Leaf of the Day v4.0

[1967ers]

Mar 25, 2009 - Fredrik Modin



A much-debated and often-reviled trade sent Freddie Modin to Tampa for Cory Cross. There were two parts to this. Cross spent a lot of his time here being the public whipping boy on defense. Sometimes this was merited, often it was not, but this was Cross's cross to bear. Modin, for his part, suddenly became the 30-goal scorer it looked like he'd never become. He was one of the few players that blossomed when not playing with Sundin. There were rumours they didn't get along. Can't really say.

I take a bit of issue with the write-up below, because I don't think anyone ever thought Modin would be a star of the Mats Sundin persuasion. Freddie was a Swede with good size, and that's about where it ended. Then, as now, the prospect cupboard wasn't exactly brimming with star-quality players and it was hoped that Modin could turn into something. He was seen as a guy with good size who could bull his way to the net if so inclined - sort of Ponikarovskyesque.

Like Poni, it didn't really happen in his first couple of years, despite getting some ice time with Mats. He wasn't really hurting you out there, but he wasn't delivering everything one would hope, either. Those Leaf teams were a lot like this one - lots of youth, sporadic results. Freddie was one of a number of young guys getting a shot, and when it was decided that the Leafs needed more D, he was deemed expendable.

Freddie took off in Tampa. Those teams weren't great, either, but it was a good spot for him and he prospered. As Tampa got better, Modin settled in as a solid first line/second line scorer and won a Cup there in 2004. When you look at his numbers, that 30-goal season was a bit of an aberration - he was more of a guy who would score in the high 20s in a good year, 18-22 the rest of the time. He could use his size some and was generally decent.

Since coming to Columbus, he's fought injuries and seems to be slowing down.

Still, he's had a career of 800-plus games, scored 220 NHL goals, and for a third-round pick of a team that supposedly couldn't draft, he wasn't half bad. I don't think he would have made the Leafs Cup winners in 2002 or 2003, but he would have helped. Or he and Mats would have been at each other's throats. Who can say?

Then again, Cory Cross DID have that OT winner against Ottawa. It's not all bad.


Freddie's stats:
1991-92 Sundsvall/Timra HC Sweden-2 11 1 0 1 0
1992-93 Sundsvall/Timra HC Sweden-2 30 5 7 12 12 5 1 0 1 0
1993-94 Sundsvall/Timra HC Sweden-2 30 16 15 31 36 2 0 1 1 6
1993-94 Sweden WJC-A 7 2 2 4 2
1994-95 Brynas IF Gavle Sweden 38 9 10 19 33 14 4 4 8 6
1995-96 Brynas IF Gavle Sweden 22 4 8 12 22
1995-96 Sweden WC-A 6 1 1 2 4
1996-97 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 76 6 7 13 24 -14
1997-98 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 74 16 16 32 32 -5
1997-98 Sweden WC-A 5 3 3 6 2
1998-99 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 67 16 15 31 35 +14 8 0 0 0 6
1999-00 Tampa Bay Lightning NHL 80 22 26 48 18 -26
1999-00 Sweden WC-A 7 3 1 4 4
2000-01 Tampa Bay Lightning NHL 76 32 24 56 48 -1
2000-01 Sweden WC-A 9 3 2 5 10
2001-02 Tampa Bay Lightning NHL 54 14 17 31 27 0
2002-03 Tampa Bay Lightning NHL 76 17 23 40 43 +7 11 2 0 2 18
2003-04 Tampa Bay Lightning NHL 82 29 28 57 32 +31 23 8 11 19 10
2004-05 Sweden W-Cup 4 4 4 8 2 +1
2004-05 Timra IK Sweden 43 12 24 36 58 7 1 1 2 8
2005-06 Tampa Bay Lightning NHL 77 31 23 54 56 +5 5 0 0 0 6
2005-06 Sweden Olympics 8 2 1 3 6
2006-07 Columbus Blue Jackets NHL 79 22 20 42 50 -3
2007-08 Columbus Blue Jackets NHL 23 6 6 12 20 +1
2008-09 Columbus Blue Jackets NHL 50 9 16 25 28 +2
Leaf Totals 217 38 38 76 91 -5 8 0 0 0 6
NHL Totals 814 220 221 441 413 +11 47 10 11 21 40

Played in NHL All-Star Game (2001)

- Traded to Tampa Bay by Toronto for Cory Cross and Tampa Bay's 7th round choice (Ivan Kolozvary) in 2001 Entry Draft, October 1, 1999.
- Signed as a free agent by Timra (Sweden), October 5, 2004.
- Traded to Columbus by Tampa Bay with Fredrik Norrena for Marc Denis, June 30, 2006.
- Missed majority of 2007-08 season recovering from shoulder injury suffered in game at Anaheim, November 1, 2007.

the HHOF take on Freddie:

Fredrik Modin was the third-round selection of the Toronto Maple Leafs, 64th overall in the 1994 NHL Entry Draft.

Modin played three years in the Swedish Second Division beginning at the age of 17 and represented his country at the 1994 World Junior Championships. In 1994-95 he moved up to the Swedish Elite League, playing two years with the powerful Brynas IF Gavle. He was also chosen to play for the Swedish National Team at the 1996 World Championships. His size and well-developed slapshot were the most noticeable attributes of the lanky star.

When Modin arrived in Toronto many had expected he would be a star in the mold of Mats Sundin. After three years with the Maple Leafs he was traded to the Tampa Bay Lightning in 1999 for Cory Cross and a seventh-round draft pick in 2001, which turned out to be Ivan Kolozvary. Since joining the Lightning Modin has shown a more confident offensive game and has produced better numbers than he was able to do in Toronto. In 2000-01 Modin scored 32 goals for the Lightning to lead the team. However, 2001-02 was a disappointment for both Modin and the Lightning. He missed a good portion of the season due to injury and once again Tampa failed in its bid to secure a spot in the postseason.

Even with the Lightning's misfortunes in the late 1990s, Modin still continued playing following the team's regular season with Team Sweden at the 1998, 2000 and 2001 World Championships. Modin and the Lightning rebounded in 2002-03. A durable player all season, Modin finished the regular season with 40 points and the team clinched its first playoff berth since the 1995-96 season.

After getting a taste of the post season in 2002-03, Modin and the Lightning looked for more in 2003-04. Modin improved on his previous year's totals, finishing the 2003-04 season with 57 points (29-28-57)and was a key player in Tampa Bay's seven game Stanley Cup final win over the Calgary Flames.

Modin continued putting up points in Tampa Bay throughout the 2005-06 season tallying 31 goals, 23 assists for 54 points. However after the Ottawa Senators eliminated Tampa Bay in the first round of the NHL playoffs, changes had to be made. The team, searching for a new starting goaltender, acquired Marc Denis from Columbus for Fredrik Modin and goaltender Fredrik Norrena on June 30, 2006.

In 2006, Modin won a Gold-Medal representing his nation in the Winter Olympics.

[1967ers]

Mar 26, 2009 - Drake Berehowsky



Barring a 1-in-50000 longshot coming through, the next big thing in the Leaf schedule is the draft. They're currently in a position to draft 9th, but could reasonably wind up as high as 7th, given they're only a point up on Ottawa and Dallas and both have games in hand. The guy currently at 7th in the ISS rankings is Jared Cowan, out for the balance of the season with a pretty serious knee injury.

He's an interesting pick. Some rankings had him as high as #3, but this injury will likely make him available near where the Leafs are picking.

Personally, I wouldn't go for it. While Bobby Orr had, oh, a wee bit of success on a bad pin, there are a lot more who didn't. Kluzak, anyone? Cowan has never rehabbed an injury before and will not have played a single game on that leg prior to the draft. In a year as deep as this is reputed to be, I'd look somewhere else.

The best Leaf example of a player taken later than he might have been due to injury was Drake Berehowsky. Same basic idea as Cowan. He was rated pretty high until his took a major knee injury in his draft year. The Leafs took a flyer on him at #10, despite the fact he only played 9 games that season.

The Leafs hoped that Berehowsky would prove to be a steal and as a junior at least, Berehowsky returned to form. He was the CHL defender of the year in 1992. At the NHL level, though, it never really happened. There were more injuries and he never became that top-pairing guy. His best success really came after he reinvented himself as a more defensive player and carved out a niche as a 5-6 depth guy on weakish teams.

Now, the 1990 draft wasn't the world's deepest. There were a couple of sleepers in late rounds, particularly Russians and somehow Martin Brodeur survived until #21. Perhaps Drake just panned out like much of the rest of that draft year did. Still, though - if you've got a decent pick in a deep draft, why on earth would you spend it on a kid who just took a major injury?


Drake's stats:
1987-88 Barrie Colts OHA-B 40 10 36 46 81
1988-89 Kingston Raiders OHL 63 7 39 46 85
1988-89 Canada Nat-Tm 1 0 0 0 0
1989-90 Kingston Frontenacs OHL 9 3 11 14 28
1990-91 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 8 0 1 1 25 -6
1990-91 Kingston Frontenacs OHL 13 5 13 18 38
1990-91 North Bay Centennials OHL 26 7 23 30 51 10 2 7 9 21
1991-92 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 1 0 0 0 0 0
1991-92 North Bay Centennials OHL 62 19 63 82 147 21 7 24 31 22
1991-92 St. John's Maple Leafs AHL 6 0 5 5 21
1992-93 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 41 4 15 19 61 +1
1992-93 St. John's Maple Leafs AHL 28 10 17 27 38
1993-94 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 49 2 8 10 63 -3
1993-94 St. John's Maple Leafs AHL 18 3 12 15 40
1994-95 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 25 0 2 2 15 -10
1994-95 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL 4 0 0 0 13 +1 1 0 0 0 0
1995-96 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL 1 0 0 0 0 +1
1995-96 Cleveland Lumberjacks IHL 74 6 28 34 141 3 0 3 3 6
1996-97 Carolina Monarchs AHL 49 2 15 17 55
1996-97 San Antonio Dragons IHL 16 3 4 7 36
1997-98 Edmonton Oilers NHL 67 1 6 7 169 +1 12 1 2 3 14
1997-98 Hamilton Bulldogs AHL 8 2 0 2 21 0
1998-99 Nashville Predators NHL 74 2 15 17 140 -9
1999-00 Nashville Predators NHL 79 12 20 32 87 -4
2000-01 Nashville Predators NHL 66 6 18 24 100 -9
2000-01 Vancouver Canucks NHL 14 1 1 2 21 0 4 0 0 0 12
2001-02 Vancouver Canucks NHL 25 1 2 3 18 -5
2001-02 Phoenix Coyotes NHL 32 1 4 5 42 +5 5 0 1 1 4
2002-03 Phoenix Coyotes NHL 7 1 2 3 27 0
2002-03 Springfield Falcons AHL 2 0 0 0 0 0
2003-04 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL 47 5 16 21 50 -16
2003-04 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 9 1 2 3 17 +5
2004-05 Skelleftea AIK HK Sweden-2 18 3 5 8 63
2005-06 San Antonio Rampage AHL 18 0 1 1 23 -3
2005-06 Eisbaren Berlin Germany 19 3 12 15 18 11 2 0 2 12
Leaf Totals 133 7 28 35 181 -13 0 0 0 0 0
NHL Totals 549 37 112 149 848 -51 22 1 3 4 30

OHL First All-Star Team (1992)
Canadian Major Junior Defenseman of the Year (1992)

- Traded to Pittsburgh by Toronto for Grant Jennings, April 7, 1995.
- Signed as a free agent by Edmonton, September 30, 1997.
- Traded to Nashville by Edmonton with Eric Fichaud and Greg de Vries for Mikhail Shtalenkov and Jim Dowd, October 1, 1998.
- Traded to Vancouver by Nashville for Atlanta's 2nd round choice (previously acquired, Nashville selected Timofei Shishkanov) in 2001 Entry Draft, March 9, 2001.
- Traded to Phoenix by Vancouver with Denis Pederson for Todd Warriner, Trevor Letowski, Tyler Bouck and Phoenix's 3rd round choice (later traded back to Phoenix - Phoenix selected Dimitri Pestunov) in 2003 Entry Draft, December 28, 2001.
- Missed majority of 2002-03 season recovering from knee injury suffered in training camp, September 24, 2002.
- Signed as a free agent by Pittsburgh, August 29, 2003.
- Traded to Toronto by Pittsburgh for Ric Jackman, February 11, 2004.
- Signed as a free agent by Skelleftea (Sweden-2), December 22, 2004.

The HHOF take on Drake:

Several years after entering the NHL, defenceman Drake Berehowsky came of age as a full-time player. A junior phenom with questionable knees, he was a part-time player for several years before finding his niche with the Edmonton Oilers and the expansion Nashville Predators. Over the years his strength has been moving the puck up ice and working the power play.

Berehowsky starred in Junior B with the Barrie Colts before joining the OHL's Kingston Raiders in 1988-89. He showed superior potential but was felled by a serious knee injury in 1989-90 which made a few pro scouts skeptical of his future. The Toronto Maple Leafs remained undeterred and chose the youngster 10th overall at the 1990 Entry Draft.

The rookie was given a look at the start of the 1990-91 season but was quickly returned to junior. He was a force for two seasons on the North Bay Centennials blueline and was named a First-Team All-Star and the CHL Defenceman-of-the-Year in 1992. After scoring 27 points in 28 games for the AHL's St. John's Maple Leafs, Berehowsky was recalled midway through the 1992-93 season. He fit in well as a puck carrying defenceman on Pat Burns' improved defensive squad and scored 19 points in 41 games. His mobility would have been useful in the 1993 playoffs, but he was hurt late in the season.

Since Toronto was fairly deep on the blueline, Berehowsky saw less playing time in 1993-94 and at the start of the next season. In April 1995 Toronto shipped him to the Pittsburgh Penguins for stay-at-home defenceman Grant Jennings. He toiled briefly in the minors until joining the young Edmonton Oilers in 1997-98.

Berehowsky played a more controlled and confident game for the Oilers while supplying an element of grit as well. He was given even greater responsibility after he was claimed by the expansion Nashville Predators in 1998. Berehowsky worked the power-play and helped guide the club's transition game. In 1999-2000 he set career highs with 12 goals and 32 points. His improvement made him a sought after commodity at the 2001 trading deadline. The Predators dealt him to the Vancouver Canucks where he spent the early part of the 2001-02 season before joining the Phoenix Coyotes midway through the season.

After parts of two seasons with the Coyotes, Berehowsky signed with the Pittsburgh Penguins in the summer of 2003, his second stint with the club. Upon his arrival with the club, Berehowsky went on to register 21 points (5-16-21) in 47 games before being acquired by the Toronto Maple Leafs in the second half of the season for blueliner Ric Jackman.

[1967ers]

Mar 27-29, 2009 - Tim Horton



For the most part, the only real use I have for LeafsTV is the old-time hockey they show. I know a lot of people can't seem to get into watching a game that took place 40 years ago, but I find them fascinating. Ususally, I'm watching as much for the opposition as anything. It's cool to see Gordie Howe as a Wing, or a young Bobby Hull. Anytime the 70s Bruins are on, I'm all over that, because watching entire games played by Bobby Orr is something any fan should do as often as possible.

The Leafs, of course, are interesting, too. It's neat to see Keon, or Parent, Duff, and all the rest. Since they're more common, though (oddly enough, the Leafs are in every game on LeafsTV), I pay a little less attention unless one guy in particular is on the ice - Tim Horton.

For whatever reason, Tim's play always surprises me. I guess that having seen pictures of this guy who otherwise looks like an old Joe Wieder ad, I always expected him to be a bruiser and a brawler. Instead, the strength is kind of an understated thing and he's really very mobile and incredibly efficient in his own zone. We don't have anyone like that now and I can't think of the last one we had. Maybe it was Horton himself. Take Schenn and give him most of Kaberle's puck-moving ability and Kubina's shot and maybe we're close.

I recently read Horton's biography 'Open Ice.' There were a lot of surprises there, too. It's not so much Horton himself - Tim comes across as a pretty solid, decent guy whose two worst traits seem to have been a tendency to post-beer rowdiness in hotel rooms and a nasty habit of speeding. The surprises came from everything around him.

There's a tendency, I guess, to look at the 60s (and earlier) Leafs as some kind of golden age and to dump on Ballard at all times in the 70s, and both of those images take something of a hit. There were a lot of things in Horton's Leafs that were quite some ways less than perfect and Ballard did have a soul - some of the time, anyway. Nothing's ever as black and white as we tend to portray it.

Tim came out of the nickel belt in the late 1940s. Born in Cochrane, the family eventually went to Sudbury and it was playing hockey there that Tim first came to prominence. He was a rushing defenseman in those days, partly because of ability and partly because his eyesight was so bad he couldn't really find his teammates.

After he became part of the Leafs system, he moved on to St. Mike's and Pittsburgh of the AHL. In Pittsburgh, he picked up a slapshot that really moved him forward as a prospect. When he did make the NHL, he was the second big practicioner of that shot after Bernie Geoffrion.

The Leafs in the early 1950s had lost two of their key defensemen - Bill Barilko to the plane crash and Gud Mortson in the trade for Harry Lumley. This opened up some spots on the roster for youth. Horton was looked on to replace Barilko. He wasn't as big as Bill and wasn't the same kind of hitter, but he made it work.

The 50s, though, weren't a good time for the Leafs. They were really in transition and they typically were somewhere between 3rd and 5th in the six-team league. There was no playoff success and then right in the middle of all that, Horton took a huge injury that set him back a long, long way. He was caught in open ice (hence the title) by Bill Gadsby of the Rangers and the hit broke his leg and jaw. It was really a couple of years before he was right again and in the meantime, he was almost traded to Montreal. (Try to imagine that one.)

In the late 50s, though, the Leafs picked up Allan Stanley. They were a defense tandem for the next 10 years and those were the best of Tim's career. He never won a Norris, but was a repeat All-Star and was often near the top of the Norris balloting. He never put up quite the offensive totals to win that trophy.

There's a lot more in the book about his early days in business - the car lots, the other restaurants and the eventual donut chain. There's his departure from the Leafs, his stops in New York, Pittsburgh and Buffalo and the eventual crash. It's worth a read. You'll pick up a lot. I find that it's the story of those Leaf teams that is most enlightening, but to each his own.

But to really get a sense of Horton the player, watch those old games on LeafsTV. Watch Horton clear the zone. It's really something to see.

The HHOF tribute to Tim:


Dressing room interview after the 1967 win:



Tim's stats:
1946-47 Copper Cliff Jr. Redmen NOJHA 9 0 0 0 14 5 0 1 1 0
1947-48 St. Michael's Majors OHA-Jr. 32 6 7 13 137
1948-49 St. Michael's Majors OHA-Jr. 32 9 18 27 95
1949-50 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 1 0 0 0 2 1 0 0 0 2
1949-50 Pittsburgh Hornets AHL 60 5 18 23 83
1950-51 Pittsburgh Hornets AHL 68 8 26 34 129 13 0 9 9 16
1951-52 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 4 0 0 0 8
1951-52 Pittsburgh Hornets AHL 64 12 19 31 146 11 1 3 4 16
1952-53 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 70 2 14 16 85
1953-54 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 70 7 24 31 94 5 1 1 2 4
1954-55 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 67 5 9 14 84
1955-56 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 35 0 5 5 36 2 0 0 0 4
1956-57 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 66 6 19 25 72
1957-58 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 53 6 20 26 39
1958-59 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 70 5 21 26 76 12 0 3 3 16
1959-60 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 70 3 29 32 69 10 0 1 1 6
1960-61 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 57 6 15 21 75 5 0 0 0 0
1961-62 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 70 10 28 38 88 12 3 13 16 16
1962-63 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 70 6 19 25 69 10 1 3 4 10
1963-64 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 70 9 20 29 71 14 0 4 4 20
1964-65 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 70 12 16 28 95 6 0 2 2 13
1965-66 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 70 6 22 28 76 4 1 0 1 12
1966-67 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 70 8 17 25 70 12 3 5 8 25
1967-68 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 69 4 23 27 82 +20
1968-69 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 74 11 29 40 107 +14 4 0 0 0 7
1969-70 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 59 3 19 22 91 +4
1969-70 New York Rangers NHL 15 1 5 6 16 -7 6 1 1 2 28
1970-71 New York Rangers NHL 78 2 18 20 57 +28 13 1 4 5 14
1971-72 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL 44 2 9 11 40 +5 4 0 1 1 2
1972-73 Buffalo Sabres NHL 69 1 16 17 56 +12 6 0 1 1 4
1973-74 Buffalo Sabres NHL 55 0 6 6 53 +5
Leaf Totals 1185 109 349 458 1389 97 9 32 41 135
NHL Totals 1446 115 403 518 1611 126 11 39 50 183

First All-Star Team Defense (1964, 1968, 1969)
Second All-Star Team Defense (1954, 1963, 1967)

- Traded to NY Rangers by Toronto for future considerations (Denis Dupere, May 14, 1970), March 3, 1970.
- Claimed by Pittsburgh from NY Rangers in Intra-League Draft, June 8, 1971.
- Claimed by Buffalo from Pittsburgh in Intra-League Draft, June 5, 1972.
- Died from injuries suffered in automobile accident, February 21, 1974.

The HHOF take on Tim:

Though it would be impossible to prove, the case could be made that Tim Horton was the strongest man ever to lace up skates in the National Hockey League. As a junior player with the St. Michael's College team in the Ontario Hockey League, Horton had NHL scouts and executives claiming he'd be the league's all-time great defenseman. But Horton's career, for all of its early promise, got off to a slow start. Though his attributes were obvious, he took a while to mature as a defensive player and spent several years moving back and forth between Toronto and its minor-league team in Pittsburgh. When he did find a regular job with the Maple Leafs during the 1952-53 season, respect was hard to come by, mostly because the expectations had been so high during his junior days.

In 1954, having just turned 24, Horton was selected to the league's Second All-Star Team and his career took off from there. With a few weeks left in the 1954-55 season, however, Horton broke his leg and jaw in a thunderous collision with the New York Rangers' Bill Gadsby. Gadsby later said it was the hardest hit he ever delivered. Horton, in traction and fed intravenously for days afterwards in the hospital, certainly agreed. When he returned to the ice after missing almost half of the 1955-56 season, he was slow to regain his form.

In 1958-59, Horton was paired on the blue line with Allan Stanley. Stanley's solid play allowed Horton to take a few more chances carrying the puck, knowing he had the speed to recover should he lose possession and that Stanley would be there to back him up. With Bobby Baun and Carl Brewer also starring on defense, the Leafs had a core of skilled, rugged and reliable defensemen. And the defense was the foundation of a Toronto team that won the Stanley Cup in 1962, 1963 and 1964, with Horton earning a spot on the Second All-Star Team in 1963 and First Team honours in 1964. The team went through a minor slump in 1965 and for part of the season coach Punch Imlach moved Horton to the right wing on a line with George Armstrong and Red Kelly, another defenseman turned forward. Horton scored 12 goals, many of them with his huge slapshot from close range.

After the Leafs' last Stanley Cup win in 1967 - after which Horton was once again selected to the league's Second All-Star Team - the Maple Leafs went into decline. Many of the stars of the championship teams moved on or retired. Though he remained and was a First Team All-Star the following two seasons, Horton was tempted to retire in 1969 because of the success of his business off the ice, a chain of donut shops bearing his name, and of Punch Imlach's dismissal as coach of the club.

Horton claimed he wanted double his salary to even consider returning. Lacking any veteran leadership on its blue line, Toronto surprised Horton by giving him over $80,000, roughly double his salary of the year before. The team, so young that Horton was the oldest defender by 16 years, was dead last in the league in the spring of 1970. Horton's large salary was impractical for a team with little promise and he was traded to the New York Rangers. He spent a full season in New York in 1970-71, but was then selected in the next two intra-league expansion drafts, moving first to Pittsburgh for an injury-plagued season in 1971-72 and then to Punch Imlach's Buffalo Sabres.

Early in the morning of February 21, 1974, Tim Horton was killed in a single-car crash while driving home to Buffalo after a game in Toronto against his old team. Police who chased the sports car reported that it was traveling over 100 miles per hour before it crashed just outside of St. Catharines, Ontario. Toronto won the game that night, but Horton, even though he missed the third period with a jaw injury, was selected as the game's third star for his standout play. He left behind a wife and four daughters. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1977. Today there are Tim Horton donut shops all across Canada.

[Timbo]

Good job.

'I find that it's the story of those Leaf teams that is most enlightening, but to each his own.'

Gotta agree with that. Just finished reading '67. The stories about what went on behind the scenes are interesting. Thanks for the book idea. I may just pick up the Horton book.

[1967ers]

Originally Posted by Timbo

Good job.

'I find that it's the story of those Leaf teams that is most enlightening, but to each his own.'

Gotta agree with that. Just finished reading '67. The stories about what went on behind the scenes are interesting. Thanks for the book idea. I may just pick up the Horton book.

It's a decent read, though 1967 is stronger.

[1967ers]

Mar 30, 2009 - 1978-79 - Lorne Stamler

(Note: Mondays, we'll have players from the 1978-79 team, 30 years ago this year. They'll appear in alphabetical order.)



When OPC decided to cut back on the size of its sets in the mid-1980s, the main result is that from about 1985-90, fourth-liners and prospects disappeared from the hobby. Because of this, you never saw the likes of Jeff Brubaker or Brad Smith in a Leaf uniform, and had there not been about a bazillion cards produced in the early 1990s, we'd never have had the likes of Scott Thornton, Doug Shedden or Brian Curran. Not all household names, but certainly they are of use after four years of trying to do Leafs of the Day. It took Todd Gill about six seasons to actually have a card printed. This probably saved him from having them all defaced in 1989.

Lorne Stamler fits the basic description of the fourth-liner/prospect. 1978-79 was his only year in Toronto. He came over with Dave Hutchison in the deal for Brian Glennie. A checker with decent speed, Lorne is mainly interesting because he's one of the earlier players to make the NHL after going the US college hockey route (certainly not the earliest, but this was still a relatively lesser-travelled route in those days). He had 7 points in 45 games. He was a much better scorer in the minors.

Winnipeg would take him in the 1979 Expansion Draft.


Lorne's stats:
1968-69 Toronto Marlboros OHA-Jr. 25 2 3 5 14 1 0 0 0 0
1969-70 Toronto Marlboros OHA-Jr. 51 6 12 18 32 18 4 7 11 24
1970-71 Michigan Tech Huskies WCHA 32 8 5 13 8
1971-72 Michigan Tech Huskies WCHA 32 20 12 32 20
1972-73 Michigan Tech Huskies WCHA 37 11 17 28 22
1973-74 Michigan Tech Huskies WCHA 39 26 30 56 36
1974-75 Springfield Kings AHL 43 16 9 25 5 17 5 8 13 8
1975-76 Fort Worth Texans CHL 76 33 33 66 12
1976-77 Los Angeles Kings NHL 7 2 1 3 2 0
1976-77 Fort Worth Texans CHL 48 19 21 40 12 5 4 2 6 0
1977-78 Los Angeles Kings NHL 2 0 0 0 0 0
1977-78 Springfield Indians AHL 70 18 34 52 4
1978-79 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 45 4 3 7 2 -6
1978-79 New Brunswick Hawks AHL 14 9 1 10 4 5 2 1 3 9
1979-80 Winnipeg Jets NHL 62 8 7 15 12 -29
1979-80 Tulsa Oilers CHL 6 8 3 11 0
1980-81 Indianapolis Checkers CHL 42 7 6 13 25
1981-82 Indianapolis Checkers CHL 53 5 7 12 8 13 4 2 6 0
1982-83 Indianapolis Checkers CHL 38 4 4 8 0 13 2 0 2 0
1983-84 Indianapolis Checkers CHL 15 3 2 5 0
Leaf Totals 45 4 3 7 2 -6
NHL Totals 116 14 11 25 16 -35

WCHA Second All-Star Team (1974)

- Traded to Toronto by Los Angeles with Dave Hutchison for Brian Glennie, Scott Garland, Kurt Walker and Toronto's 2nd round choice (Mark Hardy) in 1979 Entry Draft, June 14, 1978.
- Claimed by Winnipeg from Toronto in Expansion Draft, June 13, 1979.
- Signed as a free agent by NY Islanders, October 8, 1980.

the HHOF take on Lorne:

Left-winger Lorne Stamler spent parts of four years with three different teams in the 70s and 80s. His strength was utilizing his speed to play a solid defensive role as a pro though he showed flashed of offensive talent as well.

Born in Winnipeg, Manitoba Stamler played two years with the Toronto Marlboros of the OHA before moving on to Michigan Tech University. He was chosen 103rd overall by the L.A. Kings in 1971 after his freshman year. In 1973-74 the speedy forward scored 26 goals in 39 games and was named to the WCHA second all-star team. Stamler made his pro debut with the Springfield Indians of the AHL in 1974-75 then notched 33 goals for the CHL's Fort Worth Texans the next season.

Stamler played a handful of games for the Kings then joined the Toronto Maple Leafs in a deal that was built around defencemen Dave Hutchison and Brian Glennie. He filled a checking role under coach Roger Neilson for 45 games but was picked by the Winnipeg Jets in the 1979 Expansion Draft after the demise of the WHA. Stamler scored eight goals in 62 games in 1979-80 then played over four years in the minors before retiring in 1984.

[Timbo]

I don't remember this guy at all.

[1967ers]

Mar 31, 2009 - Mike Johnson



It's not Tyler Bozak, but the potential signing of Christian Hanson is interesting news, anyway - particularly that he might see game action before the season is out. It's something that can spark a little interest in a bunch of games that otherwise don't offer a whole lot.

(Now, for whatever reason, the name Tyler Bozak evokes for me the name of Ray Staszak, who was also the toast of the university town back in about 1986. Detroit signed him to great fanfare, after which he played four NHL games. To a little bit less fanfare, they also signed a guy named Adam Oates, but I digress....)

I was listening to the FAN this morning and Scotty Bowman was on, tempering expectations. He basically said not to expect too much, that the premier guys in college are generally drafted by the end of their second year. That said, there are late bloomers and maybe he's one of them. Fair enough. At the very least, he's got really good size and seems to play a solid two-way game, from what they report.

Twleve years ago, the last time the Leafs were in the middle of a major rebuild, they also dipped into the college free agent market and signed a guy from Bowling Green named Mike Johnson. There was some minor hype, about what we're hearing now for Hanson, although on that team the thought was that Mike would step right into a top-six spot. He injected some more youth and some scoring ability into a team that really needed help, and it was this kind of signing that offered Leaf fans some hope. Our draft record had been kind of spotty, and here was a guy who was able to step in right away. He showed potential, and while it didn't look like star potential, this was still good news.

Mike's first full season was in 1997-98. While his 47 points don't look like a ton, that actually placed him second in Leaf scoring, behind Sundin at 74. He led all rookies with 32 assists and made the NHL all-rookie team.

The first year under Quinn, he scored 20 goals and was a solid plus, but the next season, the Leafs decided they wanted more grit and Mike was sent to Tampa in the deal for Darcy Tucker. Mike went on to a pretty solid career as a second/third-line guy who would sometimes chip in 20 goals - not a bad fate for a guy who was never drafted.

He's currently playing for Cologne in Germany.


Mike's stats:
1991-92 Hillcrest Summits MTHL 45 43 66 109 20 10 19 29
1992-93 Aurora Eagles MTJHL 48 25 40 65 18 7 7 15 22
1993-94 Bowling Green University CCHA 38 6 14 20 18
1994-95 Bowling Green University CCHA 37 16 33 49 35
1995-96 Bowling Green University CCHA 30 12 19 31 22
1996-97 Bowling Green University CCHA 38 30 32 62 46
1996-97 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 13 2 2 4 4 -2
1997-98 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 82 15 32 47 24 -4
1998-99 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 79 20 24 44 35 +13 17 3 2 5 4
1999-00 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 52 11 14 25 23 +8
1999-00 Tampa Bay Lightning NHL 28 10 12 22 4 -2
1999-00 Canada WC-A 9 1 1 2 10
2000-01 Tampa Bay Lightning NHL 64 11 27 38 38 -10
2000-01 Phoenix Coyotes NHL 12 2 3 5 4 0
2001-02 Phoenix Coyotes NHL 57 5 22 27 28 +14 5 1 1 2 6
2002-03 Phoenix Coyotes NHL 82 23 40 63 47 +9
2003-04 Phoenix Coyotes NHL 11 1 9 10 10 -1
2004-05 Farjestads BK Karlstad Sweden 8 1 2 3 4 6 0 2 2 4
2005-06 Phoenix Coyotes NHL 80 16 38 54 50 +7
2006-07 Montreal Canadiens NHL 80 11 20 31 40 +6
2007-08 St. Louis Blues NHL 21 2 3 5 8 -4
Leaf Totals 226 48 72 120 86 +15 17 3 2 5 4
NHL Totals 661 129 246 375 315 +34 22 4 3 7 10

NHL All-Rookie Team (1998)

- Signed as a free agent by Toronto, March 16, 1997.
- Traded to Tampa Bay by Toronto with Marek Posmyk and Toronto's 5th (Pavel Sedov) and 6th (Aaron Gionet) round choices in 2000 Entry Draft for Darcy Tucker and Tampa Bay's 4th round choice (Miguel Delisle) in 2000 Entry Draft, February 9, 2000.
- Traded to Phoenix by Tampa Bay with Paul Mara, Ruslan Zainullin and NY Islanders' 2nd round choice (previously acquired, Phoenix selected Matthew Spiller) in 2001 Entry Draft for Nikolai Khabibulin and Stan Neckar, March 5, 2001.
- Missed majority of 2003-04 season recovering from shoulder injury suffered in game vs. Los Angeles, November 1, 2003.
- Signed as a free agent by Farjestad (Sweden), January 31, 2005.
- Traded to Montreal by Phoenix for Montreal's 4th round choice (Vladimir Ruzicka) in 2007 Entry Draft, July 12, 2006.
- Signed as a free agent by St. Louis, October 4, 2007.

the HHOF take on Mike:

Mike Johnson enjoyed four solid years at Bowling Green University from 1993 to 1997. During his last year he registered 62 points in 38 games and was signed as a free agent by the Toronto Maple Leafs. In 1996 and 1997 he earned first-team CCHA all-academic honours and served as Bowling Green's co-captain. After the college season ended, Johnson showed surprising poise and offensive talent in the last 13 games of the NHL season.

In 1997-98 Johnson played his first full season in the league and showed flashes of star potential. He accumulated 47 points in 82 games to tie Boston's Sergei Samsonov for the rookie lead and was named to the NHL's All-Rookie Team. His 32 assists led all first year players.

After parts of three seasons with Toronto, Johnson was dealt to the Tampa Bay Lightning midway through the 1999-2000 season for gritty forward Darcy Tucker. Upon his arrival with the Bolts, he scored 22 points in 28 games and then joined Team Canada at the 2000 World Championships. Along with most of his teammates, Johnson struggled in 2000-01 with only eleven goals and 38 points in 64 games . In March, 2001, he was part of the package deal sent to the Phoenix Coyotes for the rights to holdout netminder Nikolai Khabibulin.

During the 2002-03 season Johnson established a career-high 63 points (23-40-63) before missing the majority of the 2003-04 season recovering from a shoulder injury. Following his stint with the Coyotes, Johnson would return to the Eastern Conference as he was traded to the Montreal Canadiens in exchange for a draft pick.

[1967ers]

Apr 1, 2009 - Brad Marsh



The first season in the existence of the Calgary Flames came when I was in fifth grade. We all became instant fans, shedding whatever allegiances we'd once had (my Leafs winter coat always had to be worn with two public disclaimers - one, that it was a present from my aunts out east, and two, that I'd had it pre-Flames, which made it exempt from all traitor rules).

One game fairly early in the season, Kent Nilsson was behind his own net. He was having the year of his life, finishing third in NHL scoring with 131 points. Flames defenseman Brad Marsh picked up the puck in front of the goal and decided to flip it over the net to Nilsson, who would surely rush up ice and score. Easy assist, right? Marsh turned and, rather than the flipping it as he'd envisioned, rifled one high on Pat Riggin. A pure sniper's goal, had it been on the oppositon net.
Brad Marsh was not our favourite person.

Anyway, not too long after that, the Flames announced that the players would all be out visiting local schools. Nilsson, MacMillan, Lever, Plett, Riggin, Rautakallio - all these guys would be out there in person. Our school drew what should have been a coup. We got the captain.

The captain of the 1980-81 Flames was Brad Marsh.

We were all in the gym when Marsh arrived. He had on a lumberjack shirt, brown cords, Kodiak boots (that style, anyway), enormous glasses (this was 1980-81, after all), hair about three feet wide and three-days' worth of beard. He went to the podium - zeep, zeep, zeep.

He talked for a while, I don't really remember about what, and then it was question time. Most of the questions were pretty basic: "Who do you like to play against?" ("Winnipeg, because we always win.") "Does it hurt when they hit you into the boards?" (*laughs* "Yes.")

And then came the one we'd all been waiting for: "What did Pat Riggin say to you after you scored on your own net?"

"Nice shot, Brad!"

We all got signed pictures. I still have mine somewhere.

Anyway, Brad left Calgary and we did as well. I never thought that much about him until 1988, when in the Leafs annual preseason "let's pick someone off the waiver wire" ritual, Brad Marsh joined the Leafs from Philadelphia.

I have to say that having seen Brad in Calgary, I was really impressed with him in Toronto. He learned a lot in Philadelphia and while he was never the type to make one think of Bobby Orr, he had matured a lot as a player and he helped the Leafs while he was here. He got his one '88-89 goal on the last game of the season and the whole team was thrilled for him.

As with most defensemen who don't provide a lot offensively, you rarely noticed Brad unless he was getting beat, so that taints the memory for a lot of people. Still, he played with a lot of enthusiasm and was fun out there. He managed to be a +14 on the 89-90 team that still gave up a lot more goals than it scored, so he wasn't a real liability on the ice.

In the end, Brad did what all Leaf defensemen must do and went to play for the Red Wings - in his case as part of the great '90-91 housecleaning. His last call was with Ottawa in their expansion year. He went to the All-Star game (I think as the veteran invite) and he even scored a goal there. Outside of the season-opening win against Montreal and the one road win in Long Island, that was probably the best moment of the entire Ottawa season.

His career highlight? "Anytime I score." That's a Brad Marsh answer, for sure.


Brad's stats:
1972-73 London Legionnaires Minor-ON
1972-73 London Knights OHA-Jr. 13 0 0 0 2
1974-75 London Knights OMJHL 70 4 17 21 160
1975-76 London Knights OMJHL 61 3 26 29 184 5 1 2 3 18
1976-77 London Knights OMJHL 63 7 33 40 121 20 3 5 8 47
1976-77 Canada WJC-A 7 1 3 4 14
1977-78 London Knights OMJHL 62 8 55 63 192 11 2 10 12 21
1977-78 Canada WJC-A 6 0 4 4 2
1978-79 Atlanta Flames NHL 80 0 19 19 101 +23 2 0 0 0 17
1978-79 Canada WEC-A 6 1 0 1 4
1979-80 Atlanta Flames NHL 80 2 9 11 119 -15 4 0 1 1 2
1980-81 Calgary Flames NHL 80 1 12 13 87 -2 16 0 5 5 8
1981-82 Calgary Flames NHL 17 0 1 1 10 -16
1981-82 Philadelphia Flyers NHL 66 2 22 24 106 +17 4 0 0 0 2
1982-83 Philadelphia Flyers NHL 68 2 11 13 52 +20 2 0 1 1 0
1983-84 Philadelphia Flyers NHL 77 3 14 17 83 +24 3 1 1 2 2
1984-85 Philadelphia Flyers NHL 77 2 18 20 91 +42 19 0 6 6 65
1985-86 Philadelphia Flyers NHL 79 0 13 13 123 0 5 0 0 0 2
1986-87 Philadelphia Flyers NHL 77 2 9 11 124 +9 26 3 4 7 16
1987-88 Philadelphia Flyers NHL 70 3 9 12 57 -13 7 1 0 1 8
1988-89 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 80 1 15 16 79 -16
1989-90 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 79 1 13 14 95 +14 5 1 0 1 2
1990-91 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 22 0 0 0 15 -6
1990-91 Detroit Red Wings NHL 20 1 3 4 16 -3 1 0 0 0 0
1991-92 Detroit Red Wings NHL 55 3 4 7 53 +8 3 0 0 0 0
1992-93 Ottawa Senators NHL 59 0 3 3 30 -29
Leaf Totals 181 2 28 30 189 -8 5 1 0 1 2
NHL Totals 1086 23 175 198 1241 +57 97 6 18 24 124

OMJHL First All-Star Team (1978)
Played in NHL All-Star Game (1993)

- Claimed by Atlanta as a fill-in during Expansion Draft, June 13, 1979.
- Transferred to Calgary after Atlanta franchise relocated, June 21, 1980.
- Traded to Philadelphia by Calgary for Mel Bridgman, November 11, 1981.
- Claimed by Toronto from Philadelphia in Waiver Draft, October 3, 1988.
- Traded to Detroit by Toronto for Detroit's 8th round choice (Robb McIntyre) in 1991 Entry Draft, February 4, 1991.
- Traded to Toronto by Detroit for cash, June 10, 1992.
- Traded to Ottawa by Toronto for future considerations, July 20, 1992.

the HHOF take on Brad:

There is likely no one who enjoyed playing hockey as much as Brad Marsh. A first-round draft choice of the Atlanta Flames in 1978, he joined the ranks of NHL players that fall, playing all 80 games with the Flames that season. When Atlanta relocated to Calgary for 1980-81, Marsh went with the team up to Alberta and stayed there until he was traded to Philadelphia for Mel Bridgman in November 1981.

Marsh was an exuberant Flyer until the completion of the 1987-88 season. He was picked up by the Maple Leafs in the waiver draft preceding the 1988-89 season. He quickly became a fan favourite. What he lacked in polish, he made up for in enthusiasm. His skating style, almost running on his skates, was awkward, but it got him efficiently from place to place. In a league of conformity, Brad Marsh was one of the last NHL skaters to play without a helmet.

In February 1991, Toronto gave up on Marsh, and he was sent to Detroit in return for an eighth-round draft pick. The Leafs reacquired him in June 1992, but he never played with Toronto this time around, instead, being sent to the Ottawa Senators. But Marsh's popularity never dimmed in Canada's capital, either, and after playing 1992-93 with the Senators, his final season in the NHL, he opened his own bar/restaurant in Ottawa's Corel Centre. Called 'Marshy's,' it is jammed on game nights both before and after Senators' games.

Brad Marsh also had the honour of watching his sweater number retired by the London Knights, the last amateur club with which the popular defenseman played. Brad Marsh will be remembered for his zest for the game of hockey. He certainly won't be recalled as a sniper. Through 1,086 NHL games, Brad Marsh scored a total of 23 goals--a pace of one every 47 games played. Brad Marsh was not blessed with a natural talent to play hockey. But he was born with a strong physique and a copious supply of determination and willingness to work hard. He put those attributes to work, spending four seasons with the London Knights where, in his final campaign, he picked up 63 points and 192 penalty minutes in 62 games. His offensive output and his gritty play set him up as the Atlanta Flames first-round pick of the 1978 Amateur Draft.

Marsh made the jump straight into the NHL and quickly established himself as an honest, lunch-pail defenseman who entertained adoring fans with his likable personality and playing style. He lasted with the Flames until after they moved to Calgary when, in 1982, he was dispatched to Philadelphia.

With the Flyers, Marsh found a stylistic home where, for more than six seasons, he relished his role as a plodding, stay-at-home crease-clearer who helped his team make it to the Stanley Cup finals in 1985 and 1987. The only sour note of his career was the fact that his club fell short of the Grail on both occasions.

In 1988, Marsh joined the Maple Leafs for two-and-a-half entertaining seasons before closing out his career with stints in Detroit and, finally, Ottawa, where he racked up one final, life-long memory. He was selected to represent the Senators at the 1993 All-Star game in which he scored a goal.

In retirement, Marsh stayed on with the Sens' organization to work as the club's Director of Team and Business Development.

[1967ers]

Apr 2, 2009 - Blaine Stoughton



The Leafs have given away a lot of prospects over the years, but the number of players they gave up on who went on to score 50 somewhere else is thankfully rather small. One of them was Rick Kehoe. The other was the guy they got in exchange for Kehoe, Blaine Stoughton. Toronto actually lost him twice, and he went on to score 50 goals for his new team both times. That has to be some sort of record.

Stoughton's career looks to be kind of a funny one. He was either brilliant or invisible, and there doesn't seem to be much of anything in between. From what I read, he played his best in pond-hockey kinds of games and didn't take too well to defensive systems, which explains why he really lit it up in the WHA and the NHL of the early 1980s. It also explains his plus/minus stats, although playing in Hartford explains a lot of that, as well.

Blaine was a brilliant scorer in junior and was the first-round pick of Pittsburgh in 1973. He didn't get to play a lot in his first season and after spending a lot of it in the minors, he wanted out. Toronto obliged with Kehoe, who also wanted out. Pittsburgh added a first to the deal. I really can't imagine a deal like this today, mainly because of that pick - it was a '77 first-rounder dealt in the fall of '74. Either Pittsburgh had dealt all their other firsts or they had great faith in where they'd be in three years.

Anyway, Stoughton's first full season in Toronto really wasn't too bad. He had 23 goals and a decent playoffs. The next year, he fell back and again spent half the season in the minors.

He jumped to the WHA for 1976 and immediately hit for 52 goals. The next year, Jacques Demers tries to implement a more defensive system and he drops to 19. His next WHA season is spotty as well.

When the NHL and WHA merged in 1979, Toronto, as Stoughton's last NHL rights holder, got him back again. The Leafs decided not to protect him, though, and Hartford was able to reclaim him (he'd been a New England Whaler in 1978-79). He repaid the whalers by leading the league in goals with 56. For the next three seasons he scores big - 43,52,45 and looks like he's really found the zone. He scores 28 in a season split between Hartford and the Rangers - and then never plays another NHL game. He played 1984-85 in the minors and then that's it, save for a brief stop in Italy.

It's shocking to me that his career stopped that suddenly. It says on hockeydraftcentral that he didn't make the Rangers out of training camp and then didn't get picked up because he made too much money. Indifferent play? Perhaps.

Toronto actually had a third shot at Stoughton in 1980. There was a contract dispute with Hartford and the Leafs almost picked him up, but the teams couldn't agree on compensation. Stoughton went on to score 50 AGAIN in 1981-82.

If only Blaine Stoughton could have arranged to briefly be Leaf property every two or three years, he'd probably still be playing. And scoring 50.

Not Leafs footage, but when was the last time you saw WHA clips?


Now this has nothing to do with anything here, but it's an interesting clip - Gretzky scores his first professional goal AGAINST Edmonton:


Blaine's stats:
1968-69 Dauphin Kings MJHL
1968-69 Dauphin Kings M-Cup 1 0 0 0 7
1969-70 Flin Flon Bombers WCJHL 59 19 20 39 181 17 4 2 6 69
1970-71 Flin Flon Bombers WCJHL 35 26 24 50 96 17 13 13 26 61
1971-72 Flin Flon Bombers WCJHL 68 60 66 126 121 7 4 6 10 27
1972-73 Flin Flon Bombers WCJHL 66 58 60 118 86 9 9 5 14 18
1973-74 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL 34 5 6 11 8 -12
1973-74 Hershey Bears AHL 47 23 17 40 35
1974-75 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 78 23 14 37 24 -7 7 4 2 6 2
1975-76 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 43 6 11 17 8 -2
1975-76 Oklahoma City Blazers CHL 30 14 22 36 24 4 0 0 0 2
1976-77 Cincinnati Stingers WHA 81 52 52 104 39 4 0 3 3 2
1977-78 Cincinnati Stingers WHA 30 6 13 19 36
1977-78 Indianapolis Racers WHA 47 13 13 26 28
1978-79 Indianapolis Racers WHA 25 9 9 18 16
1978-79 New England Whalers WHA 36 9 3 12 2 7 4 3 7 4
1979-80 Hartford Whalers NHL 80 56 44 100 16 +9 1 0 0 0 0
1980-81 Hartford Whalers NHL 71 43 30 73 56 -17
1981-82 Hartford Whalers NHL 80 52 39 91 57 -17
1982-83 Hartford Whalers NHL 72 45 31 76 27 -23
1983-84 Hartford Whalers NHL 54 23 14 37 4 -13
1983-84 New York Rangers NHL 14 5 2 7 4 -12
1984-85 New Haven Nighthawks AHL 60 20 25 45 35
1986-87
1987-88 HC Asiago Italy 15 10 16 26 2
Leaf Totals 121 29 25 54 32 -9 7 4 2 6 2
NHL Totals 526 258 191 449 204 -94 8 4 2 6 2

WCJHL First All-Star Team (1972)
Played in NHL All-Star Game (1982)

- Selected by Quebec (WHA) in 1973 WHA Amateur Draft, June, 1973.
- Traded to Toronto by Pittsburgh with Pittsburgh's 1st round choice (Trevor Johansen) in 1977 Entry Draft for Rick Kehoe, September 13, 1974.
- WHA rights claimed by Cincinnati (WHA) from Quebec (WHA) prior to WHA Expansion Draft, June, 1975.
- Traded to Indianapolis (WHA) by Cincinnati (WHA) with Gilles Marotte for Bryon Baltimore and Hugh Harris, January, 1978.
- Traded to New England (WHA) by Indianapolis (WHA) with Dave Inkpen for cash, December, 1978.
- Claimed by Hartford from Toronto in Expansion Draft, June 13, 1979.
- Traded to NY Rangers by Hartford for Scot Kleinendorst, February 27, 1984.

the HHOF take on Blaine:

Blaine Stoughton played his junior hockey with the Flin Flon Bombers and led the team for four seasons while leading the league in goals for the 1971-72 season. He was also named to the all-star team. When the pros came calling in 1973, Pittsburgh in the NHL and Quebec of the WHA drafted Stoughton. He chose to stay with his team and finish the season where he began.

He made his NHL debut in the 1973-74 season with the Penguins but played more games with the team's AHL affiliate in Hershey. In the off-season, Stoughton was traded to the Maple Leafs where he played his first full season in the NHL in 1974-75. Stoughton also saw his first action in the Stanley Cup playoffs this year but split the next year with the Leafs and their CHL team in Oklahoma City.

The 1975-76 season saw Stoughton's rights to play in the WHA come up once again when he chose to play for Cincinnati, wa team which had received his rights from Quebec in the league's Expansion Draft. Stoughton finally saw regular ice time and played in the league for three seasons until he was claimed by Hartford from Toronto when the NHL expanded in 1979. In his first year back in the NHL, Stoughton led the league in goals and topped off his point total with 100.

Stoughton was a Whalers for five seasons and represented the team at the 1982 All-Star Game. He was traded to the Rangers in 1984, his last year in the NHL. Stoughton played the 1984-85 season in the AHL, took the next year off and then traveled to Italy to play one last year of hockey, retiring in 1988.

[1967ers]

Apr 3-5, 2009 - Jim Pappin



Jim was the offensive star of the 1967 playoffs, leading the Leafs with 15 points and scoring the Cup-winning goal. Late in the second period, he was breaking down the left wing and threw a pass out to Pete Stemkowski, driving the net despite the best efforts of Habs defenseman Terry Harper. The pass hit Harper in the skate and deflected past Gump Worsley, putting the Leafs up 2-0 in a game they'd eventually win 3-1.

Pappin was primed for Leaf stardom, but it really didn't happen. He would be traded for Pierre Pilote in May, 1968.

I've mentioned it before, but the trouble with the 1967 team wasn't that they were old, but where they were old. The old forwards really weren't key. The Leafs were very well-stocked with forwards under 30, and the Leaf kids actually did very well in that series. After Pappin, Stemkowski was second on the team in scoring and Mike Walton put in a good performance as well. Ellis had a lousy playoffs but got the Leafs on the board in Game 6. Keon and Mahovlich were still in their 20s.

The problem with the Leafs was on the blue line and in net, where they were positivley ancient. This started to show in 1967-68 and hit crisis point by 1968-69.

It's worth remembering, too, that the Imlach-era Leafs really thrived through their commitment to team defense and two-way play. Leaf forwards were expected to be diligent defensively. This had been the Leaf pattern since the 1940s. This is the main reason why players would leave Toronto and put up better numbers elsewhere, or else see their production decline in Toronto. If you could embrace it, like a Keon did, you'd thrive. If it wasn't a great fit, like for a Mahovlich or a Pappin, there was trouble. Pappin and Imlach really didn't get on.

It's in this context that the Pappin trade happened. For a long time, I felt this trade was exhibit A in terms of dumb moves the Leafs made. In context, though, I really get it. The Horton biography really filled in a lot of gaps for me.

Now, by the summer of 1968, the Leaf defense was in serious trouble. The Leafs had already lost Bobby Baun and Kent Douglas. Tim Horton, at 38, was still great and was the best the Leafs had, but he was at the stage of his career where he'd retire every spring and only be talked back into playing in the fall. Allan Stanley was 42 and would not be protected. He was lost to Philly in the reverse draft in June. Marcel Pronovost was 38 and slowing down. Nobody knew it at the time, but he only had 41 games left in him. There was a contract dispute with 31-year-old Larry Hillman (over a couple hundred dollars - this was incredibly stupid, particularly in context) and he would be left unprotected in June as well.

There were a bunch of kids (Ley, Quinn, McKenny, Pelyk, Dorey) waiting for their chance, which is how by 1969 the defense would be Tim Horton and 5 kids 15 years his junior. Most would make their debut in 1968.

So not having any idea whether Horton would be back, presumably knowing they weren't going to protect either of Stanley or Hillman, and not wanting to go with Pronovost and 5 rookies, Imlach made a deal in May to send Pappin to the Black Hawks (as they were then spelled) for Pierre Pilote. Pappin had not capitalized on his great playoff run and had only a marginal season in 1967-68. Pilote was 36, but had been a first-team all-star in 1966-67 and a Norris winner as recently as 1965. The Leafs were trading from their strength (promising young forwards) to address their weakness (defense).

Horton did come back and was an all-star, but Pronovost barely played. Pilote, as the only other veteran presence, really helped stabilize that defense and the Leafs made the playoffs in 1968-69. Unfortunately, they ran into this steamroller named the Boston Bruins and were swept out in the first round.

Pilote also worked well with all the kids, but then he surprised everyone by abruptly retiring after that one season to go into business. With both he and Pronovost finished, the Leafs of 1969-70 had their most inexperienced defense until the 1980s set the new standard.

Pappin, who the Leafs gave up, joined a Chicago team that really embraced offense and scored 30 goals his first year. He'd spend seven years in Chicago, typically scoring 30+ if he was healthy and ranging as high as 40. Solid playoff numbers as well.

So yes, it was a bad trade, but if Pilote plays three years instead of one, then this looks a whole lot better. Think of it like the Leetch trade, except that Jarkko Immonen turned into something instead of disappearing back to Europe.

(The bigger mistake was the Mahovlich deal in March of that 1968. The Leafs traded top forwards for top forwards when what they really needed was on the blue line and in goal. Failure to address that led to this deal in May.)

Game 6 in 1967:


That series in retrospect:



Jim's stats:
1958-59 Toronto Marlboros OHA-Jr. 54 17 18 35 86 5 2 3 5 4
1959-60 Toronto Marlboros OHA-Jr. 48 40 34 74 126 4 3 0 3 20
1959-60 Sudbury Wolves EPHL 4 1 0 1 4 3 0 1 1 0
1960-61 Sudbury Wolves EPHL 46 17 20 37 74
1960-61 Rochester Americans AHL 22 7 4 11 4
1961-62 Rochester Americans AHL 69 28 21 49 105 2 1 0 1 2
1962-63 Rochester Americans AHL 72 34 23 57 100 2 1 2 3 2
1963-64 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 50 11 8 19 33 11 0 0 0 0
1963-64 Rochester Americans AHL 16 10 6 16 16
1964-65 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 44 9 9 18 33
1964-65 Rochester Americans AHL 22 14 11 25 36 10 11 5 16 32
1965-66 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 7 0 3 3 8
1965-66 Rochester Americans AHL 63 36 51 87 116 12 8 3 11 13
1966-67 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 64 21 11 32 89 12 7 8 15 12
1966-67 Rochester Americans AHL 6 4 3 7 4
1967-68 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 58 13 15 28 37 0
1967-68 Rochester Americans AHL 5 1 5 6 16 11 2 6 8 32
1968-69 Chicago Black Hawks NHL 75 30 40 70 49 +7
1969-70 Chicago Black Hawks NHL 66 28 25 53 68 +17 8 3 2 5 6
1970-71 Chicago Black Hawks NHL 58 22 23 45 40 +9 18 10 4 14 24
1971-72 Chicago Black Hawks NHL 64 27 21 48 38 +3 8 2 5 7 4
1972-73 Chicago Black Hawks NHL 76 41 51 92 82 +25 16 8 7 15 24
1973-74 Chicago Black Hawks NHL 78 32 41 73 76 +25 11 3 6 9 29
1974-75 Chicago Black Hawks NHL 71 36 27 63 94 -1 8 0 2 2 2
1975-76 California Golden Seals NHL 32 6 13 19 12 -16
1976-77 Cleveland Barons NHL 24 2 8 10 8 +5
Leaf Totals 223 54 46 100 200 23 7 8 15 12
NHL Totals 767 278 295 573 667 92 33 34 67 101

AHL Second All-Star Team (1966)
Played in NHL All-Star Game (1964, 1968, 1973, 1974, 1975)

- Traded to Chicago by Toronto for Pierre Pilote, May 23, 1968.
- Traded to California by Chicago with Chicago's 3rd round choice (Guy Lash) in 1977 Amateur Draft for Joey Johnston, June 1, 1975.
- Transferred to Cleveland after California franchise relocated, August 26, 1976.

the HHOF take on Jim:

Jim Pappin played two successful seasons of junior hockey with the Toronto Marlboros from 1958 to 1960, before leaping into the minor pros for three years of seasoning. As property of the Leafs, he arrived in time to have Punch Imlach as his boss. Pappin credits Imlach for pushing him to become a better two-way player. But otherwise, the two found little common ground, especially regarding matters of money.

As such, Pappin played well enough to make the club each year from 1963-68. But during those years, Imlach took advantage of any opportunity to demote his right winger to the minors. Pappin, however, refused to languish in the AHL. He was just too useful, especially during the playoffs of 1967. In the sixth and deciding game of the finals against Montreal, Pappin tossed a backhand pass to Pete Stemkowski. But the puck hit Canadiens' defenseman Terry Harper and slipped into the net. The goal stood as the Stanley Cup winner - the last the Leafs enjoyed.

Pappin toiled for one additional year with the Leafs before Imlach sent him to Chicago. There, "Pappy" settled in as a permanent NHLer. Skating right wing with Pit Martin and Dennis Hull, he scored 216 goals during their seven seasons together.

In 1975, Pappin was traded to the California Golden Seals where he played in 31 contests before the club relocated to Cleveland. He hung in for one final campaign with the Barons and then retired in 1977-78.

Since packing it in, Pappin has worked as Director of U.S. Scouting for the Chicago Blackhawks.

[1967ers]

Apr 6, 2009 - 1978-79 - Ian Turnbull

(Note: Mondays, we'll have players from the 1978-79 team, 30 years ago this year. They'll appear in alphabetical order.)



Ian Turnbull was sort of a proto-McCabe, I guess. A talented guy who could rush the puck, score some big goals and put points on the board, he could also turn the puck over and be 'creative' in his own zone.

Ian was one of three first-rounders the Leafs had in 1973. The Bruins traded the Leafs a first-round pick for the last 8 games of Jacques Plante's NHL career. (Jacques did win seven of them.) After picking up Lanny McDonald at #4 and Bob Neely at #10, Ian went at #15. He was part of a rookie class for the Leafs that also included Salming and Hammarstrom - the Leafs of today could use a year like that one.

Ian had a really solid rookie season and then was hurt much of his second year. He rebounded with a 20-goal season in 1975-76, the first by a Leaf defenseman in team history, so far as I can tell. He followed this up with 22 goals and 79 points in '76-77, both of which are still team records. (Iafrate tied the goal total.) on Feb 2, 1977, Ian scored 5 goals against Detroit, still an NHL record for defensemen.

His playoff numbers were good, too. Between 1976 and 1978, he had 35 points in 32 playoff games. When Salming went down with an eye injury in 1978 against the Islanders, Turnbull really stepped it up.

For all his offensive abilites, though, defensive lapses were an issue. Can't think of the source at the moment, but I remember reading that one of the things that came between Ballard and Roger Neilson was that Roger had had enough of Turnbull and wanted him traded. Ballard, who never really got what Neilson was about (them newfandangled "video tape" things), sided with his player over his coach.

The defense can't have been all bad, as he was a +47 in 1977, but as the team's results slipped, so did that stat.

Turnbull left the Leafs as the third-highest scorer amongst defensemen in team history. As it stands today, he's still fourth in points, behind Salming, Horton and Kaberle. He's second overall in goals, though, behind only Salming. He was traded to LA for Billy Harris (the younger) and John Gibson, neither of whom did a whole lot.


Ian's stats:
1968-69 West Island Flyers MMJHL 25 6 17 23
1969-70 Montreal Jr. Canadiens OHA-Jr. 53 4 21 25 88 16 3 3 6 8
1969-70 Montreal Jr. Canadiens M-Cup 6 6 4 10 6
1970-71 Montreal Jr. Canadiens OHA-Jr. 59 17 45 62 85 11 3 8 11 6
1971-72 Montreal Jr. Canadiens OHA-Jr. 63 34 48 82 85
1972-73 Ottawa 67's OHA-Jr. 60 31 50 81 98 9 6 10 16 8
1973-74 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 78 8 27 35 74 +12 4 0 0 0 8
1974-75 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 22 6 7 13 44 -6 7 0 2 2 4
1974-75 Oklahoma City Blazers CHL 8 2 1 3 15
1975-76 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 76 20 36 56 90 +24 10 2 9 11 29
1976-77 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 80 22 57 79 84 +47 9 4 4 8 10
1977-78 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 77 14 47 61 77 +6 13 6 10 16 10
1978-79 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 80 12 51 63 80 -7 6 0 4 4 27
1979-80 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 75 11 28 39 90 -23 3 0 3 3 2
1980-81 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 80 19 47 66 104 -17 3 1 0 1 4
1981-82 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 12 0 2 2 8 -4
1981-82 Los Angeles Kings NHL 42 11 15 26 81 0
1981-82 New Haven Nighthawks AHL 13 1 7 8 4 3 0 0 0 0
1982-83 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL 6 0 0 0 4 -3
1982-83 Baltimore Skipjacks AHL 13 3 8 11 10
Leaf Totals 580 112 302 414 651 32 55 13 32 45 94
NHL Totals 628 123 317 440 736 +29 55 13 32 45 94

OMJHL Second All-Star Team (1972, 1973)
Played in NHL All-Star Game (1977)

- Missed majority of 1974-75 season recovering from knee injury suffered in game vs. St. Louis, November 25, 1974.
- Traded to Los Angeles by Toronto for Billy Harris and John Gibson, November 11, 1981.
- Signed as a free agent by Pittsburgh, October 4, 1982.

the HHOF take on Ian:

Throughout his career in hockey, Ian Turnbull was a natural, rushing defenseman and puck-handler who knew what to do in the other guy's end of the rink. He started out in the youth hockey programs of Montreal where he quickly discovered that he was naturally better at the sport than most of the other kids around the neighborhood.

He continued being a superior performer right up the ranks to the junior level where he skated for the Montreal Junior Canadiens and, later, the Ottawa 67's of the OHA from 1969 to 1973. In his final year as an amateur, he skated with Islanders great Denis Potvin as the two prepared to make the jump to the NHL at the same time.

Turnbull was picked up by the Toronto Maple Leafs in the 1973 Amateur Draft. He and the stalwart Borje Salming were teamed together to form one of the more accomplished defensive pairings in the league. All was progressing according to plan until a second-year collision occurred between Turnbull and Blues' enforcer Bob Plager. Turnbull ended up tearing knee ligaments that severely limited his action during the 1974-75 campaign.

After a year of healing, he bounced back, establishing himself as a premiere offensively capable rearguard. In 1977, however, he slipped into a lengthy scoring drought. He waited until a match against the Detroit Red Wings on the night of February 2 to break free from his malaise. He became the first blueliner to score five goals in one game en route to a 9-1 pasting of the Wings. The record still stands today.

Turnbull remained as a Leaf mainstay until 1981-82 before being dealt to the Los Angeles Kings after only 12 games with the Leafs. Upon his arrival with the Kings, Turnbull played most of the season with the parent club before being demoted to the New Haven Knight Hawks of the AHL later in the season. He tried his hand with the Pittsburgh Penguins the following year but found that his interest in hockey had been supplanted by an eagerness to get a career in business underway. As a result, he hung up his blades in 1982.

[Metalleaf]

Mike Green reminds me of Ian Turnbull

[Timbo]

I remember that 5 goal game like it was yesterday. 5 shots, 5 goals.

[Metalleaf]

Jiri Tlusty did that with the Marlies this year.

[1967ers]

Originally Posted by Timbo

I remember that 5 goal game like it was yesterday. 5 shots, 5 goals.

You'd think it would be on youtube, but it isn't.

[1967ers]

Apr 7, 2009 - 1978-79 - Terry Sawchuk



Terry Sawchuk plays such a big role in Leaf lore that it's really forgotten just how short his time here was. He only played 91 games over three seasons and was just .500 in the playoffs, but he was instrumental in that last win in 1967. He beat Bobby Hull and the Black Hawks in the first round and was huge in the second round as well once Bower went down to injury. His last moment as a Leaf was a victorious one and he left as a champion.

His arrival in Toronto was kind of unusual. Toronto had just won the 1964 Cup (beating Sawchuk and the Wings) and Johnny Bower was not about to retire. Teams generally went with a single goaltender at that time. Eddie Johnston played all 70 games as recently as 1964 and typically a starter would play 65 of 70.

Toronto, with Bower advancing in age and becoming more prone to injuries, had been getting about 20 games per year out of Don Simmons. They saw an opportunity to upgrade this by picking up Sawchuk in the intra-league draft. Rather than seeing Terry as a threat, Bower welcomed the addition, saying he couldn't play a full season anymore and he welcomed the help. In 1964-65, Toronto led the league in GAA and Bower announced he wouldn't accept the Vezina unless Sawchuk's name was on it as well.

The Leafs had to make a call in the summer of 1965. They could only protect two goalies in the intra-league draft and they had to choose between Sawchuk and a kid in Rochester named Gerry Cheevers. The Leafs went with Sawchuk and Boston nabbed Cheevers. Gerry wasn't ready for prime time for a couple of years yet, but this left the Leafs with only the two old war horses in goal (this would really matter by 1968). Punch felt the old guys had one last hurrah in them.

That success had to wait until 1967, though. That year, the Leafs actually used five goalies, getting 28 games from Sawchuk, 27 from Bower, 23 from Bruce Gamble, 2 from Gary Smith and a single from Al Smith. Terry had the best record, at 15-5-4 with a .920 save pctg, but the nod went to Bower to start the playoffs. When he was lit up, Terry came in and stoned the Hawks. Against Montreal, Terry got off to the rough start, Bower came in and stoned the Habs and it looked like Bower's series until he popped a groin. Terry came back in to finish the job.

The other accomplishment Sawchuk had in the '66-67 season came when he registered his 100th career shutout. This had been his 'Centennial Project' and he managed to get it done late in the year.

When Sawchuk retired, 447 wins and particularly 103 shutouts looked pretty much untouchable. Particularly through the 1980s, when shutouts were really hard to come by and good goaltenders might retire with 20 over a career, the thought that this record would fall was ludicrous - yet here we are.

Brodeur can't break the record tonight. Odds are it will take until next season. But it will fall. It's only a matter of time. Now, aside from the records that Brodeur sets himself, the only untouchable one is 502 consecutive games. That should last a while yet.

Sawchuk is another of the players that it's interesting to watch on LeafsTV. I'd always heard it said that he looked like a gorilla in net. The pictures don't do it justice. You need to see game footage.

Some film:


Terry's stats:
1945-46 Winnipeg Monarchs MJHL 10 0 5.80 2 0 2 0 0 6.00
1946-47 Galt Red Wings OHA-Jr. 30 4 3.13 2 0 2 0 0 4.32
1947-48 Windsor Spitfires OHA-Jr. 4 0 2.75
1947-48 Windsor Spitfires IHL 3 3 0 0 0 1.67
1947-48 Omaha Knights USHL 54 30 18 5 4 3.21 3 1 2 0 0 3.00
1948-49 Indianapolis Capitols AHL 67 38 17 2 2 3.06 2 0 2 0 0 4.50
1949-50 Indianapolis Capitols AHL 61 31 20 10 3 3.08 8 8 0 0 0 1.50
1949-50 Detroit Red Wings NHL 7 4 3 0 1 2.29
1950-51 Detroit Red Wings NHL 70 44 13 13 11 1.99 6 2 4 1 1.68
1951-52 Detroit Red Wings NHL 70 44 14 12 12 1.90 8 8 0 4 0.63
1952-53 Detroit Red Wings NHL 63 32 15 16 9 1.90 6 2 4 1 3.39
1953-54 Detroit Red Wings NHL 67 35 19 13 12 1.93 12 8 4 2 1.60
1954-55 Detroit Red Wings NHL 68 40 17 11 12 1.96 11 8 3 1 2.36
1955-56 Boston Bruins NHL 68 22 33 13 9 2.60
1956-57 Boston Bruins NHL 34 18 10 6 2 2.38
1957-58 Detroit Red Wings NHL 70 29 29 12 3 2.94 4 0 4 0 4.52
1958-59 Detroit Red Wings NHL 67 23 36 8 5 3.09
1959-60 Detroit Red Wings NHL 58 24 20 14 5 2.67 6 2 4 0 2.96
1960-61 Detroit Red Wings NHL 37 12 16 8 2 3.13 8 5 3 1 2.32
1961-62 Detroit Red Wings NHL 43 14 21 8 5 3.28
1962-63 Detroit Red Wings NHL 48 22 16 7 3 2.55 11 5 6 0 3.18
1963-64 Detroit Red Wings NHL 53 25 20 7 5 2.64 13 6 5 1 2.75
1964-65 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 36 17 13 6 1 2.56 1 0 1 0 3.00
1965-66 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 27 10 11 3 1 3.16 2 0 2 0 3.00
1966-67 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 28 15 5 4 2 2.81 10 6 4 0 2.65
1967-68 Los Angeles Kings NHL 36 11 14 6 2 3.07 5 2 3 1 3.86
1968-69 Detroit Red Wings NHL 13 3 4 3 0 2.62
1969-70 New York Rangers NHL 8 3 1 2 1 2.91 3 0 1 0 4.50
Leaf Totals 91 42 29 13 4 2.81 26 12 12 1 2.74
NHL Totals 971 447 330 172 103 2.51 106 54 48 12 2.54

Calder Memorial Trophy (1951)
First All-Star Team Goalie (1951, 1952, 1953)
Lester Patrick Trophy (1971)
Second All-Star Team Goalie (1954, 1955, 1959, 1963)
Vezina Trophy (1952, 1953, 1955, 1965)

- Traded to Boston by Detroit with Marcel Bonin, Lorne Davis and Vic Stasiuk for Gilles Boisvert, Real Chevrefils, Norm Corcoran, Warren Godfrey and Ed Sandford, June 3, 1955.
- Missed remainder of 1956-57 season recovering from nervous exhaustion, January 16, 1957.
- Traded to Detroit by Boston for John Bucyk and cash, July 10, 1957.
- Claimed by Toronto from Detroit in Intra-League Draft, June 10, 1964.
- Claimed by Los Angeles from Toronto in Expansion Draft, June 6, 1967.
- Traded to Detroit by Los Angeles for Jimmy Peters, October 10, 1968.
- Traded to NY Rangers by Detroit with Sandy Snow for Larry Jeffrey, June 17, 1969.

the HHOF take on Terry:

Called "the Uke" or "Ukey" because of his Ukrainian heritage, Terry Sawchuk played more games and recorded more shutouts than any goalie in the history of the NHL. When he was 12, Sawchuk hurt his arm badly playing a friendly game of rugby. He kept the injury to himself and two years later doctors discovered the arm had been badly broken and subsequently healed poorly; it was two inches shorter than his left arm, but even this did not dampen his dream to become a pro hockey player.

Although he was originally Boston property, he was traded to Detroit before he played in the NHL. His big break came toward the end of the 1949-50 season when Red Wings incumbent Harry Lumley was injured and Sawchuk had to play seven games toward the end of the season. He allowed just 16 goals in those games and along the way earned his first shutout.

Detroit general manager Jack Adams showed enormous confidence in Sawchuk based on those seven games he'd played. The Wings won the Cup that spring of 1950 with Lumley back in goal, but over the summer Adams was so sure of Sawchuk that he traded Lumley to Chicago. The next season, 1950-51, Sawchuk played every game for the Red Wings and led the league in wins and shutouts, winning the Calder Trophy in the process. Sawchuk's first years as a pro were remarkable in that he was the first player ever to be named rookie of the year in three different leagues: with Omaha in the USHL, with Indianapolis in the American Hockey League and in his first full year with Detroit in the NHL.

Indeed Sawchuk wasn't a relaxed goalie. The pressure of playing in the NHL got to him and affected his health and he was battling some sort of injury for most of his career. He had bone chips removed from his elbow after the 1952 Stanley Cup, he suffered chest injuries from a car accident and his back was perpetually in knots because of his style of play. And he won more games than any other goalie in the history of the game.

During his 1956-57 season with Boston, Sawchuk retired from the game at the age of 27, citing extreme emotional strain. But by the next season he was back with Detroit, although circumstances had changed greatly. Montreal was now the dominant team and the Wings were only decent. Bobby Hull and his slapshot were all the rage in Chicago, and Ukey felt the full wrath of the changing times when Hull hit him flush in the face one night in 1963. Sawchuk started to wear a mask, but then Bob Pulford of Toronto skated over his hand and Sawchuk needed surgery to sew up the deep, long wound.

In the summer of 1964, Detroit left the aging goalie exposed in the Intra-League Draft and Punch Imlach of the Leafs claimed him. For three years, Sawchuk paired with Johnny Bower to form the most successful duo in the league. Sawchuk was 37 years old and Bower was 42 when they won a historic Stanley Cup in 1967. After three final seasons with successive teams - Los Angeles, Detroit and New York - tragedy befell Sawchuk at a bar near his beach home in New York.

On April 29, 1970, he was having a few drinks with his close friend and teammate Ron Stewart. All the details will never be known, but they began to horse around and after some playful wrestling Sawchuk wound up landing awkwardly on Stewart's knee. He had to be rushed to hospital, where his gall bladder was removed, and just a month later he died from internal injuries, some of which, like the broken arm, he'd probably had for some time without even knowing or bothering to have checked out.

The usual five-year waiting period was waived for Sawchuk's induction into the Hockey Hall of Fame. Dead at 41 years of age, he finished with an incredible 447 wins and 103 shutouts in 971 games played.

[Metalleaf]

why do all of the best athletes have such tragic endings?

[1967ers]

Apr 8, 2009 - Dave Hannan



Like Brad Marsh, Dave Hannan joined the Leafs in the annual "who can we get off the waiver wire on the last day of camp" ritual. Dave came from Pittsburgh, who at that time were slowly becoming not awful.

Dave joined the '89-90 team that in some ways played a lot like this one. They were young, could score more than one would expect, and couldn't defend if their lives depended on it. They were the original "no lead is safe" team, no matter whose lead it was.

Dave joined Dave Reid and Dan Daoust as the only forwards who could actually identify their own zone at least two times out of three. He was hurt that year and didn't play a ton, but he was solid enough when in there.

In 1990-91, when everything fell apart and everything not nailed down was traded, Dave actually managed to survive the season. With centers Olczyk, Fergus and McIntyre either traded, injured or otherwise unavailbale, Hannan played a much larger role and responded with 34 points (5th on the team and 4 points from second) and a -9, which on that team is actually quite remarkable. It was rather Moore-like.

As with Moore, though, there was a salary dispute heading into '91-92. The Leafs also addressed their depth at centre (someone named Gilmour) and Hannan's ice time and role just wasn't what it once was. He ended up being loaned to the Canadian Olympic team where he got a silver (that was the Forsberg Olympics, IIRC) and not too long after his return he was sent to Buffalo.

Hannan never put up the same kind of numbers in Buffalo, but settled into a nice little niche as a penalty killer and checker who'd sometimes pop a big one. Probably his biggest goal there ended a marathon playoff game. He scored in the fourth OT for a 1-0 victory over NJ. A barn-burner, to be sure.

Hannan's moment in the sun (there's a youngish Brad May there, too):


And since it's May's Day and we've already dealt with Jeanneret above:


Dave's stats:
1976-77 Levack Midget Huskies Minor-ON 94 109 88 197
1976-77 Levack Huskies NOJHA 1 2 0 2 2
1977-78 Windsor Spitfires OMJHL 68 14 16 30 43 6 0 1 1 2
1978-79 Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds OMJHL 26 7 8 15 13
1979-80 Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds OMJHL 28 11 10 21 31
1979-80 Brantford Alexanders OMJHL 25 5 10 15 26 10 2 6 8 23
1980-81 Brantford Alexanders OMJHL 56 46 35 81 155 6 2 4 6 20
1981-82 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL 1 0 0 0 0 -2
1981-82 Erie Blades AHL 76 33 37 70 129
1982-83 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL 74 11 22 33 127 -28
1982-83 Baltimore Skipjacks AHL 5 2 2 4 13
1983-84 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL 24 2 3 5 33 -2
1983-84 Baltimore Skipjacks AHL 47 18 24 42 98 10 2 6 8 27
1984-85 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL 30 6 7 13 43 -8
1984-85 Baltimore Skipjacks AHL 49 20 25 45 91
1985-86 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL 75 17 18 35 91 -4
1986-87 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL 58 10 15 25 56 -2
1987-88 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL 21 4 3 7 23 -2
1987-88 Edmonton Oilers NHL 51 9 11 20 43 +12 12 1 1 2 8
1988-89 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL 72 10 20 30 157 -12 8 0 1 1 4
1989-90 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 39 6 9 15 55 -12 3 1 0 1 4
1990-91 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 74 11 23 34 82 -9
1991-92 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 35 2 2 4 16 -10
1991-92 Canada Nat-Tm 3 0 0 0 2
1991-92 Canada Olympics 8 3 5 8 8
1991-92 Buffalo Sabres NHL 12 2 4 6 48 +1 7 2 0 2 2
1992-93 Buffalo Sabres NHL 55 5 15 20 43 +8 8 1 1 2 18
1993-94 Buffalo Sabres NHL 83 6 15 21 53 +10 7 1 0 1 6
1994-95 Buffalo Sabres NHL 42 4 12 16 32 +3 5 0 2 2 2
1995-96 Buffalo Sabres NHL 57 6 10 16 30 +2
1995-96 Colorado Avalanche NHL 4 1 0 1 2 +1 13 0 2 2 2
1996-97 Ottawa Senators NHL 34 2 2 4 8 -1
Leaf Totals 148 19 34 43 153 -31 3 1 0 1 4
NHL Totals 841 114 191 305 942 -55 63 6 7 13 46

- Traded to Edmonton by Pittsburgh with Craig Simpson, Moe Mantha and Chris Joseph for Paul Coffey, Dave Hunter and Wayne Van Dorp, November 24, 1987.
- Claimed by Pittsburgh from Edmonton in Waiver Draft, October 3, 1988.
- Claimed by Toronto from Pittsburgh in Waiver Draft, October 2, 1989.
- Traded to Buffalo by Toronto for Minnesota's 5th round choice (previously acquired, Toronto selected Chris Deruiter) in 1992 Entry Draft, March 10, 1992.
- Traded to Colorado by Buffalo for Colorado's 6th round choice (Darren Mortier) in 1996 Entry Draft, March 20, 1996.
- Signed as a free agent by Ottawa, September 13, 1996.

The HHOF take on Dave:

Pittsburgh drafted Dave Hannan in 1981, and although he spent most of his first year with the Erie Blades he did make one appearance as a Penguin that season. He divided his time between the Penguins and the minors until 1985. In 1985-86 and 1986-87 he played full time for Pittsburgh. He was traded to Edmonton in November 1987, and played the balance of the season and the playoffs with the Oilers. He credits being a part of that Stanley Cup winning team with teaching him how to win.

Hannan was a 26-year-old centre from a team that wasn't even operating in the same stratosphere when he arrived in Edmonton. He credits the friendliness and encouragement of Wayne Gretzky with helping to boost his confidence and make him a productive part of the team. He saw a hockey club with many stars on its roster buckle down and put forth a team effort with single-minded intensity, and learned that this was what it took to win a championship. Although he did not dress for the final game of the playoffs, team captain Gretzky and teammate Mark Messier made a point of including him in the celebration.

Stanley Cup ring in hand, Hannan returned to Pittsburgh when the Penguins claimed him in the October 1988. After a 30-point season in Pittsburgh in 1988-89, he was claimed in the 1989 Waiver Draft and moved again, this time to Toronto. Injuries kept him sidelined for a number of games during the 1989-90 season, but in '90-'91 he played 74 games and had 34 points.

In spite of this nice showing, he ended up in a salary dispute with the Leafs the following season. The disagreement went to arbitration, and Hannan asked for a trade. In the midst of this, he was asked to play for Team Canada in the 1992 Olympics. He had an impressive three goals and five assists in eight games and came home with a silver medal, but in March the Leafs traded him to the Buffalo Sabres.

Hannan played the next three full seasons with the Sabres, providing respectable numbers and a veteran attitude in the dressing room. In March 1996, he was on the move again. Traded to Colorado before the deadline, Hannan played four regular season games and 13 playoff games for the Avalanche, earning his second Stanley Cup ring when the Avs swept the Florida Panthers in the 1996 finals. Once the celebration was over, Hannan was a free agent, and was signed by the Ottawa Senators in September 1996. He played 34 games for Ottawa before retiring from play in 1997.

[Timbo]

The magician from Levack!

[1967ers]

Apr 9-12, 2009 - Todd Gill



Good things come to those who wait.

And with Todd Gill, we waited a long time.

Todd Gill spent most of the 80s getting the kind of treatment normally reserved for the Cory Crosses and Anders Ericksons of the world. He was a young defenseman on a team that generally ate young defensemen, and he was a guy whose best attributes were offensive on a team that needed, but couldn't play, defense. Todd was also the sort of person who could never really seem to get away with an error. Where other defensemen could give the puck up and be bailed out, Todd seemed doomed to always have things wind up in the back of the net.

In the most famous example of a "Gillaway," in a 1988 game between Toronto and Chicago to determine whether the Leafs would get the last playoff spot, Todd was coming out of his own zone in the last minute. The Leafs needed a goal and Todd was starting the rush. Out of nowhere, Troy Murray picked his pocket and walked in alone on Allan Bester, beating him cleanly and ending the Leaf season. He was a nice kid, but if that sort of thing was going to happen to anyone, it was going to happen to Todd.

The best thing that happened to Todd was the arrival of Pat Burns in 1992. Pat knew how to work with him and almost overnight, it seemed, he matured into a really solid two-way presence on what is still the best Leaf defense I have ever seen. Todd became a guy who could score key goals and clean up in his own end. He became a plus player for the first time in his career and was a real asset on the blue line. It was a real nice thing to see.

As the Leafs started to falter, Todd was sent off to San Jose, where he began a whirlwind tour of other NHL cities. San Jose, St. Louis, Detroit, Phoenix, Colorado and Chicago all found that they could use a veteran like Todd, and despite almost being run out on a rail in 1988, he managed to play in the NHL until 2003.

He who laughs last laughs best, and Todd, well, he's smiling, at least.


Just in case you thought it was a new thing to have to fight after a clean hit, Dirk Graham proves otherwise (and LOOK!!!!! It's the living, breathing minus 1! Ken Hammond, #29. First evidence I've seen that he wasn't just a figment of my imagination.)


A Todd Gill tribute (apparently, all he did was fight. Odd, I do remember goals.):


Todd's stats:
1980-81 Cardinal Broncos OHA-B 35 10 14 24 65
1981-82 Brockville Braves CJHL 48 5 16 21 169
1982-83 Windsor Spitfires OHL 70 12 24 36 108 3 0 0 0 11
1983-84 Windsor Spitfires OHL 68 9 48 57 184 3 1 1 2 10
1984-85 Windsor Spitfires OHL 53 17 40 57 148 4 0 1 1 14
1984-85 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 10 1 0 1 13 -1
1985-86 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 15 1 2 3 28 0 1 0 0 0 0
1985-86 St. Catharines Saints AHL 58 8 25 33 90 10 1 6 7 17
1986-87 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 61 4 27 31 92 -3 13 2 2 4 42
1986-87 Newmarket Saints AHL 11 1 8 9 33
1987-88 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 65 8 17 25 131 -20 6 1 3 4 20
1987-88 Newmarket Saints AHL 2 0 1 1 2
1988-89 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 59 11 14 25 72 -3
1989-90 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 48 1 14 15 92 -8 5 0 3 3 16
1990-91 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 72 2 22 24 113 -4
1991-92 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 74 2 15 17 91 -22
1991-92 Canada WC-A 6 0 3 3 6
1992-93 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 69 11 32 43 66 +4 21 1 10 11 26
1993-94 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 45 4 24 28 44 +8 18 1 5 6 37
1994-95 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 47 7 25 32 64 -8 7 0 3 3 6
1995-96 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 74 7 18 25 116 -15 6 0 0 0 24
1996-97 San Jose Sharks NHL 79 0 21 21 101 -20
1997-98 San Jose Sharks NHL 64 8 13 21 31 -13
1997-98 St. Louis Blues NHL 11 5 4 9 10 +2 10 2 2 4 10
1998-99 St. Louis Blues NHL 28 2 3 5 16 -6
1998-99 Detroit Red Wings NHL 23 2 2 4 11 -4 2 0 1 1 0
1999-00 Phoenix Coyotes NHL 41 1 6 7 30 -10
1999-00 Detroit Red Wings NHL 13 2 0 2 15 +2 9 0 1 1 4
2000-01 Detroit Red Wings NHL 68 3 8 11 53 +17 5 0 0 0 8
2000-01 Cincinnati Mighty Ducks AHL 2 0 1 1 2 +1
2001-02 Colorado Avalanche NHL 36 0 4 4 25 +3
2002-03 Springfield Falcons AHL 15 1 5 6 20 +4
2002-03 Chicago Blackhawks NHL 5 0 1 1 0 +3
2002-03 Norfolk Admirals AHL 9 0 3 3 10 +3 9 2 5 7 10
2003-04 Lausitzer Fuchse Weisswasser German-3 17 2 11 13 38 4 1 1
2003-04 Lausitzer Fuchse Weisswasser German-3 8 4 8 12 4
Leaf Totals 639 59 210 269 922 -72 77 5 26 31 171
NHL Totals 1007 82 272 354 1214 -98 103 7 30 37 193

- Traded to San Jose by Toronto for Jamie Baker and San Jose's 5th round choice (Peter Cava) in 1996 Entry Draft, June 14, 1996.
- Traded to St. Louis by San Jose for Joe Murphy, March 24, 1998.
- Claimed on waivers by Detroit from St. Louis, December 30, 1998.
- Signed as a free agent by Phoenix, July 21, 1999.
- Traded to Detroit by Phoenix for Philippe Audet, March 13, 2000.
- Signed as a free agent by Colorado, July 24, 2001.
- Released by Colorado, February 12, 2002.
- Signed as a free agent by Chicago, March 5, 2003.
- Signed as a free agent by Florida, August 20, 2003.
- Signed as a free agent by EC Weibwasser (Germany), December 26, 2003.

The HHOF take on Todd:

Defenceman Todd Gill entered his 18th NHL season in 2001-02 as defensive insurance on the defending Stanley Cup champion Colorado Avalanche. A more offensive blueliner early in his career, he played a simplified positional game to elongate his big league tenure.

Born in Cardinal, Ontario, Gill played junior B with the hometown Broncos and the Brockville Braves before joining the OHL's Windsor Spitfires. He was drafted 25th overall by the Toronto Maple Leafs in 1984. The young rearguard played most of the 1984-85 season in junior but was given a 10-game look by the dreadful Leafs.

Gill spent most of the 1985-86 season with the AHL's St. Catharines Saints then made the Leafs out of training camp the next year. He scored 31 points in 1986-87 and remained a regular with the club through the 1995-96 season. Gill thrived under coach Pat Burns and recorded 11 goals and 43 points in 1992-93. He also provided mobility and grit on the team as they reached the semifinals in 1993 and 1994.

Prior to the 1996-97 season, the veteran netminder was traded to the San Jose Sharks for Jamie Baker and a draft pick. He also spent time lending experience and depth in St. Louis, Phoenix and Detroit before coming to terms with Colorado in July, 2001. The veteran rearguard went on to play only one season in Colorado before joining the Chicago Blackhawks in the summer of 2002. In his only season with the Blackhawks organization, Gill split his time with the parent club and its AHL affiliate in Norfolk before joining the AHL's Springfield Falcons.

In the summer of 2003, Gill joined his ninth NHL franchise when he signed with the Florida Panthers. However, Gill was released from the club in October and would travel overseas to compete in 25 games with Lausitzer Fuchse Weisswasser in Germany. Following his stint in Germany, Gill officially retired from hockey.

[QueenWing]

That hockey card picture looks like he's about to chat some girl up.

'Hey baby, want to see my hockey stick?'

[1967ers]

Apr 13, 2009 - 1978-79 - Tiger Williams

(Note: Mondays, we'll have players from the 1978-79 team, 30 years ago this year. They'll appear in alphabetical order.)



Well, I wish I could say I'd planned it such that I'd run out of '78-79 Leafs the day after the season ended, but that would be a lie. I didn't even realize it was going to work out until about two weeks ago.

I'd have to think that a Tiger Williams would fit pretty nicely into the type of team Brian Burke wants to build - tough, in your face, really hard to play against and more skill than you'd think.

Years ago, someone gave me the Tiger Williams autobiography. For whatever reason, the story that sticks out for me is the day Tiger came to MLG as a rookie and met up with Harold Ballard. Harold had a pirahna in a tank and showed it to him, saying, "This is what I want you to play like."

He did.

Tiger would go up against anyone and anything. If you look for him on youtube, you get fights against the "Who's who" of fighters from the 1970s and '80s. At the same time, he was usually potting about 20 goals and often played alongside Sittler and McDonald. Had he not been in the box for 300-odd minutes every season, he may well have scored more than he did. Even so - Tiger was good for 35 goals one season, over 20 three other times and 19 twice more. He could play.

Tiger was one of a number of players who fit this mold in that era - guys who fought all the time, racked up major minutes that few goons today can achieve, yet still played at least a third-line role if not more. Terry O'Reilly, Willi Plett, even the Hammer himself could all play the game, at least a bit. This is a kind of player that you really don't see today. Probert may have been the last of them. A guy like Domi managed to work himself into a more regular role, but really as a third/fourth-line checker. Nobody worried about Tie as a scorer.

It may just be that the expectations on forwards have changed and that the guys we call "power forwards" today would have fought a lot more had they been playing 30 years ago. Someone like, say, Backes, Getzlaf or Hartnell would have 265 minutes rather than 140. (Of course, a lot of those minutes would probably be misconducts, which were handed out like Halloween candy in those days and helped with the totals. Perhaps we need some kind of conversion factor - 145 minutes in today's game equals 232 25 years ago.)

Even in those days, though, there weren't too many who'd go at it like Tiger. Between regular season and playoffs, he spent 4421 minutes in the box. That's just a shade under 74 games. Tiger spent basically one entire season in the penalty box. Perhaps a tad excessive.

Tiger was a huge fan favourite while he was here and a lot of people were heartbroken when he was dealt. The fact that he brought Vaive and Derlago in return certainly helped ease the sting a bit.

A little bit, anyway.

And then Wendel came along and nothing else mattered after that....


Tiger's stats:
1970-71 Vernon Lakers BCJHL
1971-72 Swift Current Broncos WCJHL 68 12 22 34 278
1972-73 Swift Current Broncos WCJHL 68 44 58 102 266
1973-74 Swift Current Broncos WCJHL 68 52 56 108 310 12 14 10 24 23
1974-75 Oklahoma City Blazers CHL 39 16 11 27 202
1974-75 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 42 10 19 29 187 +4 7 1 3 4 25
1975-76 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 78 21 19 40 299 -1 10 0 0 0 75
1976-77 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 77 18 25 43 338 +11 9 3 6 9 29
1977-78 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 78 19 31 50 351 +6 12 1 2 3 63
1978-79 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 77 19 20 39 298 -7 6 0 0 0 48
1979-80 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 55 22 18 40 197 -13
1979-80 Vancouver Canucks NHL 23 8 5 13 81 0 3 0 0 0 20
1980-81 Vancouver Canucks NHL 77 35 27 62 343 +4 3 0 0 0 20
1981-82 Vancouver Canucks NHL 77 17 21 38 341 -6 17 3 7 10 116
1982-83 Vancouver Canucks NHL 68 8 13 21 265 -7 4 0 3 3 12
1983-84 Vancouver Canucks NHL 67 15 16 31 294 -11 4 1 0 1 13
1984-85 Detroit Red Wings NHL 55 3 8 11 158 -16
1984-85 Adirondack Red Wings AHL 8 5 2 7 4
1984-85 Los Angeles Kings NHL 12 4 3 7 43 0 3 0 0 0 4
1985-86 Los Angeles Kings NHL 72 20 29 49 320 -6
1986-87 Los Angeles Kings NHL 76 16 18 34 358 -1 5 3 2 5 30
1987-88 Los Angeles Kings NHL 2 0 0 0 6 +1
1987-88 Hartford Whalers NHL 26 6 0 6 87 +2
Leaf Totals 407 109 132 241 1670 0 44 5 11 16 240
NHL Totals 962 241 272 513 3966 -40 83 12 23 35 455

Played in NHL All-Star Game (1981)

- Traded to Vancouver by Toronto with Jerry Butler for Rick Vaive and Bill Derlago, February 18, 1980.
- Traded to Detroit by Vancouver for Rob McClanahan, August 8, 1984.
- Traded to Los Angeles by Detroit for future considerations, March 12, 1985.
- Traded to Hartford by Los Angeles for cash, October 15, 1987.
- Played w/ RHI's Vancouver Voodoo in 1993 (1-1-1-2-2).


The HHOF take on Tiger:

While most dominant images of Tiger Williams likely include him sitting in the penalty box, he had an offensive scoring talent which often went overlooked due to his penchant for pugilism.

Williams played for three years with Swift Current of the Western Junior Hockey League. In his first season he scored 12 goals while assisting on 22 others, while compiling a staggering 278 minutes in penalties in 68 games. The next year he spent 12 minutes less time in the penalty box but improved his point production by an incredible 68 points, garnering 102 points on 44 goals and 56 assists. In his final year with Swift Current, Tiger amassed 52 goals and 56 assists for 108 points while spending 310 minutes in the sin bin.

Tiger was chosen 31st overall in the 2nd round of the 1974 NHL entry draft by the Toronto Maple Leafs. He was also a 3rd round selection, 33rd overall, of the Cincinnati Stingers of the WHA, but Tiger's dream was to play in the NHL. He played four full seasons in Toronto and parts of two others, where he became a huge fan favourite. Along with his many entertaining skirmishes with other notable NHL tough guys, Tiger also brought the fans out of their seats, when, after scoring a goal, he would ride his hockey stick down the length of the ice, much to the annoyance of the opposing players. He was also one of the few players Maple Leafs' owner Harold Ballard seemed to like.

When all was said and done in a 14-year NHL career, Tiger was the league's all-time leader in penalty minutes with 3,966. He also collected an additional 455 minutes during the playoffs. To this day Williams will argue he did not deserve half the penalties he was assessed by NHL referees. Then again, there are quite a few who insist he should have been given more!

He averaged nearly 20 goals a year, and had his best year in 1980-81 with the Vancouver Canucks, when he netted 35 goals and 27 assists. That year he represented Vancouver in the mid-season All-Star game. After a little more than four years with the Canucks he moved on to play in 55 games with the Detroit Red Wings, where his penalty minutes continued to dominate the stats sheet, but his offensive production tailed off considerably. Williams had 158 penalty minutes but only three goals and eight assists.

The next stop for Tiger was another West Coast club, this time with the Kings in Los Angeles. He had two reasonably productive years for the Kings, scoring 49 and 34 points in the 1985-86 and 1986-87 campaigns. And, true to form, he continued his long-standing friendship with the penalty box, spending 320 and 358 minutes in the box during those two seasons.

The final NHL destination for Williams was Hartford, where he appeared in 26 games for the Whalers in 1987-88, scoring six goals and 87 penalty minutes. At the age of 34, he found the rigors of everyday NHL life had finally caught up to him, so retired soon thereafter.

Tiger's final NHL statistics are as follows: 962 regular-season games played, 241 goals, 272 assists, 513 points and a record 3,966 minutes in penalties. He appeared in 83 playoff contests, scoring 12 goals and 23 assists.

When asked who he considered some of his more difficult NHL fighting adversaries, Williams responded "all of them." Although he does say players such as Terry O'Reilly deserve the most respect, playing every third shift of every NHL game while also having to handle the rough and tumble side of things. Dave Semenko, the former Edmonton Oilers policeman, is also highly regarded by Williams.

Now that Tiger is out of hockey, he follows many different business interests, primarily in the Vancouver area. He continues to play in NHL old-timers games and remains close friends with many of his former teammates, most notably Darryl Sittler and Lanny McDonald.

[Timbo]

An old friend of mine once met Tiger at a party and asked him how many times he broke his nose. His reply? 'None, the other guy always did it for me'.

[Mayhem]

Closest thing nowadays would be Lucic. It always amazes me just how small Tiger ws though compared to the players we see filling these roles now.