When the Toronto NHL team was founded in 1917-1918, by lawyer Eddie Livingstone, nobody really knew this team would still exist in 2011. It is approaching its centennial year of existence and the Leafs are still looking for this one chance to add on their history book. Previously named the Toronto Arenas (1917-1919), the Toronto St. Patricks (1919-1926) and then the Toronto Maple Leafs from 1927 until now, the Leafs have gone through a series of success and deceptions but one line of strength they held has been their fans which they never lost. Leafs tickets are the hardest things to come by if you live in the Toronto area. Fans of the leafs are probably the most loyal fans in the NHL, especially during the Harold Ballard years, where winning was an occurrence. In its history, the Leafs have won the Stanley Cup 13 times and lost it on 8 occasions for 21 final appearances.
The “blue and white” mostly enjoyed their success in the past, mainly in the 1940′s and 1960′s. They also enjoyed some success in the 1930′s, when the Maple Leafs Garden was inaugurated, but always lost in the finals. Their main accomplishment in the 1940′s was the dynasty under general manager Connie Smythe and head coach “Hap” Day when they won four consecutive championships defeating their eternal rival Montreal Canadiens and the Detroit Red Wings each on two occasions. Led at the time by famous Bill Barilko for his determination and Syl Apps for his scoring touch, the Leafs were needless to say, the best team in the NHL. It was the end of a great era when Smythe stepped down from his position of general manager in 1955 and it appeared the team never really recovered.
The success of the Toronto Maple Leafs was resurrected when new faces appeared at the end of the decade. Such faces like: Carl Brewer, Johnny Bower and newly hired coach Punch Imlach had a direct effect on the team’s success when they met Montreal in 1960 for the Stanley Cup. This was the sign of a great period for the Leafs as they went on to win the Stanley Cup in 1962, led by great players such as: Dave Keon, Andy Bathgate, Frank Mahovlich, Red Kelly and Tim Horton. Toronto’s last cup was won in that decade when they beat Montreal in 1967. They haven’t won the cup ever since.
The 1970′s and 1980′s saw the Leafs, led by Darryl Sittler their captain, have mixed amount of success with some years making the playoffs and some not. Sittler, who still owned the record set for most points in a game with 10 was their leading scorer and offensive weapon. Sittler went on to have a brilliant career despite the lack of stability in the front office. Many of those deceptions were orchestrated and led by then owner, Harold Ballard who would run the team with an iron fist. The first Swedish player to ever play in the NHL, defenseman Borje Salming played in that era and was considered one of the best at his position.
The 1990′s saw the Toronto Maple Leafs regaining an identity and credibility in the NHL. Led by general manager Cliff Fletcher, a veteran hockey executive, the Leafs made some key roster moves by acquiring fan favorite Doug Gilmour from the Calgary Flames, and bringing head coach Pat Burns from the Montreal Canadiens. Also with goalie Grant Fuhr followed by Felix “the Cat” Potvin, the Leafs were solid between the pipes. Their 1992-93 season, where they totaled 99pts was the best season ever in points accumulated at the time. The Leafs lost in the conference finals against the Los Angeles Kings and Wayne Gretzky. The 1999-2000 season saw the Toronto Maple Leafs in their new arena named the Air Canada Center accumulate 100 points their best ever total and their first division title in 37 years.
In this past decade, the team was able to run on all cylinders under Pat Quinn as general manager and coach. The team did well in the regular season but seemed to lack that final push in the playoff. Led at the time by Toronto great, Swedish-born player and captain Mats Sundin, the Leafs were a force to be reckoned with. In 2006-2007, they accumulated 91 points and ever since that season have been out of the playoffs or near miss.
Brian Burke was named general manager in 2009 and was tasked to rebuild this team, which was going nowhere with the objective of bringing the ultimate prize. He hired Ron Wilson and Toronto with a lopsided trade acquired from the Boston Bruins, Phil Kessel in exchange for two first round picks at the NHL draft. Although Kessel was an excellent player, many thought it was costly for the Leafs and Burke had to rebuild this team to bring a supporting cast for Kessel. The Leafs have missed the playoffs for the last six years and the loyal Leafs fans are hoping this year they will get their ticket to the 2012 playoffs and be on their way to rewrite history again..
