#6. Gary Roberts
There’s nothing better than seeing a hometown kid sign with Toronto and be successful, and that’s just what Roberts did.
Roberts wasn’t going to be the 50-goal scorer he once was in Calgary when he signed in Toronto, but his leadership and toughness was something that would make him so valuable.
The 2001-2002 season will most likely be the year that Leafs fans remember Roberts most for. Roberts had 21 goals in the regular season, which was fourth on the team, but it was his playoff performance that year that fans started to adore him for.
Robert’s Triple-OT winner in the 2002 Playoffs against Ottawa was one of the most famous goals in recent playoff history.
That goal was one of seven he would score in the 2002 Stanley Cup playoff-run, as he led the Leafs to the Eastern Conference Finals against his old team; the Carolina Hurricanes.
After an injury limited Mats Sundin to only eight games that playoff-run, Roberts became the leader on-and-off the ice and was the reason why the Leafs went so far, ultimately losing in the Eastern Conference Finals.
Roberts is one of the most beloved in Toronto Maple Leafs in team history.