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For other uses of Toronto Maple Leafs, see Toronto Maple Leafs (disambiguation) . The Toronto Maple Leafs are a professional Ice Hockey team based in Toronto, Ontario . They play in the National Hockey League (NHL). The organization is officially known as the '''Toronto Maple Leaf Hockey Club'''. FACTS :Founded: 1917 :Formerly known as: Toronto '''Arenas''' ( 1917 - 1919 ), Toronto '''St. Patricks''' ( 1919 - 1926 ) :Arena: Air Canada Centre (capacity 18,819) ::Former Home Arenas: Mutual Street Arena (1917-1931), Maple Leaf Gardens (1931-1999). :Uniform colours: Blue, White and Silver. :Logo design: a blue Maple Leaf with "TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS" written inside in white lettering :''', 1922 , 1932 , 1942 , 1945 , 1947 , 1948 , 1949 , 1951 , 1962 , 1963 , 1964 , 1967 :Mascot: Carlton The Bear . :''', Ottawa Senators , Buffalo Sabres , Boston Bruins , Detroit Red Wings , Philadelphia Flyers , and the New York Rangers . :One of the NHL's ' Original Six ' franchises, along with the Boston Bruins , Chicago Blackhawks , Detroit Red Wings , Montreal Canadiens and the New York Rangers , and the only franchise in this group to not reward its fans with a Stanley Cup Finals appearance since 1967, the last year before the expansion. FRANCHISE HISTORY Contemporary History The team has been a success nationally and international along with being a local fan favourite team. Anchored by team captain Mats Sundin the Leafs are an assembled team that has been many times close to winning the Stanley Cup but have missed the big dance because of misfortunes and bad luck, coupled with losses to superior teams. Some felt that with the addition this year of players like Jason Allison and Eric Lindros , the Toronto Maple Leafs were poised to go head to head with the league's best. However both appear to have their best days behind them and the 2005/2006 team failed to make the playoffs for the first time since 1998. Unfortunately long time goaltending stalwart Ed Belfour also appears to be nearing the end of a fine career. The Leafs are a team with rich hockey tradition, with the roots of the team originating when Toronto was still a small city. The team has grown substantially along with the city, and the two have been inseperable. Asking people what Toronto is all about, the answer is simple: Beer, Hockey, Donuts and the Toronto Maple Leafs! Arguable one of the most successful runs the Toronto Maple Leafs had was in 1993 armed with several elite players such as Doug "Killer" Gilmour, Dave Ellett, Jamie Mccoun, and rookie goalie Felix "The Cat" Potvin. They made a run to the playoffs, but was just a goal away from seeing a hockey crazed Stanley Cup final with the Montreal Canadiens, losing to Wayne Gretzky and the Los Angeles Kings in 7 games. Many believed that the 1993 Maple Leafs had the guts, glory and passion to beat out the more talented Montreal Canadiens (which included the to-be-hall-of-fame goalie Patrick Roy). They reached the Western Confrence finals again the next year but bowed out in 5 games to the Vancouver Canucks It was after that season the Leafs team began to fall apart and crumble. It started with bad trades made by the GM Cliff Fletcher which included desperation moves to bring in old veterans whom were past their prime. Fletcher was trying to fill the void of the missing pieces of what he believed to be a team that was just missing some key parts for another run to the Stanley Cup Finals. A subsequent Stanley Cup run with that nucleus never happened. The 1998-1999 Season was called the miracle season by many. It was the Leafs first season in the Eastern Confrence. Many changes were made including bringing in players such as Sergei Berezin, and Igor Korolev. The sudden appearance of rookie Tomas Kaberle, as well as the inclusion of Ken Dryden as GM and the hiring of Pat Quinn as coach. Perhaps most important was the signing of goalie Curtis Joesph. The team was the top scoring team that year, and made the playoffs after missing the previous 2 years. The team was called the Miracle Team on Ice, in Canada. The city was crazy for this wheel-barrow barn burner hockey team that strived on offense and exciting attacking rushes. Famed author Gil Perrault called that team one of the most exciting hockey teams of the Maple Leafs era. They too made it to the Confrence finals losing to the Buffalo Sabres in 5 games. In 2002 the Leafs put on one of the gutsest playoff performances of all time. They were beset with injuries including one to Mats Sundin. Gary Roberts and Alyn McCauley amongst others shouldered the load and lead the team on one of their most unlikely Cup runs. They lost in 6 games to the Carolina Hurricanes in the Eastern Confrence Finals 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 1926, Conn Smythe , one of the team's best-known icons, purchased the St. Pats and renamed them the Maple Leafs. 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 (for the Canadian skies) and white (for snow) colours they have worn ever since. 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 5 and the game-winning goal in Game 6, with the Leafs winning both times. 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 , Ontario four months after that historic moment. Barilko's legacy is still remembered over 50 years later, and 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 . and Red Kelly celebrate the Leafs last Stanley Cup]] 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. Bob Pulford scored the double-overtime winner in game 3, Jim Pappin got the game winner in game 6, and Dave Keon won the Conn Smythe trophy 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. The 70s and 80s During the 1970s, the Leafs, led by Darryl Sittler (the all-time leading scorer for the franchise), Lanny McDonald , Dave 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. But they only once made it past the second round of the playoffs, besting the New York Islanders , a future Stanley Cup dynasty, in the 1978 quarter-finals, only to be swept by their arch-rivals, 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). Many players were reluctant to come to Toronto because of Ballard's reputation. Ballard came to the realization that the Maple Leafs would sell all arena seats regardless the calibre of talent, so there was no value in paying any higher payroll than necessary to continue to be profitable. The result was a team that was barely competitive from 1980 to 1992 , a team that, in spite of its low standings never acquired high calibre draft picks, nor retained quality talent scouts since Ballard had no intention of dealing with stars who would inevitably demand a high salary. 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. One of the few bright spots during this period was the popular Wendel Clark . Even then, Leafs home games were almost always sellouts, and Scalping was virtually the only way to get in. Resurgence in the 90s 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 by winning over the St. Louis Blues . With Montreal facing the '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 (in the newly renamed 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 slipped past the Philadelphia Flyers and Pittsburgh Penguins in the first two rounds of the playoffs, but were ravaged in five games by 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 . 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. Toronto fans often argue that the reason they lost to the Hurricanes had to do with the fact that the team, having come off of two seven-game rounds against "healthier" teams, was simply exhausted from the sheer effort exhibited in those rounds, however, the fact that the Leafs required seven games to win the previous series perhaps indicates that they were simply not as good a team as Carolina. Curtis Joseph left to go to the Red Wings in the 2002 off-season; the team 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. In spite of Toronto being the self-proclaimed "mecca of hockey", 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, have been to the Finals three times since then. Toronto's great 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. Following The Leafs are an immensely popular team, with one of the largest fan bases in the NHL. 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. Games are usually quite heated whenever the Leafs play in other Canadian NHL cities, not the least because some of those other Canadian NHL cities have quite sizable contingents of Leafs fans of their own due to the fact that the Leafs were the only English Canadian team from 1938 until the Vancouver Canucks joined the league in 1970 . Though the rivalry with the Ottawa Senators has heated up in recent years, 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 Leafs' biggest U.S.-based rivals have been the Philadelphia Flyers , as Toronto has faced them three times in the playoffs in the last several years, and lost to them the last two years. 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. This proximity often results in Leafs fans outnumbering Sabres fans at meetings between the two in Buffalo; The Buffalo News estimated that Leafs fans outnumbered Sabres fans by as much as 4 to 1 at a recent meeting at HSBC Arena . Sabres coach Lindy Ruff recently commented that the Sabres need to score early at home games against the Leafs to "take the crowd out of it." Maple Leafs home games are perennial sell-outs. 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. The streak was snapped on January 30 , 2006 , with a win against the Florida Panthers . Despite a late-season surge, 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. The frontrunner for Quinn's job is believed to be Paul Maurice , the current 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. 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'' :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 April 27 , 2006 '' {Link without Title} Hall Of Famers Team captains
Retired numbers
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". {Link without Title} {Link without Title} 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:
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 ). 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'' SEE ALSO
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