Remembering the Brains Behind the Toronto Maple Leafs Defense

Dubbed “the brains of our defense” by Toronto Maple Leafs legend George Armstrong, we remember Allan Stanley on his birthday.

The Toronto Maple Leafs have had many great players pass through the organization. In 1958 they traded for one of them, Allan Stanley. He is a member of the Hockey Hall of Fame and one of the best to ever play in blue and white.

Stanley shared a name with hockey’s greatest prize. It was a trophy he was able to capture and hoist four times in his career.

There’s more to the defenseman than his team success. Born March 1, 1926, we revisit the memory of Stanley who would have been 94 today.

His Early Days

94 years ago Bill, the fire chief of Timmins, Ontario and his wife Ann welcomed their newborn son, Allan Herbert Stanley.

There was no way to know then that he was destined for a 21-year career in hockey’s best league, the NHL. At the time, Bill’s brother Barney was making his career playing professional hockey with the Edmonton Eskimos in the  Western Canada Hockey League (WCHL). Barney became the first member of the family to be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame but he wouldn’t be the last.

With an uncle playing professional hockey, it’s not surprising that young Stanley would go on to a great career.

His success began in minor hockey when he was a part of a team that featured two other future NHLers, Pete Babando and Eric Prentice. Together they won two consecutive provincial championships starting in 1942-43. It was at this time that Stanley transitioned from a center iceman to a defenseman.

Given the nickname “Snowshoes” because of the way he skated, Stanley’s game was enjoyed by the general manager of the Boston Bruins, Art Ross. Ross brought him in to start his career in the Bruins organization.

Interestingly, he wouldn’t play for them at the NHL level until after he already spent seven years with the New York Rangers and two with the Chicago Blackhawks. While Stanley and Bobby Orr could have made the most dynamic defensive pairing in history, the Bruins traded Stanley to Toronto before that could become a reality.

On the Toronto Maple Leafs

On October 8, 1958 the Maple Leafs shipped Jim Morrison to Boston for Stanley. Toronto’s general manager at the time, Punch Imlach, was breathing life into players others believed had lost all value.

It turned out that Imlach’s gamble was a good one. He made a deal that worked out well for the team as Stanley became a fixture on their blueline next to the great Tim Horton.

Stanley and Horton became inseparable on the ice and off it. They would room and travel together and each helped the other elevate their level of play. That is why in 1960, Stanley, as a stay-at-home defenceman, would get his first All-Star Game nod. He was named to the second team. One year later Stanley would be recognized again with his second consecutive selection to the NHL Second All-Star Team.

As nice as those honours were, Stanley was still chasing a Stanley Cup victory. He had played in the finals multiple times with different teams, but couldn’t ultimately close the deal. Now with Imlach coaching, Stanley accomplished his dream of winning hockey’s biggest prize. He didn’t just win one, but like his coach, he captured four Cups with the Leafs.

Stanley continued to get recognized while playing with the Maple Leafs. In 1965 the team made him the J.P. Bickell Memorial Award recipient. The defenceman was given a replica trophy valued at $500 to demonstrate that he had performed extraordinarily well for the franchise. A year later Stanley received his final honour as a member of the team. He made the Second NHL All-Star Team for his third and final time.

Stanley’s time in Toronto ended when he was claimed in the 1968 reverse draft by the Philadelphia Flyers. He went to Philadelphia to play his final season and then decided to hang up his skates. Stanley retired at age 43.

In Retirement

Just like his uncle before him, Stanley made his way into the Hockey Hall of Fame. He was inducted in 1981 along with his Maple Leafs teammate Francis William (Frank) Mahovlich and Bruins teammate John Paul (Johnny) Bucyk. John G. Ashley, a referee, also entered the Hall with him that year.

Stanley’s incredible career ended with 1244 regular-season games played. In that time he scored 100 goals, had 333 assists for a total of 433 points. He also accumulated 792 penalty minutes. Playing at a time when there were fewer playoff rounds, Stanley still took to the ice for 109 postseason games. In them, he scored 7 goals, added 36 helpers and 80 penalty minutes.

In retirement, Stanley moved with his wife Barbara to the Bobcaygeon area. He spent his days as the owner and operator of Beehive Campground in the City of Kawartha, which has since changed its name to Eganridge Resort Country Club and Spa. He also remained involved with the game he loved through the hockey school he ran, Beehive Hockey School Complex for over 20-years.

On October 18 of 2013, Stanley passed away at Specialty Care Case Manor in Bobcaygeon. He was 87.

Happy birthday Snowshoes!