The Most Colorful Toronto Maple Leafs of All-Time
TORONTO, ON – MARCH 26: Brad Smith #29 of the Toronto Maple Leafs. (Photo by Graig Abel/Getty Images)
Brad “Motor City Smitty” Smith
Several Toronto Maple Leaf tough guys of yesteryear feature prominently on this list.
This is by no means a coincidence. The nature of their roles is inherently a source of amusement for those of us who have a penchant for hard hits, fisticuffs and good ole “old time hockey.”
1980s buds’ spark plug Brad Smith was not only tough-He was a consummate team player and on ice cheer leader.
His gung-ho attitude and his willingness to battle endeared him to teammates and the throngs who filled Maple Leaf Gardens.
Smith dropped the gloves and fought often as a Leaf and did so without the benefit of wearing a helmet. He was one of the last players in the league to forego a bonnet-a most valiant warrior, indeed.
Smith was a native of Windsor, Ontario, and spent most of his National Hockey League career across the river from his hometown with the Detroit Red Wing and their farm team, the Adirondack Red Wings, before spending two very memorable seasons in Toronto.
Time spent playing in Detroit earned Smith the nickname, “Motor City Smitty.” Although Smith’s time in Toronto was much shorter than others on this list, he warrants inclusion for how memorable his two years with the buds were.
Smith didn’t record many scoring points, but he is among the most determined and most spirited players to ever wear a Toronto Maple Leafs sweater. While he wasn’t a big offensive contributor, he scored some timely goals in the 1986 and 1987 playoffs.
Toronto Maple Leafs fans of the mid-1980s were starved for something to cheer about as the team had dropped to the lower rungs of the National Hockey League under the ownership of Harold Ballard.
Brad Smith provided a glimmer of hope during the 1987 Norris Division finals and became a Toronto fan favourite during a hard-fought six game series.
With Toronto leading the St. Louis Blues 3-2 in the series entering game six in Maple Leaf Gardens, the Maple Leafs had an opportunity to win a playoff series. This was no mean feat for a team that had finished the regular season 10 games below .500.
Early in the game, Smith scored a breakaway goal by deking around Blues goalie Craig Millen for what must have been the greatest goal that Smitty had ever scored in his pro career. The fans in Maple Leaf Gardens went crazy as Motor City had given them an early lead that they would not relinquish.
With a 4-0 lead and the clock ticking down, the gardens’ faithful were chanting for Smith who hadn’t played a shift for several minutes. During a stop in play, Smith skated out to hug goalie Ken Wregget and the gardens exploded in a rapturous ovation. I haven’t seen a Maple Leaf make a curtain call since.