#4. Turk Broda for $8,000
The Trade:
- Toronto Maple Leafs acquire: Turk Broda
- Detroit Red Wings acquire: $8,000
Back in 1936, $8K was a lot of money, but it was worth every penny to acquire one of the greatest goaltenders in Toronto Maple Leafs history.
The Detroit Red Wings were fine with giving up Broda, because they already had two goaltenders ahead of him and could afford trading him. Although they won the Stanley Cup one year after trading Broda, this is one of the worst deals in history.
When you think of the Toronto Maple Leafs, there are a handful of names that are synonymous with the franchise and Turk Broda is one of them. After arriving in Toronto, Broda would play 629 games, leading the team to five Stanley Cup championships and individually winning two Vezina Trophies.
For roughly 15 years, Broda was the starting goaltender for the Toronto Maple Leafs and they had a chance to win every game he was in the net for. That may be the best $8,000 that anyone has ever spent in professional sports history, because without Broda’s services, who knows how many championships the team actually would have own.