With the recent captaincy change for the Toronto Maple Leafs from John Tavares to Auston Matthews, the organization has its first American-born captain. And it got me thinking about the history of all the players from all over the world who have played and are still playing for this team.
Today, I’ve put together a full 20-man lineup of the best Canadian players who have played or are still playing for the Maple Leafs, I hope you enjoy it.
Forwards:
| Frank Mahovlich | Darryl Sittler | Mitch Marner |
| Ron Ellis | Dave Keon | George Armstrong |
| Lanny McDonald | Doug Gilmour | Rick Vaive |
| Wendel Clark | Syl Apps | Ted Kennedy |
To kick things off, here is the forward group I’ve put together for Team Canada. There are a lot of great names here, so let’s dive into things beginning with the first line of Frank Mahovlich, Darryl Sittler, and Mitch Marner.
Mahovlich – Sittler – Marner
Frank Mahovlich is one of two true left-wingers on this team. He opens up on a line with another Maple Leafs legend in Darryl Sittler, and another on the path to becoming a legend, pending his future here in Toronto, in Mitch Marner.
Mahovlich spent the first 11 and a half seasons of his NHL career with the Maple Leafs after debuting with them during the 1957-58 season, the same year he took home the NHL’s Calder Trophy for the best rookie after finishing the season with 20 goals and 36 points in 67 games.
However, the Calder Trophy isn’t the only hardware and accolade Mahovlich has his name tied to. As a member of the Toronto organization, the Timmins native was a part of four Stanley Cup-winning teams (1962, 1963, 1964 and 1967), was named an all-star nine times and was named to the NHL’s first and second All-Star Teams on numerous occasions. His 597 career points in 720 games in the blue and white rank him inside the top 10 at number 9, just behind his linemate, Mitch Marner.
Mr. 10-point night, Darryl Sittler, is arguably the greatest Maple Leaf of all time, depending on who you ask. But for the sake of this article, we won’t get into who is better than who, we’ll only discuss his greatness with this team over his 12-year career in Toronto. Sittler was the Maple Leafs’ 1st round selection in the 1970 NHL draft and went on to be the second-highest point scorer from that class.
Throughout his time in Toronto, Sittler played in 844 games, which ranks ninth all-time, and scored 389 goals to go along with 527 assists for 916 points, all ranking him inside the top three among players to have played for this team. Despite a successful run with Toronto, the Kitchener native was only named an all-star once and finished as a Hart finalist during the 1977-78 season when he recorded 117 points, the second most in a single season in Maple Leafs history.
The last player on this impressive first line is current Maple Leafs winger, Mitch Marner. At just 27 years old, Marner is already among the greatest Maple Leafs ever, despite the love-hate relationship with some of this fan base. He doesn’t own any hardware but has been named an all-star three times in his first eight years in the league and owns the longest point streak in Maple Leafs history (23 games).
In 576 games thus far, the Markham native sees himself inside the top five in assists (445) and top 10 in points (639) and has a realistic shot – along with American Auston Matthews and fellow Swedish-Canadian William Nylander – to be at the top of a lot of lists in a handful of years, pending his contract situation.
Ellis – Keon – Armstrong
The trio that will form the second line are all legends of this storied franchise, with Ron Ellis on the left wing beside Dave Keon in the middle and George Armstrong on the right.
Ron Ellis played his entire 16-year, 1034-game career with the Maple Leafs between 1963-64 and 1980-81, winning one Stanley Cup with the franchise in 1967 and being named an all-star four times. His 1000-plus total games with the organization ranks him fifth on the all-time list and his 332 goals, which Auston Matthews just passed him this season.
The man in the middle on this line is none other than Dave Keon, and boy, was he a special player for Toronto. Just like Ellis, Keon spent 15-plus years in the city, playing in over 1000 games and being one of the greatest offensive players in the franchise’s history. The Noranda, Quebec native was very decorative throughout his time here, winning four Stanley Cups (1962, 1963, 1964 and 1967) the 1961 Calder trophy, the 1962 and 1963 Lady Byng Trophy, the 1967 Conn Smythe Trophy, and was named an all-star in 1962. His 365 goals and 858 points with Toronto rank him third in each category.
Lastly, George Armstrong closes out this line of old-time Maple Leaf legends, and the talent doesn’t stop with him. Playing his entire 21-year NHL career with Toronto, Armstrong holds the franchise record for games played with 1188 and has cemented himself inside the top 10 in goals (296), assists (417) and points (713) among all-time skaters. He may not have been an over-a-point-per-game player like some others I’ve listed so far or won any individual hardware, but his longevity throughout the years not only helped him win four Stanley Cups with the Maple Leafs but is known as one of the greatest Maple Leafs of all time.
McDonald – Gilmour – Vaive
The bottom six can easily be the top six, that’s how deep this all-time Canadian team is. To get us started on the third line, we have Lanny McDonald. Although Lanny’s time in Toronto wasn’t as long as some other legends, he was still a threat offensively for this team, earning himself an all-star nod in 1976-77. In 477 games with Toronto, the Hanna native scored 219 goals and added 240 assists for 459 points, ranking him just outside the top 10 in points per game with 0.962. Unfortunately, he didn’t win any hardware with the Maple Leafs and ended up winning the Stanley Cup, Bill Masterton Trophy and King Clancy Trophy with the Calgary Flames in the mid and late 1980s.
Like McDonald, Doug Gilmour’s time in Toronto wasn’t very long compared to others, but it was special. After coming over to the Maple Leafs during the 1991-92 season in a trade from the Calgary Flames, Gilmour quickly established himself as one of the best offensive players. During his 7-year career with the blue and white, Gilmour recorded 452 points – 131 goals and 321 assists – in 393 games, including two 100-plus point seasons (127 in 1992-93 and 111 in 1993-94) and earning himself the Selke Trophy in 1993.
To cap off this third line, we need a pure goal scorer, and that’s where Rick Vaive comes in. Originally drafted by the Vancouver Canucks fifth overall in the 1979 NHL draft, he was sent to the Maple Leafs less than a year later for a package that included Dave “Tiger” Williams, and it’s safe to say this trade worked out very well for the team from Ontario.
Over an eight-year run with Toronto, Vaive skated in 534 games, scoring 299 goals and recording 537 points, quickly becoming one of the greatest goal-scorers this franchise has ever seen. He may rank sixth on the franchise’s all-time goals list, but his 299 goals in just 534 games give him a goals-per-game of 0.560, third all-time only behind Charlie Conacher (0.610) and Auston Matthews (0.655). Vaive didn’t win any awards with the Maple Leafs and was not named an all-star at any time, but still is regarded as one of the best goal-scorers in Maple Leafs’ history.
Clark – Apps – Kennedy
To close out the forward group, we have a fourth line that consists of Wendel Clark, Syl Apps and Tedd Kennedy, three players from three different eras.
Let’s start with Wendel Clark. Clark, who had three different stints with the Toronto Maple Leafs, spent 13 of his 15-year NHL career in Toronto and quickly became a fan favourite for his style of play. In 608 games for the organization, the Saskatchewan native recorded 260 goals and 181 assists for 441 points. Clark never won any individual award with Toronto or was named an all-star, but that doesn’t take away from the fact that he’s one of the most beloved players to wear the Maple Leaf, and for me, deserved to make this all-time Canadian player team.
Up the middle is Syl Apps. The former 10-year NHL player played all 423 games with the Maple Leafs between 1936-37 and 1947-48, winning the 1937 Calder Trophy along with the 1942 Lady Byng Trophy and three Stanley Cups in 1942, 1947 and 1948. Apps didn’t play for a long time, but similar to Dave Keon, he knew how to score. Throughout his 423 games, he managed to score 201 goals and had a total of 432 points, currently holding a spot inside the top 25 in points among all-time skaters for the Maple Leafs.
On the right is Ted Kennedy, who is just one of two players to win five Stanley Cups with the Toronto Maple Leafs (1945, 1947, 1948, 1949 and 1951). Kennedy had a successful run with Toronto in the 1940s and 1950s, not only winning five Cups but also being named an all-star on three separate occasions and taking home the 1955 Hart Trophy for the MVP of the league, scoring 10 goals and 52 points in 70 games. Yeah, it was a very different era back then.
The Humberstone native was the second Maple Leaf to ever win the Hart Trophy, joining Babe Pratt who won it in 1944. But with that aside, his goal and point totals, despite playing just 696 games over 14 seasons, put him just outside the top 10 in that category, but his 330 career assists have him 10th all-time with current Maple Leaf William Nylander just 20 assists shy of passing him.
Defence:
| Morgan Rielly | Tim Horton |
| Bryan McCabe | Ian Turnbull |
| Todd Gill | Jim McKenny |
Defence has seemed to be an issue for the Maple Leafs, dating back years. But they’ve had some great players over the years from all over the world that have played here, including these six players who I think complete the best top-six Canadian defenders who’ve played for the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Rielly – Horton
Two of the five best defencemen to ever wear the Maple Leaf come from Canada, and they will be on the first pairing together in this all-time Canadian lineup I’ve put together.
Morgan Rielly, originally drafted by the Maple Leafs fifth overall in the 2012 NHL draft, is currently the longest-tenured Maple Leaf and already ranks third among defencemen in points with 472, only behind Tomas Kaberle (520) and Borje Salming (768). For someone who has been around for over a decade, has played almost 800 games and registered close to 500 points, Rielly isn’t as decorated as some other blue-liners who have played here. His first and only all-star appearance came last season here in Toronto during a year where he put up 58 points in 72 games – the third-highest total in his career – and has yet to take home any hardware.
Since debuting in the 2013-14 season, only 10 defencemen have more points than Rielly, and since his career-best 72-point effort during the 2018-19 campaign, only eight have more points than the Vancouver native (Josi, Hedman, Carlson, Makar, Hughes, Burns, Fox and Letang).
His partner, Tim Horton, played two decades in the blue and white, suiting up for 1184 games and registering 458 points while being a part of four Stanley Cup wins in 1962, 1963, 1964 and 1967. To go along with his four rings, Horton was a 6x all-star and finished top five in Norris trophy voting six times in a seven-year window, with his best finish second place in 1969, losing out to 20-year-old Bobby Orr who scored 64 points in just his third season.
McCabe – Turnbull
The first defenceman on this second pairing is Bryan McCabe. Bounced around on three teams in his first five years, McCabe found a home in Toronto with the Maple Leafs ahead of the 2000-01 season, going on to play the next six years with the club. McCabe, originally drafted in the 2nd round by the Islanders, played 523 games with the Maple Leafs organization, scoring 83 goals and adding 214 assists for 297 points, ranking seventh among all defencemen to play for the team.
Similar to Rielly, McCabe isn’t as decorated as other blueliners. Throughout his seven-year tenure with Toronto, McCabe was never named an all-star and didn’t win any hardware. Although he finished top 10 in Norris voting in back-to-back years after recording 53 points in 2003-04 and 68 points in 2005-06.
The fourth defenceman in this lineup, similar to Horton, is a throwback that goes back to the 1970s and part of the 1980s. Ian Turnbull, drafted in the 1st round by Toronto in 1973, went on to play nine years with the club (580 games), recording 414 points, which ranks fifth among all-time Maple Leafs defencemen.
During his nine years here in the city, Turnbull earned just one all-star selection which came during the 1976-77 season when the Montreal native recorded a career-high 79 points in 80 games, which was the third most among all defencemen that season, only trailing Denis Potvin (80 points) and Larry Robinson (85 points).
Gill – McKenny
To round out the defensive group, I’ve selected Todd Gill and Jim McKenny as the bottom pairing. Todd Gill was selected by Toronto in the 2nd round of the 1984 draft and played the first 12 years of his 19-year NHL career with the Maple Leafs. His 269 points rank eighth among defencemen to have played for Toronto and among Canadians, rank sixth.
His partner, Jim McKenny, was a 3rd round selection of the Maple Leafs back in 1963 and went on to play 594 of his 604 career NHL games with the Maple Leafs between the 1965-66 season and 1977-78 season, where he scored 81 goals and added 246 assists for 327 points.
During a three-year window in the mid-1970s, McKenny recorded three 40-point seasons with his career-high of 52 points during the 1972-73 campaign.
Goalies:
| Johnny Bower | Turk Broda |
Bower – Broda
Without a doubt, Johnny Bower and Turk Broda are not only two of the best Canadian-born goalies to play for the Toronto Maple Leafs, but they are two of the best to ever play for the organization, and it’s not even close.
Johnny Bower, originally debuting with the New York Rangers during the 1953-54 season, made his way to Toronto ahead of the 1958-59 season after being selected by them in the 1958 Inter-League draft and went on to play the next 12 years with the Maple Leafs, playing in over 470 games and winning over 200 of them. The Prince Albert native was a 1x all-star, 2x Vezina winner (1961 and 1965), and a 4x Stanley Cup winner with Toronto (1962, 1963, 1964 and 1967).
Bower is only second to Turk Broda in games played and wins all-time among goalies who played for Toronto. And speaking of Broda, his resume with the Maple Leafs is even better. Playing his entire career with the Maple Leafs, Broda debuted with the team back during the 1936-37 season and played 14 years with the organization, winning Lord Stanley five times (1942, 1947, 1948, 1949 and 1951), winning the Vezina trophy twice (1941 and 1948), was named an all-star three times, and as mentioned above, is first in games played (629), wins (304) and shutouts (61) all-time among goalies who have played for the Maple Leafs.
(Stats from Quanthockey.com)
