poll: most memorable moment in maple leaf history post 1967

[yave1964]

I am doing one of these for every club, i dont see a point in going back to the ends of time, so i am going to the first expansion after the 66-67 season (the last time the Leafs won a cup) and the Leafs are the team that takes the biggest hit of any club by doing so. Ran into the ground by our Pal Hal Ballard, the team has been lost in the wilderness for nearly five decades but still has a rabid fan base, no disrespect to any other club, but arguably the most rabid fans in the game. Anyway, here are my greatest moments in Leaf history post expansion. Happy Voting!!

DARRYL SITTLER TEN POINT GAME

Against the Big Bad Bruins on February 7th 1976 Sittler went crazy, he scored six goals and had four assists for  total of ten points a record which still stands for a single game. The Hall of Famer toiled under Ballard and their contract disputes were legendary. Sittler was a great, and on that night he was the best scorer in one game of all time.

 

1992-93, DOUG GILMOUR NEARLY LEADS THE LEAFS TO THE CUP

 Enough can not be said about the 92-93 season that Gilmour put up. He scored 127 points including a team record 95 assists as he revitalized the club, and then in the post season he took the team upon his shoulders and carried them to the conference finals against the Gretzky led Kings. Gilmour scored an amazing 35 points (a team record) in the post season as they pushed the Kings to seven games in the conference finals. In fact, Kerry Fraser blew a call on Gretzky in game six after the great one caught Gilmour on the chin with his stick and Gilmour needed 8 stitches. Fraser didn't call a penalty and seconds later Gretzky scored the game winner. Overall, this was one of the all time great post seasons as Gilmour came within a non call by Fraser of probably leading his team to the Cup finals.

 Gilmour led them back to the conference finals the following year in which he was brilliant again.

 

2001-02 LEAFS LOSE IN CONFERENCE FINALS AGAINST HURRICANES

 

The best team of Mats Sundin, the 01-02 Leafs went 43-25-10-4 for 100 points and defeated the Islanders and then the hated Senators before bowing out in six games to the Carolina Hurricanes. The team was led by Sundin (41-39-80) and was a fun team with colorful characters such as Scary Gary Roberts, Darcy Tucker had a career year, Kaberle and McCabe ruled the blue line, and Curtis Joseph had arguably his finest season.

 

LEAFS OWN I MEAN ABSOLUTELY OWN THE SENATORS IN THE POST SEASON YEAR AFTER YEAR

 Okay, so they haven't won an cup since Lyndon Johnson was in office and since before Trudeau was in office in Canada, but the Leafs simply own the hated Ontario rival Senators in the post season. The Senators were loaded with talent a decade ago and kept facing the Leafs in the postseason. The Leafs sent them to the golf course early regularly.

in 99-00 they defeated the favored Senators 4 games to 2 in the first round.

In 00-01 the swept the favored Senators 4 games to zero in the first round.

In 01-02 they defeated the Senators in a tough seven games series in the second round 4 games to 3.

in 03-04 they defeated the Senators 4 games to 3 in the first round.

 

So in the battle of Ontario, the Leafs sent the loaded and favored Senators home packing early 4 times in 5 years. They are the single biggest reason the Senators never won a cup with the great teams they had from a decade ago.

 

1998-99 TEAM LED BY THE MIGHTY QUINN MAKES CONFERENCE FINALS

 Pat Quinn replaced legendary Pat Burns and led the team to the conference finals in 1998-99 defeating the Flyers and Penguins before bowing out in 5 games to the Hasek led Sabre club. The Leafs again were led by Sundin and Cujo and this time surrounded by a bunch of vagabonds, guys playing out the string mostly who came together for one very deep playoff run. Look the roster over sometime for fun, they had no business in the conference finals, this was an amzing coaching job by Pat Quinn getting the most mileage out of retreads possible before running into the Dominator.

 

 

 

 

[yave1964]

No offense to Killer, Gilmour was an absolute stud with the Leafs who took the team upon his back and damn near carried them to the Cup finals not once but twice, but Sittler scoring ten points in a game gets my vote. Doing it against the hated Bruins gets extra brownie points. If memory serves it was some poor rookie in n net but it does not matter, not even Wayne or Mario has ever done this.

[J0e Th0rnton]

No offense to Killer, Gilmour was an absolute stud with the Leafs who took the team upon his back and damn near carried them to the Cup finals not once but twice, but Sittler scoring ten points in a game gets my vote. Doing it against the hated Bruins gets extra brownie points. If memory serves it was some poor rookie in n net but it does not matter, not even Wayne or Mario has ever done this.

Yeah, 10 points in a game is UNREAL.

 

But yeah, going only by what I saw, that team of Killer, Wendel Clark, Felix Potvin, etc was awesome at the time.

 

Granted, the most memorable moment for me was Potvin vs Hextall. I thought the kid was going to get killed. I was amazed he managed to fight Crazy so well.

[jammer2]

  Sittler gets my vote, although the whole Gretzky missed call is quite historic. Getting 10 pts in one game, I don't think that ever gets broke. If my memory serves me correctly, Sittler actually hit a few posts in that game also. It could have easily been a 12 or 13 point game. Just one of those nights when everything he touched turned to gold.

[flyercanuck]

As a fan of hockey, Sittlers 10 points is huge. 

 

But if you ask any Leaf fan that I've actually had the discussion with over the last few decades, it's Dougie and the magical run, ruined by that rat-bastard Gretzky and Lucifers evil henchman, Kerry Fraser.

[OccamsRazor]

In fact, Kerry Fraser blew a call on Gretzky in game six after the great one caught Gilmour on the chin with his stick and Gilmour needed 8 stitches

 

This?????????????

 

 

But it was the great one...............and it was the Leafs.

[hf101]

Game 6 of the 2002 Eastern Conference Finals Matts Sundin ties the game with 21.8 seconds sending the Leafs into OT.  The winner of this game was would play a game 7 the loser hits the golf courses.  

 

[hf101]

And this is one moment I remember.  

 

[Commander Clueless]

The day Aki Berg retired.

 

 

 

Sittler's 10 pointer is pure legend, and likely the best answer here. For me personally, though, it'd have to be 2001-2002. I was too young to fully appreciate Killer and co.'s run in 93, but I do remember the excitement. 2001-2002, though, that was the Leaf team I last remember being actually good. That was probably the last time I had hope, and, consequently, right before my sanity left me.

 

And then came the lockout, followed by nearly a decade of sadness, despair, and countless opportunities for hilarious self-depreciating jokes. So I guess it's not all bad.

 

 

While not a consideration for this list, the last time I felt any real pride around the Maple Leafs was Mats Sundin's 500th goal. It was a man short and a hat trick goal in an utterly meaningless game, but the feels man. The feels.

[jammer2]

@Commander Clueless  I like to consider myself well versed on the Leafs, especially on the history front. When talking about recent history, the OT goal by Nickoli Borechevsky was certainly a highlight. That goal allowed them to knock out the favoured Wings, back when there was some true animosity between the two clubs. I'd love to see that hatred rekindled, it would be good for hockey, I miss it as a fan of the sport.

[yave1964]

@Commander Clueless  I like to consider myself well versed on the Leafs, especially on the history front. When talking about recent history, the OT goal by Nickoli Borechevsky was certainly a highlight. That goal allowed them to knock out the favoured Wings, back when there was some true animosity between the two clubs. I'd love to see that hatred rekindled, it would be good for hockey, I miss it as a fan of the sport.

Agreed. As a Wings fan coming back East, I am looking forward to a good old fashioned hate. I would love nothing better than to see the Wings and Leafs especially, as original six clubs rekindle their long time rivalry.Of course a rivalry is only as good as the teams, as both are steeped in mediocrity today it has a long way to go.

[flyercanuck]

@yave1964

 

 If you want a rivalry with the Leafs, you'll have to bring back....The Dead Things!

[yave1964]

@yave1964

 

 If you want a rivalry with the Leafs, you'll have to bring back....The Dead Things!

The apathy of Ken Holland is living proof that he is doing his absolute best to bring them back

[Commander Clueless]

Agreed. As a Wings fan coming back East, I am looking forward to a good old fashioned hate. I would love nothing better than to see the Wings and Leafs especially, as original six clubs rekindle their long time rivalry.Of course a rivalry is only as good as the teams, as both are steeped in mediocrity today it has a long way to go.

 

Mediocrity? I wish.

 

The Leafs have been in the bottom ten for what, 6 years now minus the short season?

 

That's not mediocre. That's straight up bad.

[flyercanuck]

@Commander Clueless

 

 Come on Commander...there was that ONE playoff aberration. 

[Commander Clueless]

@Commander Clueless

 

 Come on Commander...there was that ONE playoff aberration. 

 

You had that dream too?? Whoa!

 

 

 

I'm still pretty sure that was all in my head. It was a great dream until it turned into a nightmare.

 

I was so happy that Leafs were in the playoffs I told myself I didn't care how they did. And then they made that huge comeback. And then they blew it.

 

Just goes to show I don't know anything about my own emotions. I forgot they were even there. 

[flyercanuck]

@Commander Clueless

 

If you want to enjoy that emotional rollercoaster on a yearly basis you should become a Flyer fan. There's almost always the playoffs, and plenty of uplifting moments that will make you proud...followed by a guaranteed total letdown.

[Samifan]

If you want to enjoy that emotional rollercoaster on a yearly basis you should become a Flyer fan. There's almost always the playoffs, and plenty of uplifting moments that will make you proud...followed by a guaranteed total letdown.

 

nice

[ruxpin]

Need A Lexus?

[blocker]

If memory serves it was some poor rookie in n net but it does not matter, not even Wayne or Mario has ever done this.

 

It was Dave Reese.  From UVM. 

 

That game did two things.  Killed Dave's chances for an NHL gig, and spawned a bad joke.

 

The joke was that after the game, Dave stood on the railroad tracks attempting suicide.  But, the train went between his legs. 

[yave1964]

It was Dave Reese.  From UVM. 

 

That game did two things.  Killed Dave's chances for an NHL gig, and spawned a bad joke.

 

The joke was that after the game, Dave stood on the railroad tracks attempting suicide.  But, the train went between his legs. 

Now That's funny. Thanks Blocker

[jammer2]

@blocker  LMAO, he was called Reese's Piece's after that total destruction. Not sure if it caught on past my group of buddies, but that was all we used to call the kid. You could usually count on him to be stinky. Juri Crha was better than him, which is not saying much.

[OccamsRazor]

How about this one....................Felix....uh oh!!!!!!!

 

 

 

finals here they come!

[OccamsRazor]

Man this was ugly.......

 

https://encrypted-tbn3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRK4pIkyByJ1GUii1pQ7uH8KjCmJh_Z25e_mLYeTmSmQJt2K_Qj

 

http://www.thestar.com/content/dam/thestar/sports/hockey/2007/10/27/hockey_horror_picture_show/borje_salming_recovers_from_cut_to_theface.jpeg.size.xxlarge.letterbox.jpeg

[flyercanuck]

@OccamsRazor

 

 I ran into Salming several times when I lived in Toronto. We lived in the same neighborhood. Really nice guy and he'd stand there and talk for as long as you wanted.