The Toronto Maple Leafs have a rich history that includes numerous All-Stars, Stanley Cup winners and Hall-of-Fame players. There have been 852 players who have donned the Blue and White since their entry into the NHL in 1917, with dozens wearing the same jersey number over the years.
In this completely non-scientific exercise, we’ll take a look at who wore which number and vote on who was the best. Some decisions will be so apparent that voting will not be necessary, as in the case of #93(unless there is a sizeable faction that believes that Alexander Godynyuk had a better Leaf career than Doug Gilmour).
Honorable Mentions
Vincent Damphousse – The Leafs top pick in 1986, Damphousse scored 20 goals or more in four of his five seasons with Toronto before being sent to Edmonton in September 1991 in the deal for Hall-of-Famers Grant Fuhr and Glenn Anderson. He was the leading scorer for Montreal in their last Stanley Cup victory in 1993 and finished his career in San Jose with 432 career goals.
John Anderson–Toronto’s top pick in 1977, Anderson scored more than 30 goals four straight seasons(1982-1985) playing left wing on the Leafs top scoring line with gifted playmaker Billy Derlago and three-time 50 goal scorer Rick Vaive.
Finalists
Syl Apps(1936 – 1948)
Toronto Totals – GP - 423, G – 201, A – 231, Pts – 432, PIM - 56
Stanley Cup Championships – 3 (1942, 1947-48)
Calder Trophy – 1937
Lady Byng Trophy - 1942
First-Team NHL All-Star – 1939, 1942
Hockey Hall of Fame – Inducted 1961
Apps was a gifted athlete who played football, competed in the Berlin Olympic games in the pole vault and professional hockey. He signed with the Leafs in 1936, led the team in scoring with 45 points and the league with 29 assists as a 22-year-old rookie. In 1940, Apps was named the club’s captain and he led them to a championship in 1942 before a two-year absence to serve in the armed forces during World War II.
Known as a quiet leader and consummate gentleman, Apps led Toronto to two consecutive Cups before retiring in 1948. George “Chief… Armstrong (1949 – 1970)
Toronto Totals – GP – 1128, G – 296, A – 417, Pts – 713, PIM – 721
Stanley Cup Championships – 4 (1962-64, 1967)
Hockey Hall of Fame – Inducted 1975
The successor to Ted “Teeder… Kennedy as Leafs team captain, the hard-working, diligent Armstrong played 1187 games over his entire 20-year NHL career, the most in franchise history. Although not gifted offensively, “Chief… scored in double figures in 18 of his 20 seasons and scored the insurance goal in the clinching game of the Leafs final Stanley Cup victory in 1967.
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