The Time the Toronto Maple Leafs Had Their Own Theme Song

Weird Toronto Maple Leafs history from the 1992-93 season.

Ask any Toronto Maple Leafs fan about the ’92-93 season and no doubt they’ll remember Doug Gilmour’s franchise record 127 points, Wendel Clark’s legendary battle with Marty McSorley, and of course, the high stick seen by everyone in the world except Kelly Fraser.

But there’s one thing that not many fans talk about, or even remember, from that magical season, devastating end and all.

The Toronto Maple Leafs had their own theme song. And for as cringe-inducing as that sounds… it’s actually, kind of catchy?

There’s a lot to unpack here, so let’s dive in.

Toronto Maple Leafs Theme Song

The first question you may have is “who created this, and why?” The answer is simple if not surprising. The song was co-written by 6-time Stanley Cup champion and member of the Leafs at the time, Glenn Anderson, who considered himself a bit of a songwriter.

Toronto-based performers/songwriters Richard Samuels, Ninette Terhart and Allan Greenspoon helped craft the would-be chart-topper into a full musical affair.

Anderson enlisted the entire team’s help in filming the music video, coach Pat Burns called all of the players in to Maple Leaf Gardens on a day off to film it on the ice. They even enlisted comedian and Leafs superfan, Mike Meyers, to cameo.

Doug Gilmour loved every minute of it, he showed up looking like someone who belonged in a biker gang, leather jacket, ripped jeans and he even rode his Harley right onto the ice and did a few laps, who said NHL players don’t have any personality? The Killer had it in spades.

On the most recent episode of the Toronto Maple Leafs official podcast, Leafs Forever, captain Wendel Clark, who was as enthusiastic as any about helping out his teammates, made the following comments on the song and the video filming day:

“I was on the outskirts, I got no rhythm or nothing, I was just barely there [laughs], I didn’t want to be a visual in this… what was goin’ on, I wasn’t that type of guy but it was a lotta fun and it all worked out. The guys had fun with it, Glenn had a great time doing it.”

The captain further elaborated that to him and most of the others, while creating the anthem was fun, it was mostly about supporting their teammate and his passions.

“When you play a team sport, you got 22-24 guys on the team, and for the team to play well, you have to understand what everybody brings to the table, ‘cuz you need it, you know? It’d be pretty boring if everybody had the same personality, and the team thrived under the different personalities and everybody having their own vibe.”

The song even had a sequel of sorts, a follow-up reprise was written and recorded by the same group, and once again, the full team helped in recording a video for it. The song was dubbed “The Playoffs Are Here” it is unfortunately nowhere near as catchy as the original, despite being basically the same song with different lyrics.

Should the modern Leafs re-adopt this song and play it at home as their win song? They’ve already shown an affinity towards using classic hits in the form of Maxine Nightingale’s “Right Back Where We Started From” and “You Make My Dreams” by Hall and Oates.

For my two cents’ worth, I think it’d be a fun nod towards the past of the team if they were to bring it back in an official capacity. “The Leafs Are The Best” is a part of team history and hopefully, it will be a phrase that rings true very soon.