Final
1934-35	Maple Leafs	48	30	14	4	--	64	157	111	444	1st in Canadian	Lost in finals
1935-36	Maple Leafs	48	23	19	6	--	52	126	106	579	2nd in Canadian	Lost in finals
1936-37	Maple Leafs	48	22	21	5	--	49	119	115	371	3rd in Canadian	Lost Quarter Finals
1937-38	Maple Leafs	48	24	15	9	--	57	151	127	404	1st in Canadian	Lost in finals
1938-39	Maple Leafs	48	19	20	9	--	47	114	107	370	3rd in NHL	Lost in finals
1939-40	Maple Leafs	48	25	17	6	--	56	134	110	485	3rd in NHL	Lost in finals
1940-41	Maple Leafs	48	28	14	6	--	62	145	99	306	2nd in NHL	Lost Semi-Final
1941-42	Maple Leafs	48	27	18	3	--	57	158	136	341	2nd in NHL	Won Stanley Cup
1942-43	Maple Leafs	50	22	19	9	--	53	198	159	431	3rd in NHL	Lost Final
1943-44	Maple Leafs	50	23	23	4	--	50	214	174	303	3rd in NHL	Lost Semi-Final
1944-45	Maple Leafs	50	24	22	4	--	52	183	161	317	3rd in NHL	Won Stanley Cup
1945-46	Maple Leafs	50	19	24	7	--	45	174	185	247	5th in NHL	Out of playoffs
1946-47	Maple Leafs	60	31	19	10	--	72	209	172	669	2nd in NHL	Won Stanley Cup
1947-48	Maple Leafs	60	32	15	13	--	77	182	143	758	1st in NHL	Won Stanley Cup
1948-49	Maple Leafs	60	22	25	13	--	57	147	161	706	4th in NHL	Won Stanley Cup
1949-50	Maple Leafs	70	31	27	12	--	74	176	173	804	3rd in NHL	Lost in 1st round
1950-51	Maple Leafs	70	41	16	13	--	95	212	138	823	2nd in NHL	Won Stanley Cup
1951-52	Maple Leafs	70	29	25	16	--	74	168	157	841	3rd in NHL	Lost Semi-Final
1952-53	Maple Leafs	70	27	30	13	--	67	156	167	812	5th in NHL	Out of playoffs
1953-54	Maple Leafs	70	32	24	14	--	78	152	131	1022	3rd in NHL	Lost Semi-Final
1954-55	Maple Leafs	70	24	24	22	--	70	147	135	990	3rd in NHL	Lost Semi-Final
1955-56	Maple Leafs	70	24	33	13	--	61	153	181	1051	4th in NHL	Out of playoffs
1956-57	Maple Leafs	70	21	34	15	--	57	174	192	829	5th in NHL	Out of playoffs
1957-58	Maple Leafs	70	21	38	11	--	53	192	226	861	6th (last) in NHL	Out of playoffs
1958-59	Maple Leafs	70	27	32	11	--	65	189	201	846	4th in NHL	Lost in finals
1959-60	Maple Leafs	70	35	26	9	--	79	199	195	859	2nd in NHL	Lost in finals
1960-61	Maple Leafs	70	39	19	12	--	90	234	176	844	2nd in NHL	Lost Semi-Final
1961-62	Maple Leafs	70	37	22	11	--	85	232	180	762	2nd in NHL	Won Stanley Cup
1962-63	Maple Leafs	70	35	23	12	--	82	221	180	816	1st in NHL	Won Stanley Cup
1963-64	Maple Leafs	70	33	25	12	--	78	192	172	928	3rd in NHL	Won Stanley Cup
1964-65	Maple Leafs	70	30	26	14	--	74	204	173	1068	4th in NHL	Lost Semi-Final
1965-66	Maple Leafs	70	34	25	11	--	79	208	187	811	3rd in NHL	Lost Semi-Final
1966-67	Maple Leafs	70	32	27	11	--	75	204	211	736	3rd in NHL	Won Stanley Cup
1967-68	Maple Leafs	74	33	31	10	--	76	209	176	634	5th in East	Out of playoffs
1968-69	Maple Leafs	76	35	26	15	--	85	234	217	961	4th in East	Lost Quarter-Final
1969-70	Maple Leafs	76	29	34	13	--	71	222	242	898	6th (last) in East	Out of playoffs
1970-71	Maple Leafs	78	37	33	8	--	82	248	211	1133	4th in East	Lost Quarter-Final
1971-72	Maple Leafs	78	33	31	14	--	80	209	208	887	4th in East	Lost Quarter Final
1972-73	Maple Leafs	78	27	41	10	--	64	247	279	716	6th in East	Out of playoffs
1973-74	Maple Leafs	78	35	27	16	--	86	274	230	903	4th in East	Lost Quarter-Final
1974-75	Maple Leafs	80	31	33	16	--	78	280	309	1079	3rd in Adams	Lost Quarter-Final
1975-76	Maple Leafs	80	34	31	15	--	83	294	276	1368	3rd in Adams	Lost Quarter-Final
1976-77	Maple Leafs	80	33	32	15	--	81	301	285	1200	3rd in Adams	Lost Quarter-Final
1977-78	Maple Leafs	80	41	29	10	--	92	271	237	1258	3rd in Admas	Lost Semi-Final
1978-79	Maple Leafs	80	34	33	13	--	81	267	252	1440	3rd in Adams	Lost Quarter-Final
1979-80	Maple Leafs	80	35	40	5	--	75	304	327	1158	4th in Adams	Lost Prelim. Round
1980-81	Maple Leafs	80	28	37	15	--	71	322	367	1830	5th (last) in Adams	Lost Prelim. Round
1981-82	Maple Leafs	80	20	44	16	--	56	298	380	1888	5th in Norris	Out of playoffs
1982-83	Maple Leafs	80	28	40	12	--	68	293	330	1481	3rd in Norris	Lost 1st round
1983-84	Maple Leafs	80	26	45	9	--	61	303	387	1682	5th (last) in Norris	Out of playoffs
1984-85	Maple Leafs	80	20	52	8	--	48	253	358	1627	5th (last) in Norris	Out of playoffs
1985-86	Maple Leafs	80	25	48	7	--	57	311	386	1716	4th in Norris	Lost Norris Final
1986-87	Maple Leafs	80	32	42	6	--	70	286	319	1827	4th in Norris	Lost Norris Final
1987-88	Maple Leafs	80	21	49	10	--	52	273	345	1782	4th in Norris	Lost in 1st round
1988-89	Maple Leafs	80	28	46	6	--	62	259	342	1740	5th (last) in Norris	Out of playoffs
1989-90	Maple Leafs	80	38	38	4	--	80	337	358	2419	3rd in Norris	Lost Preliminary
1990-91	Maple Leafs	80	23	46	11	--	57	241	318	1962	5th (last) in Norris	Out of playoffs
1991-92	Maple Leafs	80	30	43	7	--	67	234	294	1734	5th (last) in Norris	Out of playoffs
1992-93	Maple Leafs	84	44	29	11	--	99	288	241	1815	3rd in Norris	Lost in Conference Finals
1993-94	Maple Leafs	84	43	29	12	--	98	280	243	1877	2nd in Central	Lost in Conference Finals
1994-95²	Maple Leafs	48	21	19	8	--	50	135	146	744	4th in Central	Lost in 1st round
1995-96	Maple Leafs	82	34	36	12	--	80	247	252	1742	3rd in Central	Lost in 1st round
1996-97	Maple Leafs	82	30	44	8	--	68	230	273	1331	6th (last) in Central	Out of playoffs
1997-98	Maple Leafs	82	30	43	9	--	69	194	237	1481	6th (last) in Central	Out of playoffs
1998-99	Maple Leafs	82	45	30	7	--	97	268	231	1095	2nd in Northeast	Lost in Conference Finals
1999-00	Maple Leafs	82	45	27	7	3	100	246	222	1103	1st in Northeast	Lost in 2nd round
2000-01	Maple Leafs	82	37	29	11	5	90	232	207	1430	3rd in Northeast	Lost in 2nd round
2001-02	Maple Leafs	82	43	25	10	4	100	249	207	1212	2nd in Northeast	Lost in Conference Finals
2002-03	Maple Leafs	82	44	28	7	3	98	236	208	1390	2nd in Northeast	Lost in 1st round
2003-04	Maple Leafs	82	45	24	10	3	103	242	204	1452	2nd in Northeast	Lost in 2nd Round
2004-05³	Maple Leafs	--	--	--	--	--	--	--	--	--	--	--
2005-06⁴	Maple Leafs	82	41	33	--	8	90	257	270	1291	4th in Northeast	Out of Playoffs
Season	Team Name	GP	W	L	T	OTL	Pts	GF	GA	PIM	Finish	Playoffs
Grand Totals	Maple Leafs	5610	2447	2352	783	25	5708	17384	17251	81703	--	--

¹ In February, 1927, Conn Smythe, the new owner of the team, changed the team name and logo from "St. Patricks" to "Maple Leafs".

² Season was shortened due to the 1994-95 NHL lockout.

³ Season was cancelled due to the 2004-05 NHL lockout.

⁴ As of this season, games remaining tied after overtime are decided by shootout.

Notable players

Current squad

As of July 17, 2006 ^*

Goaltenders
Number	Player	Catches	Acquired	Place of Birth
1	Andrew Raycroft	L	2006	Belleville, Ontario
30	Jean-Sébastien Aubin	R	2004	Montreal, Quebec
32	Mikael Tellqvist	L	2000	Sundbyberg, Sweden

Defencemen
Number	Player	Shoots	Acquired	Place of Birth
15	Tomáš Kaberle - A	L	1996	Rakovník, Czechoslovakia
24	Bryan McCabe - A	L	2001	St. Catharines, Ontario
25	Hal Gill	L	2006	Concord, Massachusetts
45	Carlo Colaiacovo	L	2001	Toronto, Ontario
56	Andy Wozniewski	L	2003	Buffalo Grove, Illinois
-	Pavel Kubina	R	2006	Celadna, Czechoslovakia

Forwards
Number	Player	Shoots	Position	Acquired	Place of Birth
3	Wade Belak	R	RW	2001	Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
10	Alexander Steen	L	C	2002	Winnipeg, Manitoba
13	Mats Sundin - C	R	C	1994	Bromma, Sweden
37	Mike Peca	R	C	2006	Toronto, Ontario
14	Matt Stajan	L	C	2002	Mississauga, Ontario
16	Darcy Tucker - A	L	LW	2000	Castor, Alberta
18	Chad Kilger	L	LW	2004	Cornwall, Ontario
23	Alexei Ponikarovsky	L	LW	1998	Kiev, U.S.S.R.
42	Kyle Wellwood	R	C	2001	Old Castle, Ontario
46	Ben Ondrus	R	RW	2003	Sherwood Park, Alberta
80	Nik Antropov	L	C	1998	Ust-Kamenogorsk, U.S.S.R.
92	Jeff O'Neill	R	RW	2005	Richmond Hill, Ontario
-	Bates Battaglia	L	LW	2005	Chicago, Illinois
-	Erik Westrum	L	C	2006	Minneapolis, Minnesota

Hall of Famers

Team captains

1. Hap Day 1927-37
2. Charlie Conacher 1937-38
3. Red Horner 1938-40
4. Syl Apps 1940-43, 1945-48
5. Bob Davidson 1943-45
6. Ted Kennedy 1948-55
7. Sid Smith 1955-56
8. Jimmy Thomson & Ted Kennedy 1956-57
9. George Armstrong 1957-69

10. Dave Keon 1969-75
11. Darryl Sittler 1975-81
12. Rick Vaive 1981-86
no captain 1986-89
13. Rob Ramage 1989-91
14. Wendel Clark 1991-94
15. Doug Gilmour 1994-97
16. Mats Sundin 1997- present

Retired numbers

5 Bill Barilko, D, 1947-51
6 Ace Bailey, LW, 1926-33

The Leafs have a policy of retiring numbers only for players "who have made a significant contribution to the Toronto Maple Leaf Hockey Club and have experienced a career-ending incident while a member of the Maple Leaf team".^*^* Barilko (whose career ended with death) and Bailey (whose career ended with a severe head injury) dubiously met the criteria. These two numbers were not officially retired until October 17, 1992. Ron Ellis received permission from Bailey, by the time of his career the Leafs' Director of Scouting, to wear number 6.

Honoured numbers

In 1993, the Leafs began a policy of "Honoured Numbers" for their greatest stars:

1 Turk Broda, G, 1937-52; and
- Johnny Bower, G, 1959-70; both honoured March 11, 1995.
7 King Clancy, D, 1931-37; Head Coach, 1953-56; and
- Tim Horton, D, 1950-70; both honoured November 21, 1995.
9 Charlie Conacher, RW, 1930-38; honoured February 28, 1998; and
- Ted Kennedy, C, 1943-57; honoured October 3, 1993.
10 Syl Apps, C, 1937-48; honoured October 3, 1993; and
- George Armstrong, 1950-71; Head Coach, 1988-89; honoured February 28, 1998.
27 Frank Mahovlich, LW, 1957-68; honoured October 3, 2001; and
- Darryl Sittler, C, 1971-82; honoured February 8, 2003.

During the 2005-06 season, the only one of these numbers that was worn by a Leaf player was number 10, by Alexander Steen, son of Thomas Steen, whose number 25 was retired by the Winnipeg Jets (now the Phoenix Coyotes).

First round draft picks

1963: Walt McKechnie (6th overall)
1964: Tom Martin (5th overall)
1965: none
1966: John Wright (4th overall)
1967: none
1968: Brad Selwood (10th overall)
1969: Ernie Moser (9th overall)
1970: Darryl Sittler (8th overall)
1971: none
1972: George Ferguson (11th overall)
1973: Lanny McDonald (4th overall)
1974: Jack Valiquette (13th overall)
1975: Don Ashby (6th overall)
1976: none
1977: John Anderson (11th overall)
1978: none
1979: Laurie Boschman (9th overall)
1980: none
1981: Jim Benning (6th overall)
1982: Gary Nylund (3rd overall)
1983: Russ Courtnall (7th overall)
1984: Al Iafrate (4th overall)

1985: Wendel Clark (1st overall)
1986: Vincent Damphousse (6th overall)
1987: Luke Richardson (7th overall)
1988: Scott Pearson (6th overall)
1989: Scott Thornton (3rd overall)
1990: Drake Berehowsky (10th overall)
1991: none
1992: Brandon Convery (8th overall)
1993: Kenny Jonsson (12th overall)
1994: Eric Fichaud (16th overall)
1995: Jeff Ware (15th overall)
1996: none
1997: none
1998: Nik Antropov (10th overall)
1999: Luca Cereda (24th overall)
2000: Brad Boyes (24th overall)
2001: Carlo Colaiacovo (17th overall)
2002: Alexander Steen (24th overall)
2003: none
2004: none
2005: Tuukka Rask (21st overall)
2006: Jiri Tlusty (13th overall)

Franchise scoring leaders

These are the top-ten point-scorers in the history of the Maple Leafs (totals with the Toronto St. Pats and Toronto Arenas are included). Figures are updated after each completed NHL regular season.

Note: GP = Games Played, G = Goals, A = Assists, Pts = Points * = Active Player

Player	POS	GP	G	A	Pts
Darryl Sittler	C	844	389	527	916
Dave Keon	C	1062	365	493	858
*Mats Sundin	C	832	361	472	833
Borje Salming	D	1099	148	620	768
George Armstrong	RW	1187	296	417	713
Ron Ellis	RW	1034	332	308	640
Frank Mahovlich	LW	720	296	303	599
Bob Pulford	LW	947	251	312	563
Ted Kennedy	C	696	231	329	560
Rick Vaive	RW	534	299	238	537