Leafs 365 | Sample Chapter

LEAFS 365

DAILY STORIES FROM THE ICE

Mike Commito

Now you can cheer for the Toronto Maple Leafs every day of the year.

Publication: CANADA October 17, 2023  | U.S. November 14, 2023

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5.5 in (W)

7 in (H) 416 pages

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978-1-4597-5137-8

Can $30.00

US $25.00

£21.00

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PDF

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 A yearbook of Leafs history facts, from the unforgettable, to the obscure, to the downright unbelievable

 Compact, compulsively readable stories in a perfect gift package

 For hardcore Leafs fans, looking for obscure and fascinating stories

 Author has written for Sports Illustrated, Hockey News, VICE Sports, and Sportsnet and is the author of the successful previous two books in the Hockey 365 series

BISAC

SPO020000 - SPORTS & RECREATION / Winter Sports / Hockey

REF023000 - REFERENCE / Trivia

SPO019000 - SPORTS & RECREATION / History

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Mike Commito is a hockey historian and author of the Hockey 365 series. His work been featured on the Athletic, Sportsnet, the Hockey News, and his local newspaper, the Sudbury Star. Mike has also had the opportunity to be a regular contributor for the LA Kings and has penned stories for four other NHL teams. In 2018, one of his articles received the Paul Kitchen Award from the Society for International Hockey Research. Mike has a Ph.D. in history from McMaster University and lives in Sudbury, Ontario.

Leafs365

MARKETING AND PUBLICITY

 Launch events: Toronto, Sudbury

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 Retailer coop and posters available

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ABOUT THE BOOK

 Social media campaign and online advertising

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 Digital galley available: NetGalley, Edelweiss, Catalist

Get your daily Toronto Maple Leafs fix with Leafs 365. From the franchise’s early beginning as the Arenas and the St. Patricks to the incredible four-goal comeback against the Lightning in the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs, Leafs 365 includes 365 short stories about everybody’s favourite hockey team —one for every day of the year — to remind you why you still cheer for the blue and white season after season.

Some people say that the Leafs are cursed, but any team that brings you this many moments worth revisiting must be blessed. You may not be old enough to remember the team’s last Stanley Cup, but chances are you can recall Auston Matthews’s four-goal debut or the sense of optimism when the Leafs signed John Tavares. And while there are plenty of stories in this book that might make you question why you still root for the Buds, like the Game 7 meltdown to the Bruins in 2013 or losing to the Hurricanes with a Zamboni driver in net in 2020, the lowlights are what make the best times sweeter and worth celebrating. Chances are, if you’re holding this book in your hands, you’re a Leafs fan, and with every turn of the page you’ll fall in love with them all over again. Commito sure did when he wrote this.

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AUTHOR’S NOTE

The history of the Toronto Maple Leafs doesn’t start with the Leafs.

When Toronto entered the NHL in 1917, the team was operated by the Toronto Arena Company and known simply as the Toronto Arenas, but often called the Blueshirts as well. A couple of years later, under a change in ownership, the Arenas were renamed the St. Patricks. For the next eight years, the St. Pats sported green uniforms, a nod to their Irish label.

In the midde of the 1926–27 season, Conn Smythe purchased the St. Patricks and rechristened them as the Maple Leafs. The following season they switched up their colour scheme and have been blue and white ever since.

There are stories in this book about the Arenas, St. Patricks, and Leafs, oh my, but they are all the same franchise. I’ve also referred to the team as the blue and white, but only in the Leafs era, though they did wear blue as the Arenas. And, of course, you may also know them as the Buds because, well, buds turn into Leafs. One of my favourite Twitter follows, Platinum Seat Ghosts, popularized the expression “the Buds are all day,” so hopefully they appreciate that now, the Buds are all book.

Notice I did not call them the Laughs because that is

simply not funny — and you should dissociate yourself from anyone in your orbit who uses that term with a straight face. Finally, I poured my heart into researching this book. And while I have double- and triple-checked my work, mistakes happen — but any errors are mine and mine alone. One thing I did want to note is that our understanding of history is always changing. Take, for an example, a story I included about Larry Murphy. On March 27, 1996, he scored his 1,000th career point, becoming the fourth defenceman to accomplish the feat. All the newspaper coverage the next day focused on that milestone, and if you watch the clip on YouTube, you will see his teammates mob him in celebration after he notches the landmark point.

But if you were to go to the NHL’s website and look up Murphy’s stats, it appears he actually hit the 1,000-point mark two days earlier. As researchers have reviewed game sheets over the years, particularly when the league underwent a major digitization project in the lead-up to its centenary in 2017, our prior knowledge has been challenged by new information. While this means Murphy technically hit his milestone on March 25, it doesn’t change the fact that for him and his teammates, he made history two nights later on the road in Vancouver. The numbers may have changed, but you cannot substitute the emotion. So, with that in mind, I kept my Larry Murphy story the way it was, because that particular moment in time was when he wrote his name into the record books.

PRE- GAME SKATE

I’ve been a Leafs fan for as long as I can remember. And if you’re reading this, chances are you’re a Leafs fan, too. As far as I can tell, I didn’t pick the Leafs. My mom is actually an even bigger Leafs fan than me, and I suppose she’s the reason I started cheering for the team. I’m not sure how someone who hails from Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, a place that boasts the likes of players such as Phil Esposito, ended up cheering for Toronto instead of the Boston Bruins, but I am certainly glad she did.

The Leafs have been with me throughout my life. Some of my earliest memories of trying to stay up late was when Toronto was playing on Hockey Night in Canada . My parents would let me stay up, especially if the Leafs were in the playoffs, but I realize now, as a parent myself, they agreed to it because they knew I’d fall asleep partway through the game. And sure enough, no matter how hard I tried to stay up, I would always wake up later in my bed. I’d learn the score from my mom the next morning and tell myself that next time I would catch the entire thing, although I never would.

As I got older, the Leafs were part of some important milestones in my world. When my mother’s authentic Doug Gilmour jersey was stolen from my locker because I forgot to

lock it up, I remember how disappointed she was with me. I eventually understood it was not because it was expensive, but because it was a parting gift from some of her friends and colleagues before we moved to a new city. While I eventually replaced the jersey many years later, I learned the importance of protecting something valuable, especially if it doesn’t belong to you — a lesson that has always stuck with me.

A couple of weeks after my first daughter, Zoe, was born, the Leafs started the 2016–17 campaign. I remember how excited I was to put her into her teeny tiny Maple Leafs pajamas for the season opener. That night Auston Matthews made his NHL debut. And although Zoe slept soundly through all four of his goals, I will always be able to tell her we experienced that together. It was an important moment in Leafs history, but as a new father, it was a special memory I will always cherish.

Even some of my career benchmarks have Leafs footnotes. After earning a big promotion in 2018, I wanted to treat myself to something to mark the occasion. We happened to be in Toronto at the time, and I could think of nothing better than to buy a Matthews jersey. While I had collected a number of replica, and even counterfeit, jerseys over the years, mostly for my regular shinny ice times, I had always shied away from buying an authentic one because of the price tag. But since my hard work at the office had paid off, I rewarded myself.

It remains my most prized Leafs item, and I only wear it for important games.

As you can tell, the Leafs have been with me for some important parts of my life, and they have probably been there for you as well. Since the Leafs are often such an important backdrop in our lives, day after day and year after year, it only made sense that I would put together a book so you could experience a different piece of Leafs history for every day of the year. When I wrote the first Hockey 365 in 2017, it had never crossed my mind that it would lead to this. Although both volumes of Hockey 365 include plenty of Leafs stories, I had never considered there would be a full book there. But of course there would be. The franchise has been around for more than a century, and there are more than enough tales to fill these pages.

From the team’s first Stanley Cup in the NHL to some of the more recent struggles to avenge the ghosts of the past, Leafs 365 includes stories from across eras. While there are recurring characters such as Doug Gilmour, Börje Salming, and Darryl Sittler, there are also stories featuring players you may have forgotten about but are still an important part of the team’s fabric. Many of these tales will, hopefully, make you smile, but some of them will undoubtedly frustrate you as you relive some of the moments that have pushed your fandom to the limits. There have been plenty of times when the Leafs

have probably made you want to tear your hair out, and there’s more than a few of those stories in this book, but it’s those episodes that really make the good ones worth celebrating.

Some people say the Leafs are cursed, but anything that’s able to give you this many memories worth revisiting year after year is obviously a blessing. And while you may disagree with my optimism, we certainly have one thing in common: You’re reading this because no matter what has happened in the past or how the season unfolds, you’re a Leafs fan until the bitter end.

JAN UARY

JANUARY 1

LEAFS PLAY

OUTDOOR GAME

AT THE BIG HOUSE, 2014

It was the largest crowd to ever watch a hockey game. On January 1, 2014, the Maple Leafs took on the Detroit Red Wings as part of the NHL’s annual Winter Classic. Played at Michigan Stadium, fittingly known as “the Big House,” in Ann Arbor, Michigan, the game saw 105,491 fans brave frigid temperatures to take in the spectacle. The record crowd surpassed the previous mark of 104,173 spectators when Michigan University and Michigan State competed in the same stadium in 2010 in what was billed as “the Big Chill.”

Following a scoreless first period, the Leafs and Red Wings each scored goals in the final two frames to head to overtime knotted 2–2, but neither team could break the deadlock. Heading into the shootout, Maple Leafs goaltender Jonathan Bernier, who sported a toque over his helmet for the contest, had made 41 saves, a record for the most in an outdoor regular-season game. With snow falling during the shootout, Tyler Bozak played hero, scoring the clinching goal for Toronto.

LEAFS ACQUIRE DOUG GILMOUR, 1992

Doug Gilmour remembers learning he was being traded while sitting in his hotel room on the road, when he apparently heard Calgary Flames GM Doug Risebrough talking about it in the next room. It didn’t come as a surprise. Gilmour had been disgruntled and wanted his contract renegotiated. Following arbitration in November 1991, which left neither side satisfied, the writing was on the wall.

On January 2, 1992, two days after scoring a goal and assisting on the overtime winner in Calgary’s win over the Montreal Canadiens, Gilmour, along with Rick Wamsley, Jamie Macoun, Ric Nattress, and Kent Manderville, was traded to the Leafs for Gary Leeman, Michel Petit, Alexander Godynyuk, Craig Berube, and Jeff Reese. At the time, the 10-player deal was the biggest in NHL history. A day later, Gilmour made his debut for the Buds, scoring a goal and picking up an assist in a 6–4 loss in Detroit. Gilmour, who will be a recurring character throughout this book, would become one of the greatest players in Leafs history.

GUY LAFLEUR SCORES 545TH GOAL AGAINST THE MAPLE LEAFS, 1990

There are three guarantees in life. Death, taxes, and players reaching milestones against the Maple Leafs. It’s true. When something significant happens in the NHL, there’s a good chance it happened against Toronto. Sure, it was to be expected in a six-team league, but even after the circuit has more than quintupled in size, it seems as though the Leafs just can’t shake being on the wrong side of history.

Case in point: On January 3, 1990, Guy Lafleur, who was playing his first season with the Quebec Nordiques after the New York Rangers lured him out of retirement the year before, scored his 545th career goal against Toronto to move him past Maurice Richard and into eighth place on the NHL’s all-time goal-scoring list. Lafleur would score one more goal against the Maple Leafs the following season before hanging his skates up for good in 1991. While this may seem like a footnote in Maple Leafs history, it is part of the team’s fabric, and there will be other moments like this throughout the book.

BÖRJE SALMING PLAYS

1,000TH GAME, 1988

It was a momentous occasion worthy of celebration. On January 4, 1988, Maple Leafs defenceman Börje Salming became the first European- born and -trained player to appear in 1,000 career NHL games. Salming signed with Toronto in 1973 as part of an early wave of European players to join the league. A hard-nosed blueliner from Sweden, Salming was tough as nails and quickly dispelled the notion of the “chicken Swede” stereotype. But despite being just the fifth player in Maple Leafs history to reach the 1,000- game mark, Salming’s salute would have to wait.

At the time team owner Harold Ballard was out of the country and insisted that his player not be honoured until he returned. It wasn’t until nearly two months later, when the Maple Leafs hosted the St. Louis Blues on February 27, that the durable defenceman was officially recognized by the club. During the belated tribute at Maple Leaf Gardens, Salming was presented with a sparkling blue Chevy S-10 Blazer. Emblazoned on the doors were the Maple Leafs logo, Salming’s No. 21, and the number 1,000 to signify his accomplishment.

JANUARY 5

TREVOR MOORE SCORES FIRST NHL GOAL, 2019

Trevor Moore brought the Leafs crowd to its feet. During a game against the Vancouver Canucks on January 5, 2019, the Toronto rookie carried the puck out of the defensive zone and effortlessly made his way around Vancouver defenceman Derrick Pouliot to put a shot past goaltender Jacob Markstrom and score his first NHL goal. Moore, who went undrafted playing collegiate hockey for the University of Denver, signed with the Leafs organization in the summer of 2016. He spent the next two seasons playing for the Toronto Marlies of the American Hockey League, where he won a Calder Cup championship in 2018.

After starting the 2018–19 campaign with the Marlies, Moore was called up to the big club in December 2018, playing in 25 games down the stretch. He made the Leafs roster to start the following season, but on February 5, 2020, the native of Thousand Oaks, California, was traded, along with a third-round draft pick and a conditional selection, to his hometown Los Angeles Kings for goaltender Jack Campbell and Kyle Clifford.

LEAFS END 30- GAME ROAD WINLESS STREAK, 1983

The Maple Leafs had not exactly been road warriors. After defeating the Chicago Black Hawks at Chicago Stadium on January 31, 1982, they failed to record a victory in their next 30 games away from home, recording six ties and 24 losses in that span. It would take almost a full calendar year before they picked up another victory on the road. Finally, on January 6, 1983, taking on the Washington Capitals in Maryland, Toronto snapped the skid. With the game tied 1–1 in the second period, Rick Vaive scored on the power play to give the Maple Leafs the lead. Jim Korn added another in the final frame to secure a 3–1 victory. Breaking their road ineffectiveness against the Capitals was rather fitting. In Washington’s inaugural season in 1974–75, the team managed just one victory on the road. When the Caps finally won in an opposing rink, they celebrated by hoisting a garbage can and calling it “the Stanley Can” — after so much road futility, it felt like they had won a championship.

JANUARY 7

LEAFS CLAIM LARRY REGAN FROM BRUINS, 1959

Larry Regan finally got his shot at the NHL. After spending a decade playing the semi-professional circuit, Regan made his debut for the Boston Bruins in the 1956–57 season. The 27-year- old winger finished the campaign with 14 goals and 33 points in 69 games to earn the Calder Trophy as the league’s top rookie that year. At the time, Regan was the oldest player to win the award, a distinction he would hold until 31-year- old Sergei Makarov won it in 1989, which led to a rule change.

Following his first year with the Bruins, Regan spent another full season in Boston before he was claimed by the Maple Leafs on January 7, 1959. He would play two full seasons in Toronto before finishing his hockey career abroad in Europe, later returning to the NHL as a scout for the Los Angeles Kings. Not long into the 1968–69 season, Regan, who was the Kings’ GM at the time, was fined $1,000 by NHL president Clarence Campbell after he slugged referee Bruce Hood following a game against the California Seals.

HOWIE MEEKER SCORES FIVE GOALS, 1947

On January 8, 1947, Maple Leafs rookie Howie

Meeker scored five goals in a game. Or did he? In the newspaper coverage following the game, it was noted that two of the goals were originally credited to Wally Stanowski, but after a conference between the officials and the players, they were attributed to Meeker. More than six decades later, Stanowski suggested there was more to that story.

In an interview with the National Post ’s Joe O’Connor in 2015, Stanowski says when he returned to the bench after scoring a goal, Toronto coach Hap Day told him they were going to give the goal to Meeker. Following another supposed goal by Stanowski, Day issued the same directive. According to Stanowski, the team was trying to build up Meeker’s case to win the Calder Trophy as the league’s top rookie. After the five-goal game, Meeker added 11 more goals down the stretch to finish with 27 and win the Calder. While there may be some truth to Stanowski’s claim, we will never know for sure.

LEAFS TRADE FÉLIX POTVIN TO ISLANDERS FOR BRYAN BERARD, 1999

After the Maple Leafs signed goaltender Curtis Joseph to a four-year deal during free agency in 1998, the Félix Potvin era in Toronto was over. It wasn’t a matter of whether Potvin would be moved elsewhere, it was when. A few months into the season, Potvin had appeared in only a handful of games and was eager to end the saga. After several deals fell through, he was finally sent to the New York Islanders on January 9, 1999, along with a sixth-round pick, in exchange for defenceman Bryan Berard and a sixth-round pick.

In Toronto, Berard, an offensively gifted blueliner, picked up 19 points in 38 games down the stretch. The following season, after recording 30 points through the first 64 games, Berard sustained what many believed would be a careerending injury to his right eye in a game against the Ottawa Senators. Although he never played for Toronto again, Berard did return to the NHL after taking a year off and won the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy, awarded annually to the player who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to hockey in 2004.

MIKE NYKOLUK BECOMES HEAD COACH, 1981

Instead of broadcasting Maple Leafs games from the radio booth, Mike Nykoluk would be calling them from behind the team’s bench. On January 10, 1981, Nykoluk was named head coach, replacing Joe Crozier, who was fired two days earlier following a 13-22-5 start to the season, one of the worst openings in franchise history. Back in his playing days, Nykoluk suited up for 32 games for Toronto in the 1956–57 season.

After hanging up his skates, Nykoluk got into coaching, becoming one of the first full-time assistant coaches in NHL history when he worked with Fred Shero and the Philadelphia Flyers in the early 1970s. Following a stint with the New York Rangers as an assistant coach, he worked as a radio broadcaster for the Maple Leafs until he got the call to join the bench. Under Nykoluk’s direction, Toronto went 15-15-10 to close out the campaign and qualify for the playoffs. In the opening round, however, the Leafs were swept by the New York Islanders, who went on to win their second straight Stanley Cup.

JANUARY 11

LEAFS STOMP AMERICANS 9–0, 1941

For the second straight game in Toronto, the penalty box was quiet. After defeating the New York Rangers

3–2 in overtime a couple of nights earlier at Maple Leaf Gardens, with neither team incurring an infraction, the Maple Leafs provided a penalty-free encore on January 11, 1941, when they trounced the New York Americans 9–0. After Toronto jumped out to a 2–0 lead early into the first period, the club added four goals in the middle frame and three more in the final to record their largest margin of victory in nearly two decades, back when the team was still known as the St. Patricks.

Following the back-to-back games in Toronto without penalties, the Maple Leafs didn’t play at home again for a week. When they returned to action at the Gardens, hosting the Boston Bruins, they were shut out 1–0 and the penaltyfree streak was halted. At the team’s next home game against the Montreal Canadiens, 12 penalties were called, but neither the Leafs nor their opponents were able to capitalize on their respective power plays.