68 Facts About Toronto Maple Leafs

Toronto Maple Leafs are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto.

The Maple Leafs' broadcasting rights are split between BCE Inc and Rogers Communications.

The Maple Leafs moved to their present home, Scotiabank Arena, in February 1999.

The Maple Leafs have developed rivalries with four NHL franchises: the Boston Bruins, Detroit Red Wings, the Montreal Canadiens, and the Ottawa Senators.

Maple Leafs have retired the use of 13 numbers in honour of 19 players, including the first in professional sports.

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Toronto Maple Leafs 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.

The use of blue by top-level Toronto Maple Leafs-based sports clubs began with the Argonaut Rowing Club in the 19th century, later adopted by their football team, the Toronto Maple Leafs Argonauts, in 1873.

Toronto Maple Leafs had been tapped as the Rangers' first general manager and coach for their inaugural season but had been fired in a dispute with Madison Square Garden management before the season had begun.

The Toronto Maple Leafs held the Ace Bailey Benefit Game, the NHL's first All-Star Game, to collect medical funds to help Bailey.

The Toronto Maple 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 the Rangers in 1940.

The Toronto Maple Leafs remain the only team to have successfully performed a reverse-sweep in the Stanley Cup finals.

Under a new captaincy, the Toronto Maple 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 Toronto Maple Leafs went on to win their third consecutive Cup, sweeping the Red Wings in four games.

Toronto Maple Leafs's glory was short-lived, as he disappeared in a plane crash near Timmins, Ontario, four months later.

The Toronto Maple Leafs did not win another Cup during the 1950s, with rumours swirling that the team was "cursed", and would not win a cup until Barilko's body was found.

Under Punch Imlach, their new general manager and coach, the Toronto Maple Leafs made it to the 1959 Finals, losing to the Canadiens in five games.

Toronto Maple Leafs had said that because the Gardens' owners agreed to host the fight they had "put cash ahead of class".

The Toronto Maple Leafs managed to make the post-season as well as the Cup finals.

Toronto Maple Leafs returned to play with his ankle frozen, and eventually scored the game-winning goal in overtime against the Red Wings.

Toronto Maple Leafs continued as Leafs' head coach until after the 1979 playoffs, when he was fired again, alongside Gregory.

Toronto Maple Leafs was followed by Gord Stellick on April 28,1988, who was replaced by Floyd Smith on August 15,1989.

Toronto Maple Leafs dispatched the Detroit Red Wings in seven games in the first round, then defeated the St Louis Blues in another seven games in the Division Finals.

At the 1994 NHL Entry Draft, the Toronto Maple Leafs packaged Wendel Clark in a multi-player trade with the Quebec Nordiques that landed them Mats Sundin.

Realigning the NHL's conferences in 1998, the Toronto Maple Leafs were moved from the Western to the Eastern Conference.

On February 13,1999, the Toronto Maple Leafs played their final game at the Gardens before moving to their new home at the then-Air Canada Centre.

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In both the 2000 and 2001 playoffs, the Toronto Maple Leafs defeated the Ottawa Senators in the first round and lost to the New Jersey Devils in the second round.

The Toronto Maple Leafs lost to Philadelphia in seven games during the first round of the 2003 playoffs.

The Toronto Maple Leafs went on to enjoy a very successful regular season, leading the NHL at the time of the All-Star Game.

Quinn's dismissal was controversial since many of the young players who were key contributors to the Toronto Maple Leafs' late-season run had been drafted by him before Ferguson's arrival, while Ferguson's signings had suffered season-ending injuries.

The Toronto Maple Leafs did not qualify for the post-season, marking the first time since 1928 the team had failed to make the playoffs for three consecutive seasons.

On November 29,2008, the Maple Leafs hired Brian Burke as their 13th non-interim, and the first American, general manager in team history.

On January 31,2010, the Leafs made another high-profile trade, this time with the Calgary Flames in a seven-player deal that brought defenceman Dion Phaneuf to Toronto.

However, the Toronto Maple Leafs lost in seven games to eventual 2013 Stanley Cup finalist Boston in the first round.

On January 6,2015, the Toronto Maple Leafs fired Randy Carlyle as head coach, and assistant coach Peter Horachek took over on an interim basis immediately.

On February 6,2015, the Toronto Maple Leafs set a new franchise record of 11 consecutive games without a win.

On July 1,2015, the Toronto Maple Leafs packaged Kessel in a multi-player deal to the Pittsburgh Penguins in return for three skaters, including Kasperi Kapanen, a conditional first-round pick, and a third-round pick.

The Maple Leafs were eliminated in the First Round of the 2019 playoffs on April 23, after losing to the Bruins in a seven-game series.

The Maple Leafs were eliminated in the 2020 Stanley Cup Qualifiers on August 9, after losing a five-game series against the Columbus Blue Jackets.

On May 8,2021, the Toronto Maple Leafs clinched the North Division title, giving the Toronto Maple Leafs guaranteed home advantage in the first two rounds of the 2021 Stanley Cup playoffs.

The Toronto Maple Leafs made the playoffs, but lost in the First Round to the Tampa Bay Lightning in seven games.

Toronto Maple Leafs fans have been noted for their loyalty to the team despite their performance.

In November 2002, the Toronto Maple Leafs were named by Sports Illustrated hockey writer Michael Farber as the "Most Hated Team in Hockey".

The Toronto Maple Leafs were found to be the most favoured team in Prince Edward Island, with 24 percent of respondents favouring the Toronto Maple Leafs; and the second favourite team in Nova Scotia and Newfoundland and Labrador.

The Maple Leafs established several rivalries with other teams that played in this era, including the Boston Bruins, Detroit Red Wings, and the Montreal Canadiens.

Detroit Red Wings and the Maple Leafs are both Original Six teams, playing their first game together in 1927.

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Rivalry between the Detroit Red Wings and the Maple Leafs was at its height during the Original Six era.

Rivalry between the Montreal Canadiens and the Maple Leafs is the oldest in the NHL, featuring two clubs that were active since the inaugural NHL season in 1917.

The Canadiens have won 24 Stanley Cups, while the Maple Leafs have won 13, ranking them first and second for most Cup wins, respectively.

The rivalry became intradivisional in 1998 when the Toronto Maple Leafs were moved into the Eastern Conference's Northeast Division.

From 1992 to 1998, Ottawa and Toronto Maple Leafs played in different conferences, which meant they rarely played each other.

Also during this time, the Toronto Maple Leafs began wearing a white 1960s-style throwback third jersey featuring the outlined 35-point leaf, blue shoulders, and lace-up collar.

Additionally, the Toronto Maple Leafs have used contemporary "historically inspired" uniforms as an alternate uniform.

On March 22,2022, the Maple Leafs unveiled a new alternate uniform, but for the first time in team history, black served as a base colour with the traditional blue serving as a trim colour.

Toronto Maple Leafs later made his regular season appearance on October 10,1995.

The Maple Leafs won 11 Stanley Cups while playing at the Gardens.

The facility was opened in 2009 and operated by the Lakeshore Lions Club until September 2011, when the City of Toronto Maple Leafs took over ownership of the facility after the Lions Club faced financial difficulties.

The Toronto Maple Leafs did not have an AHL affiliate from 1969 to 1978 and relied on placing their drafted players with other team's affiliates.

Toronto Maple Leafs remained a publicly traded company until 1998, when an ownership group fronted by Steve Stavro privatized the company by acquiring more than the 90 percent of stock necessary to force objecting shareholders out.

Toronto Maple Leafs was one of only six goalies in NHL history to have been officially recognized as the team captain.

Toronto Maple Leafs's tenure as captain holds the distinction as the longest captaincy for a non-North American-born player in NHL history.

Three captains of the Maple Leafs have held the position at multiple points in their careers.

Toronto Maple Leafs is followed by Pat Quinn, who coached 574 games, with 678 points all-time with the Maple Leafs.

The Maple Leafs have drafted two players with a first overall draft pick; Clark in the 1985 draft, and Auston Matthews in the 2016 draft.

The Maple Leafs won their last Stanley Cup in 1967; with the team's 53-season Stanley Cup drought being the longest active drought in the NHL.

Maple Leafs have retired the numbers of 19 players; as some players used the same number, only 13 numbers have been retired.

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On October 15,2016, before the home opening game of the team's centenary season, the Maple Leafs announced they had changed their philosophy on retiring numbers, and that the numbers of those 16 honoured players would now be retired, in addition to the retirement of Dave Keon's number.

Toronto Maple Leafs acknowledge an affiliation with 75 inductees of the Hockey Hall of Fame.

The Maple Leafs have the greatest number of players inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame of any NHL team.