Leaf of the Day v4.0

[1967ers]

Nov 19, 2008 - Wendel Clark (young Wendel)

The '84-85 Leafs were a sterling 20-52-8 (and getting 20 wins out of that team was quite the accomplishment) and won the right to draft first overall. Had they finished last the year prior, the prize was Mario Lemieux. This year, it wasn't quite as clear. There were three candidates in the running. Craig Simpson took himself out of the running by telling the Leafs up front not to bother drafting him. (Now, to be honest, I remember this as being Craig Redmond from the '84 draft, though it's entirely possible this happened more than once. It wasn't that unusual, either. Mario himself wanted no part of Pittsburgh in 1984 and wouldn't put on their sweater on draft day or even go down to the podium. As for Redmond, perhaps I've maligned his character all these years when he would have been happy as a clam to have been part of the '84-85 Leafs. I'm sure he'll get over it.)

On draft day, the Leafs made their pick - a Saskatchewan farmboy named Wendel Clark. Nominally a defenseman, the Leafs early on announced he'd be playing on left wing with the Leafs.

My first actual memory of Wendel is of an injury (not a good omen). On Nov 26, 1985, a Chris Kotsopoulos slapper had hit him in the foot and broken it, costing him 14 games and ultimately the Calder Trophy. Wendel would be named the Hockey News Rookie of the Year, but it wasn't the same thing. That Calder was Wendel's to lose.

He'd been an awesome rookie. He scored a Leaf record 34 goals, hit everything in sight and fought pretty much the entire league at least once. A hit on St. Louis Blue Bruce Bell made every highlight reel. On a young team, he took a leadership role almost immediately, despite being just 18. The Leafs went from dead last to the second round of the playoffs, and Wendel added 5 more goals in 10 playoff games.

His second year was even better. Now wearing an 'A' on his sweater, Wendel hit for 37 goals and 60 points along with a career high 271 penalty minutes. Things were looking up.

Then the injuries hit. First the back, and then the knees. Wendel somehow or other overtrained and got his back muscles out of whack. A fight with Bob Probert did the injury no favours. Wendel would play just 28 games in 1987-88, 15 in 1988-89 and 38 in 1989-90. He'd produce when he was playing, but was virtually never in the lineup. He came under a lot of heat in the press and Harold Ballard publicly questioned his commitment. (People who say Sundin gets bad press because of being Swedish have completely forgotten the criticism Clark received.)

Wendel was mostly healthy (for Wendel, that is - he probably should have missed more time but played anyway) in 1990-91, but the team was a disaster and he only managed 39 points in 66 games.

A huge change happened in the off-season. Not only did the Leafs go out and acquire Cliff Fletcher to run the team, but Rob Ramage was lost to Minnesota in the Sharks expansion draft. For 1991-92, Wendel Clark would be the captain of the Leafs.

Tomorrow: Captain Clark



Gotta love the glower.

This has been seen a million times by everyone, but is worth seeing again. The majority of these clips are from his first few seasons and the Bell hit is here, as well.

[Mayhem]

You are correct about Craig Simpson. I can't remember the reason why he told the Leafs not to draft him, but I recall him talking about it once in an interview a couple years back.

[Metalleaf]

I'm sure you'll be watching the ceremony on Saturday, looking forward to that.

[1967ers]

Originally Posted by Mayhem

You are correct about Craig Simpson. I can't remember the reason why he told the Leafs not to draft him, but I recall him talking about it once in an interview a couple years back.

Turns out Redmond did, too. Something about guys named Craig.

Given how Mike Craig turned out, it was probably for the best.

[1967ers]

Originally Posted by Metalleaf

I'm sure you'll be watching the ceremony on Saturday, looking forward to that.

Oh yes.

[1967ers]

Nov 20, 2008 - Wendel Clark (Captain Clark)

Wendel Clark responded very well to becoming captain of the Leafs. Through his first two-plus games of the 1991-92 season, he had five goals and four assists and was leading the league in scoring. Then disaster struck. Continuing the pattern of the previous few seasons, there was a serious injury. Clark went knee-on-knee with Ron Sutter of St. Louis and was gone for a month with MCL damage. He came back, hurt it again within a week and was gone until New Years.

His return, though, was momentous for another reason. On Jan 3, 1992, Wendel returned to action to a very different team than the one he had left. That game also marked the debut of Doug Gilmour. Both Clark and Gilmour would score that night, and this was really the beginning of a new era for the Leafs. They'd make a late-season charge for a playoff spot, falling just short. A week-long work stoppage killed their momentum and they lost the last couple of games they needed. Wendel finished with 40 points in 43 games.

The team transformation continued in 1992-93 with a new coach in Pat Burns and a new sweater based on the 75th anniversary one they'd worn in 1991-92. (I was at the Gardens for the unveiling of the new sweater, but that's a post unto itself.) The '92-93 season was unlike anything Leafs fans had seen in decades. Every move Fletcher made worked flawlessly, Burns had them playing a hard-hitting team game and Gilmour was lighting it up.

Wendel Clark continued to play his game, but the offensive results weren't really there. He could change a game with a hit or a fight, but only had 17 goals and 39 points in 66 games, compared to 127 points for Gilmour. There were calls during the season for the captaincy to be given to Gilmour instead. Gilmour, for his part, downplayed that. He said that his job was to put up points, while Wendel's was to be the leader, and there was no question that he was doing that.

In the playoffs, though, Clark came through. 10 goals and 10 assists and a plus-15 in 21 games, memorable bouts with Probert and McSorley, and game seven heroics in each series. (As best as I can recall, in the four Game Sevens that the Leafs played between 1993 and 1994, Wendel had six goals and at least two assists.) There were no more discussions about the captaincy.

1993-94 was the best statistical year of Clark's career. 46 goals in 64 games (on pace for 60) around the inevitable injuries and another trip to the semis (another 9 goals and 7 assists).

Burns and Fletcher met after the loss to Vancouver and agreed that the Leafs had gone as far as they could go given the roster they had. On draft day, Cliff pulled off a shocker.

Wendel was gone.

Next: Wendel returns.



This is some mid-season action from 1993-94. Wendel scores back-to-back hat tricks, part of a 10-goal-in-8-games binge after returning from injury:



This is the list of Wendel Clark's absences from the lineup due to injury, as recorded by hockeydraftcentral (beware of possible malware).

http://www.hockeydraftcentral.com/1985/85001.html

Offered without comment:

Miscellaneous: Represented by player agent Don Meehan throughout his NHL career. ... Shifted from his natural position of defense to play primarily at left wing for Toronto as a rookie in 1985-86. He remained a left wing for most of his NHL career. ... Missed part of 1985-86 season with broken right foot, an injury suffered when he was hit on the skate by teammate Chris Kotsopoulos' shot from the point during the second period of Toronto's Nov. 26, 1985, game at St. Louis. Although he continued to play with, he could barely make it through the game's third period and post-game X-rays revealed a fracture. He did not return to action until Toronto's Jan. 4, 1986, game vs. Los Angeles. ... Was runner-up to Gary Suter in voting for 1985-86 Calder Trophy. ... Scored four goals in Toronto's 5-1 home win over Buffalo on Oct. 11, 1986. ... Led Toronto with 15 power-play goals in 1986-87. ...Led Toronto with plus-8 rating in 1987 playoffs. ... Missed part of 1987-88 season with tendinitis in right shoulder and sore back, an injury suffered early in the season and re-aggravated for the final time during Toronto's Oct. 21, 1987, game vs. Montreal. He did not return to action until Toronto's Oct. 31, 1987, game vs. Chicago . ... Missed part of 1987-88 season with back spasms, an injury suffered during Toronto's Nov. 9, 1987, game at Montreal. He did not return to action until Toronto's Jan. 2, 1988, game vs. Buffalo. He had two assists in that game. ... Missed remainder of 1987-88 season and most of 1988-89 season with re-aggravation of back injury, suffered during Toronto's Feb. 4, 1988, game at Philadelphia. He did not play again until Toronto's March 1, 1989, game at N.Y. Rangers. ... Missed part of 1989-90 season with re-aggravation of back injury, suffered during Toronto's Oct. 14, 1989, game vs. Winnipeg. ... Missed part of 1989-90 season with bruised muscle above left knee, an injury suffered during Toronto's Nov. 4, 1990, game vs. Philadelphia. He did not return to action until Toronto's Nov. 22, 1989, game at Minnesota. ... Missed part of 1989-90 season with re-aggravation of back injury, sore foot and sore right hand, suffered during Toronto's Jan. 3, 1990, game vs. Quebec. He did not return to action until Toronto's Jan. 15, 1990, game vs. Chicago. ... Missed part of 1989-90 season with partial tear of MCL in right knee, an injury suffered when he was checked in the knees by Viacheslav Fetisov during Toronto's Jan. 26, 1990, game at New Jersey. He did not return to action until Toronto's March 31, 1990, regular-season finale vs. Chicago. He had two assists in that game. ... Played on line with Gary Leeman and Ed Olczyk for Toronto during 1990 playoffs. ... Missed part of 1990-91 season with separated left shoulder, an injury suffered during Toronto's Dec. 18, 1990, game at N.Y. Islanders. He did not return to action until Toronto's Jan. 3, 1991, game at Minnesota. ... Missed part of 1990-91 season with pulled rib cage muscle, an injury suffered during Toronto's Feb. 6, 1991, game at Winnipeg. He did not return to action until Toronto's March 5, 1991, game vs. Boston. ... Considered jumping to start-up Continental Hockey Association's Saskatoon team during summer of 1991 while he was a restricted free agent, but opted to return to Toronto instead of joining league that never actually materialized. ... Played on line with Peter Zezel and Gary Leeman for Toronto in 1991-92. ... Missed part of 1991-92 season with partially torn MCL in left knee, an injury suffered in knee-on-knee collision with Ron Sutter during third period of Toronto's Oct. 7, 1991, game vs. St. Louis. At the time he got hurt, Clark was leading NHL with nine points and five goals in three games. He did not return to action until Toronto's Nov. 2, 1991, game vs. Los Angeles. He had an assist in that game. ... Missed part of 1991-92 season with re-aggravation (sprain) of MCL injury in left knee, suffered when he was checked by Craig Ludwig late in second period of Toronto's Nov. 6, 1991, game vs. Minnesota. He did not return to action until Toronto's Jan. 3, 1992, game at Detroit. He scored a goal in that game. ... Suspended by NHL for three games during 1991-92 season for high-sticking incident with Bryan Marchment during third period of Toronto's Jan. 16, 1992, game at Chicago. Clark received a match penalty on the play for attempting to injure Marchment as he retaliated for hit in the face by slashing in the direction of Marchment's throat. The incident set off a brawl, and the match penalty required a disciplinary hearing with Brian O'Neill on Jan. 21, 1992. The following day, the NHL suspended Clark. As a result of the suspension, he did not return to action until Toronto's Jan. 29, 1992, game vs. Quebec. ... Was Toronto's nominee for 1991-92 Masterton Trophy. ... Missed part of 1992-93 season with pulled groin, an injury suffered during Toronto's Oct. 22, 1992, game at Tampa Bay. He did not return to action until Toronto's Nov. 5, 1992, game at Chicago. ... Missed part of 1992-93 season with strained rib cage muscles, an injury suffered during Toronto's Jan. 17, 1993, game at Chicago. He did not return to action until Toronto's Feb. 20, 1993, game vs. Boston. He scored a goal in that game. ... Played on line with Rob Pearson and John Cullen for Toronto in 1993-94. ... Missed part of 1993-94 season with sprained right knee, an injury suffered when Shawn Anderson fell on him during Toronto's Oct. 13, 1993, game vs. Washington. He did not return to action until Toronto's Oct. 19, 1993, game vs. Hartford. He scored two goals in that game. ... Missed part of 1993-94 season with bruised right ankle, an injury suffered while blocking a shot during overtime period of Toronto's Dec. 22, 1993, game vs. San Jose. The injury kept him out of the 1994 NHL All-Star Game, and he did not return to action until Toronto's Feb. 5, 1994, game vs. Detroit. He had two assists in that game. ... Missed part of 1995 season with pulled hamstring, an injury suffered during Quebec's March 18, 1995, game at Montreal. He did not return to action until Quebec's April 12, 1995, game at Boston. ... Fined $1,000 by NHL for elbowing Alexei Kovalev in the face during third period of Game 2 of Quebec's first-round playoff series vs. N.Y. Rangers on May 8, 1995. ... Was playing for Quebec when franchise relocated to Colorado on June 21, 1995, but never played in Colorado, because he was traded away before the start of the 1995-96 season on Oct. 3, 1995. ... Missed part of 1995-96 season with back spasms, an injury suffered in N.Y. Islanders' Jan. 27, 1996, game at Vancouver. He did not return to action until N.Y. Islanders' Feb. 17, 1996, game vs. San Jose. ... Scored goal on first shot after re-joining Toronto in a March 13, 1996, trade with N.Y. Islanders. The goal came at 5:41 of first period of Toronto's March 15, 1996, game vs. Dallas. ... Missed part of 1996-97 season with broken right thumb, an injury suffered in fight with Shawn Chambers at end of second period of Toronto's Dec. 10, 1996, game vs. New Jersey. He did not return to action until Toronto's Jan. 22, 1997, game vs. Calgary. He had a goal and an assist in that game. ... Missed part of 1996-97 season with bruised lower back, an injury suffered during Toronto's April 2, 1997, game vs. Florida. ... Missed part of 1997-98 season with strained groin, an injury suffered during Toronto's Jan. 7, 1998, game at Tampa Bay. Toronto placed Clark on the injured list on Jan. 27, 1998, and he did not return to action until Toronto's March 28, 1998, game vs. N.Y. Islanders. ... Missed remainder of 1997-98 season with re-aggravation of groin injury, suffered during Toronto's April 6, 1998, game at Dallas. The injury required season-ending surgery in late April 1998. ... Signed with Tampa Bay as a Group III unrestricted free agent on July 16, 1998. ... Scored is 300th career NHL goal for Tampa Bay on Oct. 28, 1998, at Anaheim. ... Missed part of 1998-99 season with strained groin, an injury suffered during Tampa Bay's practice on Nov. 23, 1998. He did not return to action until Tampa Bay's Nov. 27, 1998, game vs. Florida. ... Missed part of 1998-99 season with re-aggravation of groin injury, suffered during Tampa Bay's Dec. 20, 1998, game at Philadelphia. ... Missed part of 1998-99 season with re-aggravation of groin injury, suffered in Tampa Bay's Dec. 23, 1998, game at Buffalo. ... Signed with Chicago as a Group III unrestricted free agent on Aug. 2, 1999. ... Missed part of 1999-00 season with groin injury, suffered in Chicago's Oct. 15, 1999, game vs. Toronto. He was placed on injured reserve on Oct. 19, 1999, after coach Lorne Molleken said he was benching Clark for his poor performance. Clark openly expressed his anger at the Blackhawks for scratching him from and Oct. 16, 1999, game at Pittsburgh and then for placing him on IR against his wishes. He finally returned to action for Chicago's Oct. 23, 1999, game vs. Detroit. He played eight more games for Chicago before the team bought out his contract and released him on Nov. 18, 1999. At the time of the release Chicago general manager Bob Murray said Clark had performed poorly and it had been a mistake to sign him. ... Signed tryout contract with Toronto as an unrestricted free agent on Jan. 9, 2000. He managed to make the team for the balance of the 1999-00 season, enabling him to retire in the city where he began his NHL career and where he had become one of the most popular players in Maple Leafs history.

Clark's Back Woes: In his third NHL season, Clark began to deal with what would become crippling pain and spasms in his back. After missing 23 games with back problems from Nov. 9, 1987, to Jan. 2, 1988, Clark appeared ready to return to the lineup at the start of the new year. However, one month later, Clark re-aggravated his back injury at Philadelphia -- an injury that would keep him out of action for more than a year. Because he had played through his back problems, Clark managed to displace muscles in the back and twist his spine. Despite multiple efforts to return to the Leafs, Clark's muscle damage forced him to remain out of action for month after month. During his time on the sidelines, Clark became the target of criticism from contentious Maple Leafs owner Harold Ballard. In a Jan. 31, 1989, interview with the Toronto Star, Ballard suggested Clark was stalling his own recovery from the back injury out of sheer laziness. Ballard told the Star that "I sometimes think Wendel is swinging the lead. That would be a terrible thing to say if, indeed, he can't play. But I've never had a player let something disturb him for so long. I've had guys play for me with a broken wrist and a broken ankle. I think it's time Wendel tested the water." Although Clark had resumed skating in practice by this time, he declined to comment on Ballard's remarks and said he would not start playing in games again on anyone's timetable but his own. Finally, on March 1, 1989, Clark returned to the Maple Leafs lineup for a game at N.Y. Rangers. He had an assist in that game and went on to play very well over the remainder of the season -- scoring seven goals and adding 4 assists in only 15 games. Toronto, however, missed the final playoff berth in the Norris Division by four points.

Wendel and Marty, for old time's sake:

[Metalleaf]

And don't forget to take the kids to McDonald's, 67ers. And get some of those McDonald's cards, I picked up some today, no Leafs. I was looking for Ovechkin but I was disappointed to find Jason Spezza.

[Timbo]

Wendel was the man
with a stick in his hand
and he came from Kelvington
S A S K

Bonus points if you can name the band.

[Mayhem]

Ballad of Wendell Clark by the Rheostatics. Just read ablut in on canoe.ca a couple days ago. That's where I got my av.

[Mayhem]

Part 1

[Timbo]

Give Mayhem a gold star! The time I saw them at Harbourfront, Dave Bidini came out with a life size cut out of Wendel Clark and they played the song. Simply outstanding.

Also, showed my colleague in the office the Wendel All Heart video. He's from Brazil, likes football. His jaw just about hit the floor.

[1967ers]

Nov 21-23, 2008 - Wendel Clark (Wendel Returns)

The Leafs went backwards after the Clark/Sundin trade. They had too many centres in 1994-95 and nobody really performed up to expectations. The new kid, Mats Sundin, led the Leafs in scoring as a point-per-game player, but nobody else was really right. The Leafs made the playoffs, but did nothing.

I spent most of that season trying to follow Wendel's play in Quebec. For the most part, he went point-for-point with Mats until the inevitable injury hit. He still finished OK, but Quebec really wasn't going anywhere that season either. I got a card of him in a Nordiques jersey. It just looked wrong - sort of like a bad OPC airbrush job, but it was for real.

In the summer, there was a contract holdout (from Wendel? Where'd THIS come from?) and a trade to the Islanders. Again, he put some points on the board, but it became clear (to me, anyway) that Wendel minus the Leafs simply wasn't Wendel.

The Leafs, for their part, weren't right either. They had got off to a much better start in 1995-96 and were a .600 team at Christmas. Then the wheels simply came off. A long-anticipated trade for Kirk Muller did nothing to rectify the situation (I was at his first game with the Leafs and got stuck but good in the eye - a story for another day.) and things got worse and worse and worse. With the Leafs sub-.500 in March, the unthinkable happened. Pat Burns was fired as head coach. The era that had begun with so much promise in 1992 was over.

Another long-rumoured trade (not as poorly-kept a secret as the Muller deal, but close) was that the Leafs might want to bring Clark back. There was talk that it could be Kenny Jonsson, the Leafs' sophomore defenseman, or a first, or maybe Sean Haggerty, a kid off the farm who was one of the few prospects we were looking forward to at the time. Cliff had made so many deals at that point that I couldn't imagine this one saving the ship, and I hated the idea of trading away the future to save this particular season. I loved Clark, but this deal was sounding pretty pricey.

Two deals came down on March 13, 1996. Dave Andreychuk, who couldn't recapture the 50-goal form and had been hearing it from the fans, went to Jersey for a second and a third. And then there was the Clark deal, and it was bigger than we'd heard. Jonsson, the first-rounder, kids Darby Hendrickon AND Haggerty for Wendel, Mathieu Schneider and some kid named D.J. Smith. This was huge. The message was that it was about winning now, with this club. It had to be, because Cliff had just given away a ton of the future. The reaction to this deal was mixed, at best.

(In hindsight, this deal really gets worked over because the Islanders turned that pick into Roberto Luongo. The odds that the Leafs would have picked Luongo themselves are minimal to me. Potvin was still young and looked to be the #1 for a decade or more. Schneider, who I had no use for at the time, is still an impact defenseman and has since brought Karpovtsev, McCabe and now Van Ryn. Haggerty never went anywhere and Jonsson is retired. Looking at this as Clark for Jonsson, Schneider for the first and a swap of kids, this really isn't as bad.)

All in all, though, it was nice to have Wendel back in the fold. His first game was going to be on TV, so I was going to be able to watch it.

Five minutes in, Gilmour found Clark alone in front of the net. Wendel roofed it. Paul Morris, with the passion one normally used for announcing a grocery list (I miss him terribly), intoned "Toronto goal scored by number seventeen, Wendel Clark...." You couldn't hear the rest of it. MLG had gone nuts.

I had been wrong. It wasn't nice to have Wendel back. It was magic. The price paid, the pick, none of it mattered. A great wrong had been made right. Wendel was back where he belonged. The world was as it should be again.

Wendel would chalk up 8 goals, 7 assists and a plus-7 in the 13 games he played that season. The Leafs turned it around somewhat and finished near .600 under Nick Beverley, but made a first-round exit again.

1996-97 really just continued the problems that had been seen the previous year. There was still a lot of turnover in the lineup and near the trade deadline, Doug Gilmour and Dave Ellett were sent to New Jersey for a bunch of kids. The experiment to save the team was over. It was time to rebuild.

Wendel gave us another 30-goal season in 1996-97, but his 1997-98 season was ruined by injuries again. The Leafs as a whole weren't very good and nobody's play was particularly inspired. Coach Mike Murphy would be let go at the end of the season and there would be wholesale changes before September.

One of the changes prior to 1998-99 was that Wendel Clark was not resigned. New GM Mike Smith was putting together a younger, faster team. There was a new goaltender, Curtis Joseph and a new coach in Pat Quinn. Unlike in 1994, there was less anguish this time. Wendel found a role as a leader and veteran presence on the Tampa Bay Lightning and it seemed to suit him. He was Tampa's representative at the all-star game. He was picked up by Detroit for their playoff run. Cheering for Clark in red and white was an interesting experience, to say the least.

The Leafs found new life under Quinn, which made Clark's loss more bearable. They made the third round for the first time since 1994 and there were new names, new heroes.

For 1999-2000, Wendel joined the Chicago Blackhawks. It didn't work. His body was finally giving out and this was interpreted by the Hawks as lack of effort/desire. He was ripped publicly and finally released. A very ignoble end, or so it seemed.

After the New Year, though, the Leafs threw their fans a bone. Wendel was signed for his third tour. Spot duty, most likely, but for one more moment, he could be home again, and he could retire in the uniform he was meant to wear.

In his third tour of duty, Wendel didn't see a ton of action and it took him a while to score a goal. When it did come, in a game against Tampa Bay, there were two - the first was a shot that he deflected from out near the faceoff circle and this was followed by an old-fashioned Clark wrister that blew right through the goalie. I hoped this would get him going, but those were the last two regular-season goals he'd score.

In the playoffs, Clark had some pretty good energy on a line with Tucker. He picked up his last goal on a tap-in from the crease and had one assist in his six games. He also got a wonderful spontaneous tribute from the ACC. After a rush that ended with a shot off the goal post, the fans simply erupted. It was this purely-felt rush of emotion that hed off itself for minute after minute. One bemused onlooker commented later that he couldn't have imagined what would have happened had Clark actually scored on the play, but he missed the point. This had nothing to do with the play. This was an outpouring of thanks for everything, thanks for this great career.

Wendel Clark did not put up hall-of-fame numbers in his career. He was hurt far too often for that. If you look at the games he missed before turning 25, there was almost three seasons there. At his normal pace, he'd have added maybe 120-130 goals to his total and been nearer to 450 overall, which still is borderline for today's game.

Clark, though, wasn't the player you looked to to score lots of goals, he was the player you looked to for the big goal, to step up when it was needed most.

Leaf fans have always loved their blood-and-guts players. They react to them on an emotional level. I think this is what has always hurt Mats Sundin. Aside from the misfortune of having been traded for Wendel Clark, he always played with a kind of reserve and stoicism that in a lot of ways made him the anti-Clark. You rarely saw emotion get the better of Mats. Mats has been the kind of player who appeals to the mind, while Clark went straight to the heart. It's not a fair fight. In his last couple of seasons, Mats began to get the kind of love and support Wendel used to get all the time. His 500th goal celebration was one of those moments. He deserved it years sooner.

On Saturday, Wendel's number will join the others in the rafters of the ACC. When I first heard of this, it struck me as odd because while he remains my favourite player to this day, I wouldn't have thought of him as being one of the all-time greats. For a decade, though, he was the soul of this franchise, and Saturday will be a worthy tribute.

I'll be watching.



1982-83 Notre Dame Bantam Hounds SMBHL 27 21 28 49 83
1983-84 Saskatoon Blades WHL 72 23 45 68 225
1984-85 Saskatoon Blades WHL 64 32 55 87 253 3 3 3 6 7
1984-85 Canada WJC-A 7 3 2 5 10
1985-86 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 66 34 11 45 227 -27 10 5 1 6 47
1986-87 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 80 37 23 60 271 -23 13 6 5 11 38
1987-88 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 28 12 11 23 80 -13
1988-89 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 15 7 4 11 66 -3
1989-90 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 38 18 8 26 116 +2 5 1 1 2 19
1990-91 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 63 18 16 34 152 -5
1991-92 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 43 19 21 40 123 -14
1992-93 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 66 17 22 39 193 +2 21 10 10 20 51
1993-94 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 64 46 30 76 115 +10 18 9 7 16 24
1994-95 Quebec Nordiques NHL 37 12 18 30 45 -1 6 1 2 3 6
1995-96 New York Islanders NHL 58 24 19 43 60 -12
1995-96 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 13 8 7 15 16 +7 6 2 2 4 2
1996-97 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 65 30 19 49 75 -2
1997-98 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 47 12 7 19 80 -21
1998-99 Tampa Bay Lightning NHL 65 28 14 42 35 -25
1998-99 Detroit Red Wings NHL 12 4 2 6 2 +1 10 2 3 5 10
1999-00 Chicago Blackhawks NHL 13 2 0 2 13 -2
1999-00 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 20 2 2 4 21 -3 6 1 1 2 4
Leaf Totals 608 260 181 441 1535 -90 79 34 27 61 185
NHL Totals 793 330 234 564 1690 -129 95 37 32 69 201

WHL East First All-Star Team (1985)
NHL All-Rookie Team (1986)
Played in NHL All-Star Game (1986, 1999)

- Traded to Quebec by Toronto with Sylvain Lefebvre, Landon Wilson and Toronto's 1st round choice (Jeffrey Kealty) in 1994 Entry Draft for Mats Sundin, Garth Butcher, Todd Warriner and Philadelphia's 1st round choice (previously acquired, later traded to Washington - Washington selected Nolan Baumgartner) in 1994 Entry Draft, June 28, 1994.
- Transferred to Colorado after Quebec franchise relocated, June 21, 1995.
- Traded to NY Islanders by Colorado for Claude Lemieux, October 3, 1995.
- Traded to Toronto by NY Islanders with Mathieu Schneider and D.J. Smith for Darby Hendrickson, Sean Haggerty, Kenny Jonsson and Toronto's 1st round choice (Roberto Luongo) in 1997 Entry Draft, March 13, 1996.
- Signed as a free agent by Tampa Bay, July 31, 1998.
- Traded to Detroit by Tampa Bay with Detroit's 6th round choice (previously acquired, Detroit selected Kent McDonell) in 1999 Entry Draft for Kevin Hodson and San Jose's 2nd round choice (previously acquired, Tampa Bay selected Sheldon Keefe) in 1999 Entry Draft, March 23, 1999.
- Signed as a free agent by Chicago, August 2, 1999.
- Signed as a free agent by Toronto following release by Chicago, January 14, 2000.
- Officially announced retirement, June 29, 2000.

the HHOF take on Wendel:

If there was a list of the most popular Toronto Maple Leaf players of all-time, one could be certain that the name Wendel Clark would be right near the top. The former Maple Leafs' captain was idolized by thousands of hockey fans, and held a status, which was nothing short of legendary during more than a decade of service with the blue and white.

Clark was selected first overall in the 1985 NHL Entry Draft by the Maple Leafs after playing two years with the Saskatoon Blades in the WHL. For much of Clark's childhood, and through most of his playing days in Saskatoon, he was a defenceman. Due to his immense talent, he was used primarily on defense but also saw additional playing time on the left wing during his last year with the Blades, where he scored 32 goals and 87 points in 64 games. There was also a tenacious and at times nasty side to the way Clark played the game, as was evidenced by his 253 minutes in penalties. Clark's biggest accomplishment in his teen years was helping Canada's national team take the gold medal at the 1985 World Junior Hockey Championships.

Clark played rough and tumble hockey all his life; after all, he grew up on a farm in Kelvington and was good friends with his cousin Joey Kocur. Clark and Kocur took on virtually every tough opponent who stood in their way--everyone that is, except each other. Both vowed they would never drop the gloves and fight each other in the NHL, and they kept their word. Clark once joked they had done enough of that as kids in Saskatchewan. Another of Clark's cousins, Barry Melrose, also played in the NHL and was a successful NHL coach before turning his attention to broadcasting.

During his first season in Toronto in 1985-86, the coaching staff decided to move Clark to the left wing on a full-time basis. The change seemed to agree with him, as he scored 34 goals and 45 points while spending 227 minutes in the penalty box. He finished second in the rookie of the year voting for the Calder Trophy to Calgary defenseman Gary Suter. In his sophomore season Clark increased his totals to 37 goals and 60 points, while sitting in the penalty box for 271 minutes. Despite being only 5'11" and weighing about 200 pounds, Clark soon became known as one of the best bodycheckers in the league. Perhaps his most famous check was when he hammered St. Louis' Bruce Bell with a thundering clean hit behind the net which left Bell lying prone on the ice and unconscious for several minutes. However, it was his aggressive, pounding style, and penchant for the fisticuffs which resulted in him missing close to 200 games from 1987 through 1992, or the equivalent of nearly three NHL seasons. In the three years from the 1990-91 season through 1992-93, Clark twice appeared in over 60 games, but his offensive production and aggressive checking style had clearly gone down a few notches. It was often rumored that he was playing through injuries. In the playoffs, however, Clark seemed to kick it up into high gear, leading the Maple Leafs along with Doug Gilmour to the Western Conference finals where they lost a seven-game thriller to Wayne Gretzky and the Los Angeles Kings. In 21 post-season games, Clark scored ten goals and ten assists. With his back problems and nagging injuries seemingly behind him, Clark returned relatively healthy for the 1993-94 season, scoring a career-high 46 goals and 76 points. Although he still did not back away from the rough stuff, it was apparent that he had become more particular about when to battle. Clark led the Maple Leafs to their second consecutive Western Conference finals appearance where they were turned back by the Vancouver Canucks. On June 28, 1994, Leafs' general manger Cliff Fletcher stunned Leaf fans across Canada by sending Clark to the Quebec Nordiques in a six-player deal that saw the Leafs acquire Mats Sundin. In an emotional media conference, Clark thanked all the fans who had supported him during his years in Toronto. Clark joined the Quebec Nordiques for the shortened 1994-95 season, scoring 12 goals and 30 points. However, it was evident he was not happy playing for the organization and did not re-sign. Clark joined the New York Islanders for 58 games in 1995-96 before being re-acquired by the Leafs in March 1996. Fletcher opted to bring back the popular winger along with defenceman Mathieu Schneider, while giving up defenceman Kenny Jonsson and a first-round draft pick that turned out to be goalie Roberto Luongo.

Clark had a strong 30-goal output in 1996-97, but that individual success was tempered by the fact the slumping Leafs finished out of the playoffs. Once again, the injury bug bit Clark in 1997-98, limiting him to just 47 games. It became evident to the team, the fans, and Clark himself that he was not going to fit in with future plans so he signed with the Tampa Bay Lightning as a free agent in the summer of 1998. In what was a relatively healthy season, Clark tallied 28 goals and 42 points with Tampa before being picked up at the trade deadline by the Detroit Red Wings, who wanted Clark for the playoff run. He finished the season playing 77 games, scoring 32 goals and 48 points between the two teams, with only 37 minutes in penalties, compared with the 271 minutes he had playing 66 games in his second year in the league. Clark played well for the Wings in the playoffs but their run to the Stanley Cup came up short.

In 1999-2000, Clark signed with the Chicago Blackhawks for 13 games before returning for his third tour of duty with the Maple Leafs. He played 20 games, scoring two goals and four points before retiring after the playoffs at the age of 33. Clark played 13 of his 15 NHL seasons in Toronto. He played in 793 games, scoring 330 goals and 564 points with 1,690 penalty minutes. Clark also contributed 37 goals and 69 points in 95 playoff games.

12 goals scored, 6 were game winners. That's Wendel....

[1967ers]

Originally Posted by Mayhem

Ballad of Wendell Clark by the Rheostatics. Just read ablut in on canoe.ca a couple days ago. That's where I got my av.

Got it in today's post.

[1967ers]

Originally Posted by Metalleaf

And don't forget to take the kids to McDonald's, 67ers. And get some of those McDonald's cards, I picked up some today, no Leafs. I was looking for Ovechkin but I was disappointed to find Jason Spezza.

Picked up three packs on Wed. A bunch of dinged corners and others that were warped. Not sure I'll pick up any more....

[Timbo]

Nicely done 67ers. I remember the game he hit the post and people went crazy. That was quite the thing.

[1967ers]

So was your Brazilian friend impressed? Horrified? Wondering how a peaceful group such as us can play this sport?

I wish that ovation was youtubed somewhere. Alas.

[Timbo]

Shocked I suppose. I was telling him how much people in the city love Wendel and he looked kind of mystified.

Anyhoo, love that video. Young Rheos! And Dave Clark was still in the band! Old Mill Donuts! My stomping grounds!

[1967ers]

Nov 24, 2007 - 1978-79 - Pat Boutette

The word 'scrappy' is often used and abused when it comes to hockey players, yet I can't come up with a better word for than that to describe Pat Boutette. He was a little guy who carved out a niche playing on the third line for the Leafs and taking on all comers, most of whom were significantly larger than he was. Imagine a guy who stood 5'8" and weighed 175 taking on the likes of Clark Gillies or Saleski, as they mention below. Add to that the fact that even then, teams lied about the size of their players....

From his "fight card" in 1975-76, I see the following - look at the size differential:

Gary Dornhoefer - 5"
Don Saleski - 7", 30 lbs
Phil Russell - 5", 25 lbs
Steve Durbano - 5", 35 lbs
Clark Gilles - 7", 35 lbs
Mike Wong - 7", 29 lbs
Mike Milbury - 5", 30 lbs

He wasn't choosy.

Now, he lost a good number of those fights, but it's the fearlessness you have to admire.

Boutette, however, could put the puck in the net. He wasn't a huge scorer in Toronto, mainly a result of the role he had, but could be counted on for about 15 goals and 35 points. Once he left, though, he found himself on the scoring lines and responded accordingly. In 127 games with Hartford, he had 124 points. He had seasons of 23 and 27 goals in Pittsburgh before the realities of being 5'8" and playing tough began to catch up to him.

1978-79 was Pat Boutette's last full season in Toronto. He put up the kinds of numbers he always had - 14-19-33 and 136 penalty minutes. In 1979-80 he got off to a horrible start and was sent off to Hartford.



1968-69 Riverside Cement Minor-ON
1969-70 London Knights OHA-Jr. 53 11 17 28 87 10 1 4 5 66
1970-71 U. of Minnesota-Duluth WCHA 33 18 13 31 86
1971-72 U. of Minnesota-Duluth WCHA 34 17 20 37 71
1972-73 U. of Minnesota-Duluth WCHA 34 18 45 63 91
1973-74 Oklahoma City Blazers CHL 70 17 34 51 118 10 0 7 7 35
1974-75 Oklahoma City Blazers CHL 77 26 42 68 163 5 2 4 6 4
1975-76 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 77 10 22 32 140 -1 10 1 4 5 16
1976-77 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 80 18 18 36 107 +13 9 0 4 4 17
1977-78 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 80 17 19 36 120 0 13 3 3 6 40
1978-79 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 80 14 19 33 136 +3 6 2 2 4 22
1979-80 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 32 0 4 4 17 -6
1979-80 Hartford Whalers NHL 47 13 31 44 75 +17 3 1 0 1 6
1980-81 Hartford Whalers NHL 80 28 52 80 160 -13
1980-81 Canada WEC-A 8 1 1 2 16
1981-82 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL 80 23 51 74 230 -23 5 3 1 4 8
1982-83 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL 80 27 29 56 152 -33
1983-84 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL 73 14 26 40 142 -58
1984-85 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL 14 1 3 4 24 -5
1984-85 Hartford Whalers NHL 33 6 8 14 51 -6
1984-85 Binghamton Whalers AHL 27 8 17 25 10 7 0 2 2 0
Leaf Totals 349 59 82 141 520 9 38 6 13 19 95
NHL Totals 756 171 282 453 1354 -112 46 10 14 24 109


WCHA Second All-Star Team (1973)
NCAA West First All-American Team (1973)

- Traded to Hartford by Toronto for Bob Stephenson, December 24, 1979.
- Transferred to Pittsburgh by Hartford with Kevin McClelland as compensation for Hartford's signing of free agent Greg Millen, June 29, 1981.
- Traded to Hartford by Pittsburgh for the rights to Ville Siren, November 16, 1984.

(note that -58 for Pittsburgh in 1983-84 - ever wonder just how the Pens managed to get Mario Lemieux?)


the hhof take on Pat:

Pat Boutette's career in hockey was consistently marked by a great mental strength that allowed him to face down the odds that tended to jump onto his path from time to time. While skating for the London Knights of the OHA in 1969-70, he was offered a scholarship to attend the University of Minnesota. He accepted the offer in the midst of the usual warnings that such a path would never lead him to the NHL. But with his usual self-assurance, he went south to school

He put in three successful seasons on campus, becoming an All-American all-star in 1973. He elected to leave his studies one year shy of his degree in physical education to turn pro with the Maple Leafs' chain. He put in two years of apprenticeship with the Oklahoma City Blazers of the CHL where he honed the style of play that would earn him a long-term ticket in the NHL. Standing only 5' 8" high, Boutette knew that he'd have to become a durable mucker who would never back down from anyone, no matter how much bigger his rivals stood.

In 1975-76, he finally got the call to join the Leafs on a line with Dave "Tiger" Williams and Jack Valiquette. Short-guy jokes abounded in the dressing room as Boutette grew in his resolve to work hard and play aggressively against foes of all sizes. It was not uncommon to see him drop the gloves against such leviathans as the Isles' Clark Gillies or the Flyers' Don Saleski. He also managed to find the opposition's net with respectable third-line frequency.

Into his fifth season with the Leafs, Boutette was traded to the Hartford Whalers where, despite his short stay, he scored a personal-best 80 points in 80 games for the struggling Whalers. In 1981, he was dispatched to the Pittsburgh Penguins, where he continued to play his aggressive game in the company of Paul Gardner and Rick Kehoe. The only difference between life as a Pen and as a Leaf was that, in Pittsburgh, he tended to score more while making life difficult for opponents along the boards.

By 1984-85, however, the rugged winger finally began to slow down. His numbers fell off as he was traded back to the Whalers where he played briefly before retiring from the Binghamton Whalers of the AHL at the close of the season.

This is the one video I can find of Boutette. There used to be others - usually you'd find him in a scrum near the front of the net.

In this one, from Mar 7, 1977, the Leafs and Flyers are doing what they often did. Sittler and Holmgren seem to be the major card, but Pat Boutette is tangled up with Bill Barber. In the early going, Barber has him in a bear hug, but at about the 1:22 mark, Pat gets loose. As always, Barber is four inches taller and twenty pounds heavier....

[1967ers]

Nov 25, 2008 - Mark Osborne

One night in March of 1987 I was in my room trying to get some homework done while the Leaf game was on the radio in the background. It was kind of a frustrating game to listen to (or half listen to) because any time the Leafs seemed to have any offensive momentum going they'd give the puck up to this guy named Osborne who, presumably, was having an outstanding night killing us.

It took about a period before I clued in that the Leafs had traded Jeff Jackson to the Rangers earlier that day and Osborne was actually on our side. He chipped in with a point that night and went almost a point per game for the rest of the season.

He took over Jeff Jackson's old number 12 and, to my mind, remains the best #12 the Leafs have had until, well, today? (Stempniak? Hello?)

From that night on, I had a real affinity for Mark Osborne. He was one of the few trades that really worked out. He was a winger with both grit and some sort of hands that managed to play a key role on two very different lines over the next half-dozen years.

In his first go-round, he was an offensive player. He'd been able to do that with both Detroit (whom he led in scoring as a rookie) and New York, and in Toronto, he lined up with Al Secord and Ed Olczyk to make a pretty good line. Once Secord was moved out in favour of Gary Leeman, though, that line really took off. In 1989-90, Leeman had 51 goals and 95 points, Olczyk had 88 and Osborne 73, including 50 assists.

Olczyk and Osborne were sent to the Jets in the somewhat-understandable-but-still-ill-executed Ellett and Fenton deal. Ozzy at that point seems to have lost his hands. I heard an interview with him a couple of years ago where he said that the problem in Winnipeg was that he never really had a role, and he was the sort of player who really needed to know what his role was. (They should have told him his role was to win the Ross....)

Late in the next season, he was back. The hands stayed pretty cold and he basically morphed into a very effective grinder who could still chip in on occasion. For 1992-93, he, Peter Zezel and Bill Berg formed a very important grind line that helped that team enormously.

In 1993-94, his role waned somewhat, and it was back to the Rangers.

Interestingly, Osborne's conversion from offensive threat to grinder seems to have coincided with his decision to dump #12 in favour of #21. He did this at the start of the 1990-91 season, claiming that he always preferred the higher numbers.

Lee Stempniak, let this serve as a warning to you. If you can make #12 work for you, stick with it.



1977-78 Toronto Young Nationals MTHL 58 20 28 48 60
1978-79 Niagara Falls Flyers OMJHL 62 17 25 42 53 20 6 2 8 31
1979-80 Niagara Falls Flyers OMJHL 52 10 33 43 104 10 2 1 3 23
1980-81 Niagara Falls Flyers OMJHL 54 39 41 80 140 12 11 10 21 20
1980-81 Adirondack Red Wings AHL 13 2 3 5 2
1981-82 Detroit Red Wings NHL 80 26 41 67 61 -7
1982-83 Detroit Red Wings NHL 80 19 24 43 83 -41
1983-84 New York Rangers NHL 73 23 28 51 88 +1 5 0 1 1 7
1984-85 New York Rangers NHL 23 4 4 8 33 -2 3 0 0 0 4
1985-86 New York Rangers NHL 62 16 24 40 80 +5 15 2 3 5 26
1986-87 New York Rangers NHL 58 17 15 32 101 -15
1986-87 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 16 5 10 15 12 -1 9 1 3 4 6
1987-88 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 79 23 37 60 102 -3 6 1 3 4 16
1988-89 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 75 16 30 46 112 -5
1989-90 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 78 23 50 73 91 +2 5 2 3 5 12
1990-91 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 18 3 3 6 4 -10
1990-91 Winnipeg Jets NHL 37 8 8 16 59 -1
1991-92 Winnipeg Jets NHL 43 4 12 16 65 -8
1991-92 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 11 3 1 4 8 -2
1992-93 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 76 12 14 26 89 -7 19 1 1 2 16
1993-94 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 73 9 15 24 145 +2 18 4 2 6 52
1994-95 New York Rangers NHL 37 1 3 4 19 -2 7 1 0 1 2
1995-96 Cleveland Lumberjacks IHL 70 31 38 69 131 3 1 2 3 2
1996-97 Cleveland Lumberjacks IHL 59 7 25 32 96 6 1 2 3 14
1997-1998 Cleveland Lumberjacks IHL
1997-1998 Cleveland Lumberjacks IHL 3 0 0 0 22 0
1998-1999 Toronto St. Michael's Majors OHL
1999-2000 Toronto St. Michael's Majors OHL
Leaf Totals 426 94 160 254 563 -24 57 9 12 21 102
NHL Totals 919 212 319 531 1152 -94 87 12 16 28 141

- Traded to NY Rangers by Detroit with Mike Blaisdell and Willie Huber for Ron Duguay, Eddie Mio and Eddie Johnstone, June 13, 1983.
- Traded to Toronto by NY Rangers for Jeff Jackson and Toronto's 3rd round choice (Rob Zamuner) in 1989 Entry Draft, March 5, 1987.
- Traded to Winnipeg by Toronto with Ed Olczyk for Dave Ellett and Paul Fenton, November 10, 1989.
- Traded to Toronto by Winnipeg for Lucien DeBlois, March 10, 1992.
- Signed as a free agent by NY Rangers, January 25, 1995.
- Officially announced retirement and named Assistant Coach of Cleveland (IHL), June 19, 1997.

the HHOF take on Mark:

Left-winger Mark Osborne was a solid two-way forward who played over 900 NHL games for four different clubs. Although he scored over 200 career goals, the hard-working winger was best at winning battles in the corners and checking the opposition's top line.

The Toronto native was a junior standout with the OHA's Niagara Falls Flyers where he served as the team captain. He was taken 46th overall by the Detroit Red Wings at the 1980 Entry Draft then scored 39 goals his last year in junior. At the end of that season he joined the AHL's Adirondack Red Wings in time for the Calder Cup playoffs. This was his only minor league assignment until 1995.

In 1981-82, Osborne scored 26 goals for Detroit as a rookie. He slipped to 19 goals the next year after which he was traded to the New York Rangers in a multi-player transaction that featured Ron Duguay and Willie Huber. "Ozzie" was a consistent two-way forward for the Rangers and helped the team reach the semi-finals in 1986.

Prior to the March trade deadline in 1987, Osborne was sent to the Toronto Maple Leafs. He helped the team come within one win of the semi-finals that year and scored a career best 73 points in 1989-90 while playing on the "GEM" line with Ed Olczyk and Gary Leeman. The good fortune did not carry over to the next season as the Leafs stumbled out of the gate and Osborne was traded with Olczyk to Winnipeg.

Late in the 1991-92 season, Osborne was reacquired by Toronto and was an effective checker. He formed a fine defensive trio with Peter Zezel and Bill Berg and helped Toronto reach the Conference finals in 1993 and 1994. Prior to the lockout-shortened season, the veteran signed with the New York Rangers. Osborne retired in 1997-98 after playing parts of three seasons with the Cleveland Lumberjacks of the IHL.

A guy I knew who was a Nordiques fan (they did exist) particularly disliked Osborne as he was a Nordique-killer. These stats lend credence to that, but look at the damage he did to St. Louis....

[1967ers]

Nov 26, 2008 - Rudy Migay

The Leafs of the mid-50s were a team not unlike this one - the big years were three or four years behind them, the next good team was still four years away and the Leafs were built around a bunch of kids and journeymen, most of whom would be out the door when the good times returned. There was churn at the upper levels of management in the form of a series of coach/GM changes as the team sought the combination that would let them grow again.

Rudy Migay played for the Leafs in these circumstances. A small player who got by on quickness and effort, he found a niche as a utility forward and managed to stick around for more than 400 games. Rudy would kill penalties, check and chip in with some offense when he could.

By the later part of the decade, the Leafs were starting to see the emergence of the next generation of forwards - Pulford, Duff, Mahovlich, Nevin, etc. - and Migay was relegated to spot duty and eventually the minors.

Rudy was a career Leaf at the NHL level, and his 418 games are still 55th on the Leafs all-time list.



1944-45 Port Arthur Flyers TBJHL 11 22 10 32 22 3 2 2 4 6
1945-46 Port Arthur Flyers TBJHL 6 11 17 28 0 10 7 10 17 6
1946-47 St. Michael's Majors OHA-Jr. 28 25 18 43 15 9 2 11 13 0
1946-47 St. Michael's Majors M-Cup 10 7 16 23 2
1947-48 Port Arthur Bruins TBJHL 7 12 8 20 12 24 17 30 47 18
1947-48 Port Arthur Bruins M-Cup 17 13 24 37 16
1948-49 Pittsburgh Hornets AHL 64 21 31 52 38
1949-50 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 18 1 5 6 8
1949-50 Pittsburgh Hornets AHL 44 11 25 36 31
1950-51 Pittsburgh Hornets AHL 58 20 38 58 45 13 1 15 16 11
1951-52 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 19 2 1 3 12
1951-52 Pittsburgh Hornets AHL 32 20 26 46 10 11 7 4 11 8
1952-53 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 40 5 4 9 22
1953-54 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 70 8 15 23 60 5 1 0 1 4
1954-55 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 67 8 16 24 66 3 0 0 0 10
1955-56 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 70 12 16 28 52 5 0 0 0 6
1956-57 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 66 15 20 35 51
1957-58 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 48 7 14 21 18
1957-58 Rochester Americans AHL 15 5 8 13 18
1958-59 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 19 1 1 2 4 2 0 0 0 0
1958-59 Rochester Americans AHL 51 24 58 82 100 3 1 0 1 6
1959-60 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 1 0 0 0 0
1959-60 Rochester Americans AHL 50 16 48 64 50 12 3 10 13 19
1960-61 Port Arthur Bearcats TBSHL
1961-62 Port Arthur Bearcats TBSHL
1962-63 Rochester Americans AHL 2 1 1 2 4
1963-64 Denver Invaders WHL 56 20 31 51 30 6 0 3 3 32
1964-65 Tulsa Oilers CPHL 50 5 26 31 53
1965-66 Tulsa Oilers CPHL
NHL/Leaf Totals 418 59 92 151 293 15 1 0 1 20

AHL First All-Star Team (1959)
Les Cunningham Award (MVP - AHL) (1959) (co-winner - Bill Hicke)
Played in NHL All-Star Game (1957)

the HHOF take on Rudy:

What Rudy Migay lacked in size, he more than made up for in speed and natural puck handling skills. At just 5'6" and barely 155 pounds, he was almost always the smallest player on the ice. At 16 he joined the Port Arthur Flyers of the TBJHL where he had 22 goals and 32 points in eleven games in 1944-45. In 1945-46 he led the league in scoring with 28 points despite the fact he skated in only six games.

In 1946-47 he travelled south to join the Toronto St. Michael's Majors of the OHA. Once again Migay's scoring abilities rose to the surface, when he tallied 25 goals and 43 pints in 28 games. He then successfully led the Majors to their second Memorial Cup championship in three years, scoring 23 points in ten games.

In 1947-48 Migay returned to Port Arthur where he played for the Bruins scoring 20 points in seven games. Once again he was the team catalyst, leading the Bruins to victory in the Memorial Cup. In 17 games en route to the Cup he had 13 goals and 37 points.

Migay turned pro in 1948-49 at the age of 20, signing with the Pittsburgh Hornets of the AHL. He played the bulk of the next season in Pittsburgh but was called up to play for the NHL's Toronto Maple Leafs for 18 games where he had a goal and six points. He did not see the NHL again for another two years, returning in 1951-52 for another 19 games in Toronto where he had two goals and an assist.

His first chance at a regular spot on the Leafs roster came in 1952-53 when he suited up for 40 games, collecting nine points. The following four years he always was in the lineup for no less than 66 games, but was used more as a defensive player in the NHL. His best offensive output came in 1956-57 when he had 15 goals and 35 points. The 1957-58 season saw Migay appear in another 48 games. His last performance in the NHL came during the 1959-60 season when he played in one game.

In 418 regular season NHL games, Migay scored 59 goals and 151 points. Migay's goal from the onset was to remain in the NHL for ten full seasons but club management had other ideas, demoting him to the minors. "I thought I might have a chance at coming back," Migay noted. "I was hoping for a trade but it never happened." He continued to play hockey for several more years and was a player/coach with the Port Arthur Bearcats in 1961 and 1962. He also played with the AHL's Rochester Americans and the WHL's Denver Invaders before retiring after the 1964-65 season as a member of the Tulsa Oilers of the CPHL. He then spent a season coaching the Oilers in 1965-66.

Migay was selected to the AHL's First All-Star Team in 1959 while playing in Rochester and also shared the league's MVP award that season.

[1967ers]

Nov 27, 2008 - Larry Hillman

There's a segment running on the FAN590 of late in which Bob McCown rips on the Clark ceremony as evidence of a franchise that hasn't done a d@mned thing in 40 years. That got me to thinking (in the roundabout way my mind works) about the ceremony a couple of years back honouring the 1967 team.

There were a lot of people at the time who couldn't imagine why on earth a team like the Leafs would make such a big to-do about that team, as though honouring them served no purpose other than to highlight the fact that they hadn't won anything since. There's merit to that, I suppose, but that viewpoint misses some really important points: you honour that team because a) it's a nice thing to do, b) because you won't have the chance ten years from now, and c) because it lets you correct certain injustices. The Leafs have been making a much better effort at reconnecting with their own past in the last decade or so, and to me, this was one of the crowning moments. Hell, just having Keon back in the building to be cheered one more time made the entire exercise worthwhile.

The story of the 1967 Cup winning team has become something based more in legend than in fact. (The bit about Allan Stanley taking that last faceoff against Beliveau? Nothing unusual. Punch did that all the time.) The story of Punch's grizzled vets having one last hurrah manages to miss the fact that the kids on that team played a huge role in the victory. The line that provided most of the offense for that team was built around Jim Pappin, who was 27, Pete Stemkowski, who was 23, and Bob Pulford at 31. Keon was just 27, Mahovlich 29. Ellis and Walton were 22. The vets did a great job, to be certain, but there was good youth on that team and in the system. The Leafs were actually well-positioned for the transition to the next generation, but that's another story.

Another aspect of the team that has been lost, or was lost, at least, was the contribution of Larry Hillman. While hall-of-famers Horton and Stanley garner most of the recognition, Larry Hillman and defense partner Marcel Pronovost were on the ice for a grand total of ONE even-strength goal against in the entire 1967 playoffs. They were simply outstanding.

According to the Cox/Stellick book 1967 (an excellent read, BTW), it was a source of some bitterness to Hillman that his name never came up in discussions of that team. Hillman played a lot of years in the NHL, many bouncing up and down between the Leafs and Rochester, and 1967 was one of the crowning moments of his career. The governing narrative, though, had no room for him.

In 2007, though, that was one of the things that was made right. When introduced to the crowd, announcer Andy Frost told everyone in attendance and in the national TV audience about the way Hillman and Pronovost played, and Hillman got the cheers he deserved.

It was a minor moment along the way to seeing Keon and Armstrong come out, but I thought it was an important one.

That's part of the reason you hold ceremonies like that.



1952-53 Windsor Spitfires OHA-Jr. 56 2 4 6 39
1953-54 Hamilton Tiger Cubs OHA-Jr. 58 6 14 20 99 7 0 2 2 10
1954-55 Hamilton Tiger Cubs OHA-Jr. 49 5 20 25 106 3 0 1 1 9
1954-55 Detroit Red Wings NHL 6 0 0 0 2 3 0 0 0 0
1955-56 Detroit Red Wings NHL 47 0 3 3 53 10 0 1 1 6
1955-56 Buffalo Bisons AHL 15 1 3 4 21
1956-57 Detroit Red Wings NHL 16 1 2 3 4
1956-57 Edmonton Flyers WHL 46 4 2 6 87 8 0 4 4 2
1957-58 Boston Bruins NHL 70 3 19 22 60 11 0 2 2 6
1958-59 Boston Bruins NHL 55 3 10 13 19 7 0 1 1 0
1959-60 Boston Bruins NHL 2 0 1 1 2
1959-60 Providence Reds AHL 70 12 31 43 159 5 0 1 1 4
1960-61 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 62 3 10 13 59 5 0 0 0 0
1961-62 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 5 0 0 0 4
1961-62 Rochester Americans AHL 26 1 14 15 16
1962-63 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 5 0 0 0 2
1962-63 Springfield Indians AHL 65 5 23 28 56
1963-64 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 33 0 4 4 31 11 0 0 0 2
1963-64 Rochester Americans AHL 32 1 18 19 48
1964-65 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 2 0 0 0 2
1964-65 Rochester Americans AHL 71 9 43 52 98 10 3 5 8 31
1965-66 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 48 3 25 28 34 4 1 1 2 6
1965-66 Rochester Americans AHL 22 2 20 22 34
1966-67 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 55 4 19 23 40 12 1 2 3 0
1966-67 Rochester Americans AHL 12 1 12 13 16
1967-68 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 55 3 17 20 13 +7
1967-68 Rochester Americans AHL 6 0 1 1 0
1968-69 Minnesota North Stars NHL 12 1 5 6 0 -8
1968-69 Montreal Canadiens NHL 25 0 5 5 17 -2 1 0 0 0 0
1969-70 Philadelphia Flyers NHL 76 5 26 31 73 +2
1970-71 Philadelphia Flyers NHL 73 3 13 16 39 +9 4 0 2 2 2
1971-72 Los Angeles Kings NHL 22 1 2 3 11 -7
1971-72 Buffalo Sabres NHL 43 1 11 12 58 -21
1972-73 Buffalo Sabres NHL 78 5 24 29 56 -3 6 0 0 0 8
1973-74 Cleveland Crusaders WHA 44 5 21 26 37
1974-75 Cleveland Crusaders WHA 77 0 16 16 83 5 1 3 4 8
1975-76 Winnipeg Jets WHA 71 1 12 13 62 12 0 2 2 32
Leaf Totals 265 13 75 88 185 32 2 3 5 8
NHL Totals 790 36 196 232 579 74 2 9 11 30

Brother of Floyd and Wayne
AHL First All-Star Team (1960, 1965)
Eddie Shore Award (Outstanding Defenseman - AHL) (1960)
Played in NHL All-Star Game (1955, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1968)

- Claimed by Chicago from Detroit in Intra-League Draft, June 5, 1957.
- Claimed on waivers by Boston from Chicago, October 14, 1957.
- Claimed by Toronto from Boston in Intra-League Draft, June 8, 1960.
- Claimed by NY Rangers from Toronto in Intra-League Draft, June 12, 1968.
- Claimed by Minnesota from NY Rangers in Intra-League Draft, June 12, 1968.
- Claimed on waivers by Pittsburgh from Minnesota, November 22, 1968.
- Traded to Montreal by Pittsburgh for Jean-Guy Lagace and cash, November 22, 1968.
- Claimed by Philadelphia from Montreal in Intra-League Draft, June 11, 1969.
- Traded to Los Angeles by Philadelphia for Larry Mickey, June 13, 1971.
- Traded to Buffalo by Los Angeles with Mike Byers for Doug Barrie and Mike Keeler, December 16, 1971.
- Selected by Ontario-Ottawa (WHA) in 1972 WHA General Player Draft, February 12, 1972.
- WHA rights traded to Cleveland (WHA) by Ottawa (WHA) for cash, June, 1973.
- Claimed by Winnipeg (WHA) from Cleveland (WHA) in WHA Intra-League Draft, June 19, 1975.

the HHOF take on Larry:

Larry Hillman was one of the most traveled professional hockey players to ever sit aboard a train, a bus or eventually, an airplane. During his 22-year pro career, Hillman competed with 15 clubs.

He started out in Kirkland Lake where the boys at his school would frequently take on Honoured Member Dick Duff's gang one day and Ralph Backstrom's the next. Hillman soon began to rise to the top of the town and on to the OHA where he played for the Windsor Spitfires and the Hamilton Tiger Cubs.

In 1955, Hillman launched his NHL career with the Detroit Red Wings where he played in three playoff games en route to a Stanley Cup win. He made it to the finals again the following season and then settled into a familiar pattern of bouncing between the AHL and the NHL.

Hillman's basic steadiness on the blueline made him a desirable commodity for slotting into the gaps opened up as a result of injuries and slumps. In 1957, he put in three seasons with the Bruins and then spent most of the sixties toiling for the Leafs and the Rochester Americans. His reward for Leaf loyalty came in the form of two Stanley Cup wins, one in 1964 and the other in 1967.

By the late 1960s, Hillman's nomadic tendencies continued with brief stints in Minnesota, Montreal, Philadelphia, Los Angeles and finally, in Buffalo. n 1973, he jumped to the WHA's Cleveland Crusaders before having his career cut short in Winnipeg as a result of a contract dispute with the Jets. After the ugly squabble was resolved, the club hired him as their head coach for two additional seasons.

By the end of his well-travelled career, Hillman had captured a remarkable six Stanley Cups through 1955-69 with the Toronto Maple Leafs and Detroit Red Wings.

You'd think that ceremony would be available in its entirety on youtube somewhere. Apparently, you'd be wrong in that.

[Timbo]

You should write a book. Great stuff, 67ers.

[1967ers]

Nov 28-30, 2008 - Pat Quinn

The things one learns on the telly these days....

During the game last night, they mentioned it was the 40th anniversary of the Leafs debut of Pat Quinn - a 2-2 tie (remember those?) with the Pittsburgh Penguins. Pat wore Eddie Shack's old #23 (soon to be made famous by Todd Gill). Much like the debut of Andre Deveaux last night, the addition of Quinn was meant to add a significant measure of toughness to a team that was seen as lacking it.

As a player, Quinn's most famous moment was clearly the hit on Bobby Orr during the 1969 playoffs. I have long regarded that hit as being one of the nicest elbows you will ever see thrown, but watching the youtube clip again (I HAVE to include it - it's the only footage I can find of Quinn as a Leaf) I'm coming to see it as much cleaner. It reminds me a bit of some of the Stevens hits - the Leaf player wearing #15 (Brit Selby in his second go-round, I believe) basically funnels Orr up along the right wing boards and he's got nowhere to go when the freight train is coming through. The Bruins didn't particularly like it, as the clip shows. (#22 is Forbes Kennedy in what is pretty much his last moments as an NHL player.)



In a 70's book I had as a kid called The Brothers Esposito, Phil claimed that after the game, he was approached by the Boston mob, asking whether they should put a hit on Quinn. Phil said no. No idea whether that was Phil spinning a good yarn or whether he was serious, but it says something about how that hit was viewed.

It actually wasn't Pat's first run-in with Orr. In Brunt's Searching for Bobby Orr, he mentions an earlier incident where Quinn challenged Orr in the Leaf crease to no real avail. Brunt even credits Quinn's call-up to Orr, to an extent. There had been a particularly nasty brawl between the Leafs and Bruins in which Brian Conacher was mauled by Orr and the Bruins after accidentally clipping Orr with his stick. After watching that, Punch decided that the Leafs needed some serious muscle and that appeared with Quinn. (Searching for Bobby Orr is a great read - I'm just paraphrasing stuff I read a year ago here, but the detail in that book is wonderful.)

Pat was lost in the 1970 expansion draft to the Canucks, and then again to the Flames, where he would be team captain at the time of his retirement.

The second part of the story is much more familiar to today's fans, as Quinn returned to the Leafs in 1998 as head coach. At the time of his hiring, many of the reporters (notably Damien Cox - I'll leave the commentary out) panned his selection, figuring that the Leafs had missed an opportunity to get a fresh young face.

The pundits were dead wrong. The Leafs made a remarkable turnaround under Quinn, based on excellent goaltending and an exciting, wide-open style of play, the Leafs under Quinn would make the final four twice, set team records for points in a season, lead the league in goals -for once and generally provide years of excellent hockey as well as a generation's worth of nightmares for Ottawa Senators fans.

One final Quinn/Leaf connection: Brian Burke (is it official yet? I can't tell.) got his NHL start under Quinn. Pat hired him in 1987 in Vancouver (again, the stuff one learns off the telly....)



1958-59 Hamilton Tiger Cubs OHA-Jr. 20 0 1 1 34
1959-60 Hamilton Tiger Cubs OHA-Jr. 27 0 1 1 58
1960-61 Hamilton Kilty B's OHA-B
1961-62 Hamilton Kilty B's OHA-B
1962-63 Edmonton Oil Kings CAHL
1962-63 Edmonton Oil Kings M-Cup 19 2 10 12 49
1963-64 Knoxville Knights EHL 72 6 31 37 217 8 1 3 4 34
1964-65 Tulsa Oilers CPHL 70 3 32 35 202 3 0 0 0 9
1965-66 Memphis Wings CPHL 67 2 16 18 135
1966-67 Houston Apollos CPHL 15 0 3 3 66
1966-67 Seattle Totems WHL 35 1 3 4 49 5 0 0 0 2
1967-68 Tulsa Oilers CPHL 51 3 15 18 178 11 1 4 5 19
1968-69 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 40 2 7 9 95 +10 4 0 0 0 13
1968-69 Tulsa Oilers CHL 17 0 6 6 25
1969-70 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 59 0 5 5 88 -14
1969-70 Tulsa Oilers CHL 2 0 1 1 6
1970-71 Vancouver Canucks NHL 76 2 11 13 149 +2
1971-72 Vancouver Canucks NHL 57 2 3 5 63 -28
1972-73 Atlanta Flames NHL 78 2 18 20 113 +2
1973-74 Atlanta Flames NHL 77 5 27 32 94 +15 4 0 0 0 6
1974-75 Atlanta Flames NHL 80 2 19 21 156 +12
1975-76 Atlanta Flames NHL 80 2 11 13 134 +5 2 0 1 1 2
1976-77 Atlanta Flames NHL 59 1 12 13 58 -7 1 0 0 0 0
Leaf Totals 99 2 12 14 183 -4 4 0 0 0 13
NHL Totals 606 18 113 131 950 -3 11 0 1 1 21

Jack Adams Award (1980)

- Claimed by Montreal from Detroit in Intra-League Draft, June 15, 1966.
- Traded to St. Louis by Montreal with Ron Attwell for cash, June 14, 1967.
- Traded to Toronto by St. Louis for cash, March 25, 1968.
- Claimed by Vancouver from Toronto in Expansion Draft, June 10, 1970.
- Claimed by Atlanta from Vancouver in Expansion Draft, June 6, 1972.

the HHOF take on Pat:

As head coach of the Toronto Maple Leafs, Pat Quinn is best known among hockey fans today as one of the people responsible for bringing the team out of the doldrums and into NHL prominence in the late 1990s. But after several sometimes-controversial stops as a coach around the league, the much-traveled Quinn is also a veteran of the big league wars.

Quinn played for the OHA's Hamilton Tiger Cubs for two years and established an early reputation as a tough defenseman who wasn't afraid of a good fight. After that, he took a hockey scholarship at Michigan Tech but had to give it up after the NCAA banned players who had signed pro contracts from playing U.S. collegiate hockey. Quinn had signed his rights to the Detroit Red Wings, which made him ineligible. Instead, Quinn traveled to Alberta to play for the Edmonton Oil Kings, helping the team to a Memorial Cup.

At the end of his junior career, Quinn signed on with the Knoxville (Tennessee) Knights of the Eastern Hockey League and spent much of the next few years in the minors. In 1968 Toronto called up the long-time minor leaguer, where he played for two seasons. One of Quinn's best-known moments as a player was his crunching check of Bobby Orr as the Bruins were eliminating the Leafs in a four-game sweep in the 1969 playoffs. The two had engaged in a punch-up during the regular season, and many thought Quinn's controversial slam on Orr was payback for the earlier fracas. Although the Leafs said it was a clean hit, many in Boston wanted Quinn suspended for it and, to this day, die-hard Bruins fans contend that it was the Quinn elbow that contributed to Orr's decline and ultimate retirement.

After his time in Toronto, Vancouver in the 1970 Expansion Draft claimed Quinn. He played for the Canucks for two more seasons and in 1972-73 he went to the Atlanta Flames, where he was considered a cornerstone on the team's defensive corps until his retirement in 1977. As a player, Quinn's forte was never offense, he scored only 18 goals and got 113 assists in a total of 606 games but he nevertheless made an important contribution to the three teams he played for.

Fletcher wasn't the only one around the league who considered Quinn's experience a plus. In 1977 he joined the Philadelphia Flyers as an assistant coach under Fred Shero. Then coached the Maine Mariners of the American Hockey League for half a season before coming back to the Flyers as head coach and leading the team to two successful seasons in first and second place in the Campbell Conference. The Flyers recorded an NHL record 35 game winning streak under Quinn, who went on to sign a five-year contract with the team in 1981. But to the amazement of most Flyers fans, he was fired in just the second year of the deal. Quinn responded by enrolling in law school, continuing to draw his Flyers paycheck and keeping abreast of NHL activity by watching games on TV.

After being let go from the Flyers, Quinn wasn't finished with controversy in the coaching department. In 1987, back in the coaching game with the Los Angeles Kings, Quinn was suspended from the NHL for several months because he had accepted a $100,000 signing bonus to become president and general manager of the Vancouver Canucks while still under contract with L.A. The Canucks were also fined by league president John Ziegler for paying Quinn the bonus, as were the Kings for not reporting the deal promptly.

Nevertheless, Quinn coached 11 seasons in Vancouver, leading the team to a narrow loss to the New York Rangers in a seven-game Stanley Cup finals in 1994 before coming back to the Maple Leafs for the 1998-99 season. He quickly made his presence felt, telling fans and reporters he had definite plans for his new team, one that had been a little flat in the goal-scoring department in past years.

Quinn certainly became a big hit in his early days with the team he once played with, leading them to their first playoff appearance since 1996 and their third trip to the conference finals in the 1990s. Quinn also led the team to a club-record 45 wins. He finished the season as runner-up for the Jack Adams Award as the NHL's coach of the year and during the off-season was named general manager of the Leafs as well. A short time later, he was named coach of Canada's Olympic entry for Salt Lake City in 2002. Quinn would coach the Canadian National Men's Hockey Team to gold, ending the team's 50 year drough. Two years later he would return to coach Team Canada in the 2004 World Cup of Hockey, and once again the team would finish on top.

The international hockey success would end for Quinn when the Canadian National Men's Hockey Team was eliminated in the quarterfinals of the 2006 Winter Olympics in Torino. A few months later Quinn's Maple Leafs would fail to make the playoffs for the first time under this leadership, as a result Quinn was relieved of his duties as coach on April 20, 2006.

Quinn was named on December 1, 2006 as Canada's national men's team coach for the 2006 Spengler Cup, December 26th-31st in Davos, Switzerland

"Controversy" - that's an interesting euphemism....

[Timbo]

Love the fans reaching over the glass to get their own shots in.

[1967ers]

Originally Posted by Timbo

You should write a book. Great stuff, 67ers.

We'll call it "Cr@p I Half Remember", by 1967ers.