JANUARY 1
LEAFS PLAY OUTDOOR GAME AT THE BIG HOUSE, 2014
It was the largest crowd to ever watch a hockey game. On January 1, 2014, the Maple Leafs took on the Detroit Red Wings as part of the NHL’s annual Winter Classic. Played at Michigan Stadium, fittingly known as “the Big House,” in Ann Arbor, Michigan, the game saw 105,491 fans brave frigid temperatures to take in the spectacle. The record crowd surpassed the previous mark of 104,173 spectators when Michigan University and Michigan State competed in the same stadium in 2010 in what was billed as “the Big Chill.”
Following a scoreless first period, the Leafs and Red Wings each scored goals in the final two frames to head to overtime knotted 2–2, but neither team could break the deadlock. Heading into the shootout, Maple Leafs goaltender Jonathan Bernier, who sported a toque over his helmet for the contest, had made 41 saves, a record for the most in an outdoor regular-season game. With snow falling during the shootout, Tyler Bozak played hero, scoring the clinching goal for Toronto.
JANUARY 2
LEAFS ACQUIRE DOUG GILMOUR, 1992
Doug Gilmour remembers learning he was being traded while sitting in his hotel room on the road, when he apparently heard Calgary Flames GM Doug Risebrough talking about it in the next room. It didn’t come as a surprise. Gilmour had been disgruntled and wanted his contract renegotiated. Following arbitration in November 1991, which left neither side satisfied, the writing was on the wall.
On January 2, 1992, two days after scoring a goal and assisting on the overtime winner in Calgary’s win over the Montreal Canadiens, Gilmour, along with Rick Wamsley, Jamie Macoun, Ric Nattress, and Kent Manderville, was traded to the Leafs for Gary Leeman, Michel Petit, Alexander Godynyuk, Craig Berube, and Jeff Reese. At the time, the 10-player deal was the biggest in NHL history. A day later, Gilmour made his debut for the Buds, scoring a goal and picking up an assist in a 6–4 loss in Detroit. Gilmour, who will be a recurring character throughout this book, would become one of the greatest players in Leafs history.
JANUARY 3
GUY LAFLEUR SCORES 545TH GOAL AGAINST THE MAPLE LEAFS, 1990
There are three guarantees in life. Death, taxes, and players reaching milestones against the Maple Leafs. It’s true. When something significant happens in the NHL, there’s a good chance it happened against Toronto. Sure, it was to be expected in a six-team league, but even after the circuit has more than quintupled in size, it seems as though the Leafs just can’t shake being on the wrong side of history.
Case in point: On January 3, 1990, Guy Lafleur, who was playing his first season with the Quebec Nordiques after the New York Rangers lured him out of retirement the year before, scored his 545th career goal against Toronto to move him past Maurice Richard and into eighth place on the NHL’s all-time goal-scoring list. Lafleur would score one more goal against the Maple Leafs the following season before hanging his skates up for good in 1991. While this may seem like a footnote in Maple Leafs history, it is part of the team’s fabric, and there will be other moments like this throughout the book.
JANUARY 4
B.RJE SALMING PLAYS 1,000TH GAME, 1988
It was a momentous occasion worthy of celebration. On January 4, 1988, Maple Leafs defenceman B.rje Salming became the first European-born and -trained player to appear in 1,000 career NHL games. Salming signed with Toronto in 1973 as part of an early wave of European players to join the league. A hard-nosed blueliner from Sweden, Salming was tough as nails and quickly dispelled the notion of the “chicken Swede” stereotype. But despite being just the fifth player in Maple Leafs history to reach the 1,000-game mark, Salming’s salute would have to wait.
At the time team owner Harold Ballard was out of the country and insisted that his player not be honoured until he returned. It wasn’t until nearly two months later, when the Maple Leafs hosted the St. Louis Blues on February 27, that the durable defenceman was officially recognized by the club. During the belated tribute at Maple Leaf Gardens, Salming was presented with a sparkling blue Chevy S-10 Blazer. Emblazoned on the doors were the Maple Leafs logo, Salming’s No. 21, and the number 1,000 to signify his accomplishment.
JANUARY 5
TREVOR MOORE SCORES FIRST NHL GOAL, 2019
Trevor Moore brought the Leafs crowd to its feet. During a game against the Vancouver Canucks on January 5, 2019, the Toronto rookie carried the puck out of the defensive zone and effortlessly made his way around Vancouver defenceman Derrick Pouliot to put a shot past goaltender Jacob Markstrom and score his first NHL goal. Moore, who went undrafted playing collegiate hockey for the University of Denver, signed with the Leafs organization in the summer of 2016. He spent the next two seasons playing for the Toronto Marlies of the American Hockey League, where he won a Calder Cup championship in 2018.
After starting the 2018–19 campaign with the Marlies, Moore was called up to the big club in December 2018, playing in 25 games down the stretch. He made the Leafs roster to start the following season, but on February 5, 2020, the native of Thousand Oaks, California, was traded, along with a third-round draft pick and a conditional selection, to his hometown Los Angeles Kings for goaltender Jack Campbell and Kyle Clifford.
JANUARY 6
LEAFS END 30-GAMEROAD WINLESS STREAK, 1983
The Maple Leafs had not exactly been road warriors. After defeating the Chicago Black Hawks at Chicago Stadium on January 31, 1982, they failed to record a victory in their next 30 games away from home, recording six ties and 24 losses in that span. It would take almost a full calendar year before they picked up another victory on the road. Finally, on January 6, 1983, taking on the Washington Capitals in Maryland, Toronto snapped the skid.
With the game tied 1–1 in the second period, Rick Vaive scored on the power play to give the Maple Leafs the lead. Jim Korn added another in the final frame to secure a 3–1 victory. Breaking their road ineffectiveness against the Capitals was rather fitting. In Washington’s inaugural season in 1974–75,
the team managed just one victory on the road. When the Caps finally won in an opposing rink, they celebrated by hoisting a garbage can and calling it “the Stanley Can” — after so much road futility, it felt like they had won a championship.
JANUARY 7
LEAFS CLAIM LARRY REGAN FROM BRUINS, 1959
Larry Regan finally got his shot at the NHL. After spending a decade playing the semi-professional circuit, Regan made his debut for the Boston Bruins in the 1956–57 season. The 27-year- old winger finished the campaign with 14 goals and 33 points in 69 games to earn the Calder Trophy as the league’s top rookie that year. At the time, Regan was the oldest player to win the award, a distinction he would hold until 31-year- old Sergei Makarov won it in 1989, which led to a rule change.
Following his first year with the Bruins, Regan spent another full season in Boston before he was claimed by the Maple Leafs on January 7, 1959. He would play two full seasons in Toronto before finishing his hockey career abroad in Europe, later returning to the NHL as a scout for the Los Angeles Kings. Not long into the 1968–69 season, Regan, who was the Kings’ GM at the time, was fined $1,000 by NHL president Clarence Campbell after he slugged referee Bruce Hood following a game against the California Seals.