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1999-2000 The Last Time the Toronto Maple Leafs Won Their Division

By Andrew Kogut

TORONTO, ON - MAY 14 : Curtis Joseph of the Toronto Maple Leafs and his teammate, right wing Tie Domi #28, celebrate during game 7 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals of the NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs against the Ottawa Senators at Air Canada Centre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada on May 14, 2002. The Maple Leafs won 3-0. (Photo by Dave Sandford/Getty Images/NHLI)
TORONTO, ON - MAY 14 : Curtis Joseph of the Toronto Maple Leafs and his teammate, right wing Tie Domi #28, celebrate during game 7 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals of the NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs against the Ottawa Senators at Air Canada Centre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada on May 14, 2002. The Maple Leafs won 3-0. (Photo by Dave Sandford/Getty Images/NHLI) /
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TORONTO, ON – OCTOBER 20: Mats Sundin #13 of the Toronto Maple Leafs . (Photo by Graig Abel/Getty Images)
TORONTO, ON – OCTOBER 20: Mats Sundin #13 of the Toronto Maple Leafs . (Photo by Graig Abel/Getty Images) /

Other notable players on the 1999-2000 team

In February of 2000, Leaf coach and general manager Pat Quinn sent Mike Johnson, Marek Posmyk, two 5th-round picks and a 6th-rounder to the Tampa Bay Lightning for Darcy Tucker, a 4th-round pick and a 5th-rounder. Tucker suited up in 27 regular season games for the Leafs, piling up 7 goals and 17 points. He also scored four goals and had six points in 12 playoff contests, tying him for fourth on the team in playoff scoring.

Dmitri Khristich, in limbo after Boston refused to match his arbitration award, was acquired early in the season for a 2nd-round pick. After eclipsing 70 points the previous year, Khristich underperformed in Toronto, managing just 12 goals and 30 points in 53 games. His numbers dwindled even further in the playoffs where he totaled a lone goal and three points in 12 games.

Youth on Defense

The 99-00 Leafs also had a talented young blue-line. 21-year old Tomas Kaberle (40 points in 82 games, 6.4 PS), 23-year old Danny Markov (+13, 2.8 PS) and 22-year old Bryan Berard (30 points in 64 games, 5.1 PS) were already making an impact (Unfortunately, Berard suffered a season-ending eye injury against Ottawa that year and the Leafs lost a player with the potential to have been an all-time great).

Dmitry Yushkevich (4.5 point share), Cory Cross (3.8 point share) and Alexander Karpovtsev (3.7 point share) rounded out this very strong defensive group.

Veteran Depth

Like the current incarnation of the Toronto Maple Leafs, the 1999-2000 team also had some strong veteran leadership. Steve Thomas, at 36, finished second in regular season scoring and then led the team in playoff scoring with 9 points in 12 games. Garry Valk, 32, enjoyed a solid season.

So too, did the 30-year old Tie Domi played 70 games in the regular season and all 12 post season games, combining for more than 200 penalty minutes. Gerald Diduck, 34, had a 0.7 PS in only 26 regular season games and played 10 more in the playoffs.

And while Leaf favourite Wendel Clark (In his last season for the Leafs and in the NHL) didn’t exactly contribute much offensively (four points in 20 games, two in six playoff matches), it was an admirable end for a player who left it all on the ice and who was ultimately finished at age 33.

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