The Maple Leafs have been in existence since 1917 and 825 players have played for Toronto in 94 years, which makes choosing the top five players at each position a daunting task. With that in mind, I enlisted a group of experts that includes a former Toronto Assistant GM, a noted author on the history of the club, a reporter who has followed the squad for 25 years, members of the Society of International Hockey Research and writers.
Each were asked to give their ratings on the top five players of all time at the five player positions, as well as the top five coaches and enforcers. Each player who was selected was assigned points for their placement; 1st place = 5 pts, 2nd place = 4 pts, 3rd place = 3 pts, 4th place = 2 pts, 5th place = 1 pt and then divided by the number of voters to come up with an average score.
Left wing had the most diverse list of selections; 12 players altogether. Here are the players who did not make the cut.
1970–78
Stats with Toronto
365 GP, 126 G, 119 A, 245 Pts, 70 PIM, Stanley Cups = 0, Average Score – 0.11
Thompson had a three year span (1975-77) scoring 20 goals or more, with a career best 43 goals in 1975-76. He was traded in March, 1978 to Detroit for hard nosed winger Dan Maloney.
1939-46
Stats with Toronto
244 GP, 109 G, 83 A, 192 Pts, 75 PIM, Stanley Cups = 0, Average Score – 0.11
Schriner won the Calder Trophy in 1934-35 and was a two time NHL First Team All-Star. After five seasons with the New York Americans, he was traded to Toronto in 1939 for five players. He was a key contributor to the greatest comeback in Stanley Cup Final history, scoring two goals in the deciding Game Seven as the Leafs overcame a 3-0 deficit to defeat the Detroit Red Wings.
2000-04
Stats With Toronto
237 GP, 83 G, 74 A, 157 Pts, 266 PIM, Stanley Cups = 0, Average Score – 0.22
Roberts was signed as a veteran free agent in 2000 and became the backbone of Pat Quinn’s Maple Leafs squad. His shining moment was the 2002 Playoffs, as he scored 19 points and led the Leafs without Mats Sundin past New York and Ottawa before losing to Carolina in the Eastern Conference Final.
1968-74
Stats With Toronto
408 GP, 162 G, 156 A, 318 Pts, 166 PIM, Stanley Cups = 0, Average Score – 0.22
The hero of the 1972 Summit Series was part of the massive deal in March, 1968 that sent Hall of Famer Frank Mahovlich to Detroit. A consistent pro, Henderson scored over 20 goals in five of his six seasons with the Leafs, before jumping to the WHA in 1974.
1946-55
Stats With Toronto
500 GP, 163 G, 122 A, 285 Pts, 111 PIM, Stanley Cups = 4, Average Score – 0.22
Watson was a fourteen year NHL veteran who was obtained from Detroit in 1946. He was integral part of one of the great Leaf dynasties, scoring over 20 goals four times and winning four Cups in five seasons between 1947-1951. He was inducted in the Hall of Fame in 1994.
1946-58
Stats With Toronto
601 GP, 186 G, 183 A, 369 Pts, 94 PIM, Stanley Cups = 3, Average Score – 0.33
Smith was a two time Lady Byng Trophy winner who played on three Toronto Cup winners in 1948, 1949 and 1951 and succeeded Ted “Teeder” Kennedy as Leafs team captain in 1955. From 1949 to 1955, he scored 20 goals or more every season, with a career best 33 goals in 1954-55.
1956-70
Stats With Toronto
947 GP, 251 G, 312 A, 563 Pts, 691 PIM, Stanley Cups = 4, Average Score – 0.88
Pulford played 14 seasons with the Blue and White and was part of Punch Imlach’s four Cup winners from 1962 to 1967. He scored 20 goals or more four times, but his strength was more as a premier checking forward. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1991.
Top Five
#5
1954-64
Stats With Toronto
582 GP, 174 G, 168 A, 342 Pts, 535 PIM, Stanley Cups = 2, Average Score – 1.33
Duff played 18 NHL seasons, the first nine of which were with the Leafs. He scored the Cup-winning goal in 1962 and won another championship in 1963, but was sent to New York as part of the 1964 blockbuster deal for Andy Bathgate. He scored double figures in goals for Toronto in every season except his last. After being obtained by Montreal in December 1964, he won four more Cups with the Habs between 1965-69. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2006.
#4
1936-42
Stats With Toronto
262 GP, 127 G, 117 A, 244 Pts, 42 PIM, Stanley Cups = 1, Average Score – 1.44
Drillon played only six seasons with the Leafs, but his scoring exploits earned him high rankings. He scored twenty goals or more four times and was known for having a deadly accurate shot and parking himself in front of the net to use his size advantage (6’0”, 186lb) to score in close. In 1938, he won the Lady Byng Trophy, led the NHL in scoring(the last Leaf to do so)and was selected the NHL First All-Star left winger. He was selected as an All-Star two more times and won his lone Stanley Cup as part of the 1942 comeback Leafs squad. After being traded to Montreal in 1942, Drillon played one more season before joining the Royal Canadian Air Force during the Second World War and did not return to the NHL after the war was over. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1975.
Tomorrow - The Top Three LW
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