What is the Greatest Season in Toronto Maple Leafs History?
By Kyle Cushman
5. 1947-48: 60 games, 77 points, .642 PTS%
The first of two Stanley Cup winning teams on this list, the 1947-48 Leafs rank ahead of the 2017-18 Leafs by the tiniest of margins.
The 1947-48 Maple Leafs were the best team in the NHL during their regular season, topping the Detroit Red Wings by five points and third place Boston by a whopping 18 points.
In the postseason, Toronto would only drop one game, defeating the Bruins in five and sweeping the Red Wings in the Cup final.
These Leafs were a defensive team, leading the league in goals against. As such, they didn’t have a point per game player, though Syl Apps came awfully close. In his final season, the Toronto captain posted 26 goals and 53 points in 55 games to finish eighth in league scoring.
In goal, Turk Broda had a spectacular season, winning the Vezina. Broda appeared in every game for the Leafs, posting a league-leading 2.38 goals-against average, 32 wins, and five shutouts. Despite the Leafs winning the regular season, Broda was their lone representative on the All-Star teams, making the first team.
Unlike the 2017-18 Maple Leafs, the 1947-48 Buds made a big splash on the trade front mid-season. Toronto made a massive trade with the Blackhawks, receiving future Hall of Famer Max Bentley from Chicago. The Leafs sent a collection of players the other way, including another future Hall of Famer in Bud Poile. The trade had massive implications for both teams as three of the top six scorers in the league were involved in this one trade.