Top 10 Toronto Maple Leafs Legends of the 1990’s

The Toronto Maple Leafs featured some of the franchises greatest talent during the 1990’s.  Many Leafs alumni from the decade have since been inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame.

Three Toronto Maple Leafs Legends from the ’90’s have gone on to have their jersey numbers retired by the team and a couple even have statues on Legends Row in Toronto.

The 1990’s had some ups and downs for the Toronto Maple Leafs.  Though they didn’t win a Stanley Cup during the decade, they made it to the Conference Finals three times.  They also failed to make the playoffs four times.

Overall, it was a great time to be a Leafs fan in the 90’s and to commemorate those good times, here’s a list of the Top 10 Toronto Maple Leafs Legends of the 1990’s.

Top 10 Toronto Maple Leafs Legends of the 1990’s

In making this list, I used mainly NHL awards voting and stats to compare each player with how they ranked against other players in the NHL during each season.  I didn’t compare single season totals because some seasons featured more goal scoring than others.

I also didn’t compare accumulative stat totals through the decade since that would benefit lesser players who player more seasons with team.  Instead the rankings are based mostly on each player’s best seasons with the Toronto Maple Leafs.

I included numbers from players playing from the 1989-90 season to the 1999-2000 season even though some of those seasons weren’t played entirely in the 1990’s.  I figured it would just be more players to work with.  Let’s be inclusive.  The more the merrier. (Stats from HockeyReference.com)

Let’s start with some honourable mentions:

Todd Gill – Toronto Maple Leafs Defenseman 1985-1996

Todd Gill was drafted by the Toronto Maple Leafs in the 2nd round (25th overall) in the 1984 NHL Entry Draft.

Gill played 12 seasons with the Toronto Maple Leafs.  Though he began his NHL career with the Leafs in the 1980’s, his best seasons with the team were during the 1990’s.

Known as a solid two-way defenseman, Todd Gill led Toronto Maple Leafs defensemen in goals and points during the 1992-93 and 1994-95 seasons.  His Maple Leafs career totals rank him in the top 10 for goals, assists and points among defensemen in Leafs history.

Achievements with the Toronto Maple Leafs in the 1990’s

#84 on Top 100 Toronto Maple Leafs
10th Most NHL Points by a Defenseman 1994-95
Led Toronto Maple Leafs Defensemen in Goals and Points 1992-93
Led Toronto Maple Leafs Defensemen in Goals and Points 1994-95
8th Most Career Assists by a Defenseman in Toronto Maple Leafs History (210)
8th Most Career Points by a Defenseman in Toronto Maple Leafs History (269)
10th Most Career Goals by a Defenseman in Toronto Maple Leafs History (59)

Dave Ellett – Toronto Maple Leafs Defenseman 1990-1997

Dave Ellett was acquired by the Toronto Maple Leafs on November 10, 1990 from the Winnipeg Jets with Paul Fenton for Ed Olczyk and Mark Osborne.

Ellett would go on to play seven seasons with the Toronto Maple Leafs becoming the offensive backbone of the Leafs blueline leading the team’s defensemen in points three times.

Dave Ellett also holds the Toronto Maple Leafs franchise record for the most single season playoff points by a defenseman after recording 18 points in 18 games to help the Leafs to the Conference Finals during the 1994 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Achievements with the Toronto Maple Leafs in the 1990’s

#86 on Top 100 Toronto Maple Leafs
1992 NHL All-Star Game
9th Most NHL Goals by a Defenseman 1991-92
Led Toronto Maple Leafs Defensemen in Goals 1991-92
Led Toronto Maple Leafs Defensemen in Points three times 1990-91, 1991-92, 1993-94
Most Single Season Playoff Points by a Defenseman in Toronto Maple Leafs History 1994 (18)
9th Most Single Season Goals by a Defenseman in Toronto Maple Leafs History 1991-92 (18)

Gary Leeman – Toronto Maple Leafs Right-Winger 1983-1992

The Toronto Maple Leafs drafted Gary Leeman in the 2nd round (24th overall) in the 1982 NHL Entry Draft.

Gary Leeman was known for his speed, grit and goal scoring ability and would play nine seasons with the Toronto Maple Leafs.  Though most of his seasons with the Leafs were during the 1980’s, his best season by far was the 1989-90 season.

During the 1989-90 season, Gary Leeman would lead the Toronto Maple Leafs with 51 goals and 95 points in 80 games.  That’s the fourth most goals and ninth most points scorer by a member of the Toronto Maple Leafs in franchise history.

Fun Story: When I was seven or eight years old, my grandma worked at a bank in Toronto and Gary Leeman was one of her clients.  He gave her an autographed photo and she gave it to me.  I didn’t really know who he was, but it was my very first autograph and I kept it in a frame in my room.

The autograph was made out to my grandma though, which was kind of weird, but when my grandma saw him again, she told him that she gave the photo to me, so he gave her another autographed photo made out to me and I gave her the other photo back.

Achievements with the Toronto Maple Leafs in the 1990’s

#53 on Top 100 Toronto Maple Leafs
4th in NHL All-Star Team voting 1990
7th Most NHL Goals 1989-90
Led Toronto Maple Leafs in Goals and Points 1989-90
4th Most Single Season Goals in Toronto Maple Leafs History 1989-90 (51)
9th Most Single Season Points in Toronto Maple Leafs History 1989-90 (95)

Vincent Damphousse – Toronto Maple Leafs Left-Winger 1986-1991

The Toronto Maple Leafs drafted Vincent Damphousse in the first round (6th overall) in the 1986 NHL Entry Draft.

Damphousse played five seasons with the Toronto Maple Leafs and was known as a two-way forward with great playmaking ability.

He led the Toronto Maple Leafs with 26 goals and 73 points in 79 games during the 1990-91 season, but his best season with the Leafs may have been the 1989-90 season where he recorded 94 points in 80 games.  His 1989-90 point total is the 10th highest single season point total in Toronto Maple Leafs franchise history.

In 1990, Vincent Damphousse also received the third most votes for left-wingers to just miss a spot on the NHL 2nd All-Star Team behind Luc Robitaille and Brian Bellows.

A couple seasons after his stint with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Vincent Damphousse was reunited with Leafs teammate, Gary Leeman, and the two would win the 1993 Stanley Cup Championship with the Montreal Canadiens.

Achievements with the Toronto Maple Leafs in the 1990’s

#61 on Top 100 Toronto Maple Leafs
3rd in NHL All-Star Team voting 1990
8th in NHL All-Star Team voting 1991
1991 NHL All-Star Game
Led Toronto Maple Leafs in Goals and Points 1990-91
10th Most Single Season Points in Toronto Maple Leafs History 1989-90 (94)
39th Most Career Assists in NHL History (773)
48th Most Career Points in NHL History (1205)

Wendel Clark – Toronto Maple Leafs Left-Winger 1985-1994, 1996-1998, 2000

Wendel Clark would has three stints playing with the Toronto Maple Leafs totaling 13 seasons.

He was drafted first overall by the Toronto Maple Leafs in the 1985 NHL Entry Draft and played with the Leafs for nine seasons before playing with the Quebec Nordiques and New York Islanders.

Wendel Clark was reacquired by the Toronto Maple Leafs from the Islanders on March 13, 1996 with Mathieu Schneider and D.J. Smith for Sean Haggerty, Darby Hendrickson, Kenny Jönsson and a 1st round draft pick.  That first round pick ended up being the fourth overall pick that the Islanders used to select Roberto Luongo.

Two seasons later, Clark would sign with the Tampa Bay Lightning, but after stints with the Detroit Red Wings and Chicago Blackhawks, he would return to Toronto as a free agent and retire as a member of the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Clark was known for his physical play, goal-scoring ability and leadership which made him a fan favourite in Toronto.  He was captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs from 1991-1994.

Wendel Clark’s best season was in 1993-94 where he scored career highs with 46 goals and 76 points in only 64 games.  His 46 goals remains the 10th highest single season goal total in Toronto Maple Leafs franchise history.

Wendel Clark will always be remembered as a member of the Toronto Maple Leafs with his retired number “17” in the rafters and his statue on Legends Row in Toronto.

Achievements with the Toronto Maple Leafs in the 1990’s

Statue on Legends Row
Number “17” Retired by Toronto Maple Leafs
#15 on Top 100 Toronto Maple Leafs
Toronto Maple Leafs Captain 1991-1994
9th in NHL All-Star Team voting 1994
10th Most NHL Goals 1993-94
10th Most Single Season Goals in Toronto Maple Leafs History 1993-94 (46)
8th Most Career Goals in Toronto Maple Leafs History (260)

Dave Andreychuk – Toronto Maple Leafs Left-Winger 1993-1996

The Toronto Maple Leafs acquired Dave Andreychuk from the Buffalo Sabres on February 2, 1993 with Daren Puppa and a 1st round draft pick (Kenny Jonsson) for Grant Fuhr and a 5th round draft pick (Kevin Popp).

He would play parts of four seasons with the Toronto Maple Leafs, but only two full seasons with the team.  Andreychuk played in 23 NHL seasons, but the best seasons of his career were 1992-93 and 1993-94.

Dave Andreycuk started the 1992-93 season with the Sabres, but played the last 31 games with the Toronto Maple Leafs recording career highs with 54 goals and 99 points.  He would match his career high in points and come one goal shy of his career high in goals in 1993-94 with 53 goals and 99 points.

His 1993-94 totals are the second most single season goals and fifth most single season points scored in Toronto Maple Leafs history.  It was the highest single season goal total for the Leafs during the 1990’s.

In both 1993 and 1994 he was one position shy of a selection onto the NHL 2nd All-Star Team as a left-winger.  He was behind Luc Robitaille and Kevin Stevens in 1993, and Brendan Shanahan and Adam Graves in 1994.

Later in his career, Andreychuk would win a Stanley Cup with the Tampa Bay Lightning and was eventually inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame.

Achievements with the Toronto Maple Leafs in the 1990’s

#41 on Top 100 Toronto Maple Leafs
Hockey Hall of Fame Inductee
3rd in NHL All-Star Team voting 1993
3rd in NHL All-Star Team voting 1994
1994 NHL All-Star Game
Led Toronto Maple Leafs in Goals 1993-94
4th Most NHL Goals 1993-94
9th Most NHL Goals 1992-93
9th Most NHL Points 1993-94
2nd Most Single Season Goals in Toronto Maple Leafs History 1993-94 (53)
5th Most Single Season Points in Toronto Maple Leafs History 1993-94 (99)
15th Most Career Goals in NHL History (640)
31st Most Career Points in NHL History (1338)

Felix Potvin – Toronto Maple Leafs Goaltender 1992-1999

The Toronto Maple Leafs drafted Felix Potvin in the 2nd round (31st overall) in the 1990 NHL Entry Draft.

“The Cat” would play eight seasons for the Toronto Maple Leafs and was their starting goaltender for most of the 1990’s.

Felix Potvin’s best season may have been his rookie season in 1992-93 where he led the NHL with a 2.50 goals against average and had a .910 save percentage which was second best in the league.

Despite his better stats, Felix Potvin was fourth in 1993 Vezina Trophy voting behind Ed Belfour, Tom Barrasso and Curtis Joseph (who would all eventually play for the Leafs).  He was also third in NHL All-Star Team voting for goaltenders behind Belfour and Barrasso.

His rookie totals were good enough to earn him a spot on the NHL All-Rookie Team, and he was a finalist form the Calder trophy with Joe Juneau and winner, Teemu Selanne.

1993-94 was another great season for Felix Potvin where he would earn 34 wins, the seventh most single season wins in Toronto Maple Leafs history.

Achievements with the Toronto Maple Leafs in the 1990’s

#45 on Top 100 Toronto Maple Leafs
NHL All-Rookie Team 1993
Calder Trophy Finalist (3rd in voting) 1993
4th in Vezina voting 1993
3rd in NHL All-Star Team voting 1993
5th Most NHL Wins 1993-94
7th Most NHL Wins 1995-96
2nd Best NHL Save Percentage 1992-93
9th Best NHL Save Percentage 1995-96
10th Best NHL Save Percentage 1993-94
Best NHL Goals Against Average 1992-93
7th Most Single Season Wins in Toronto Maple Leafs History 1993-94 (34)

Mats Sundin – Toronto Maple Leafs Centre 1994-2008

The Toronto Maple Leafs acquired Mats Sundin from the Quebec Nordiques on June 28, 1994 with Garth Butcher, Todd Warriner and a 1st round draft pick (Nolan Baumgartner) for Wendel Clark, Sylvain Lefebvre, Landon Wilson and a 1st round draft pick (Jeffrey Kealty).

Mats Sundin would play 13 seasons with the Toronto Maple Leafs and become the franchise leader in career goals (420) and points (987).

Sundin had an immediate impact on the Toronto Maple Leafs as he led the team in points all six seasons he was with the team during the 1990’s and leading the team in goals four times in that time.

Mats Sundin joined the team after their back-to-back trips to the Conference Finals in 1993 and 1994 but was instrumental during their 1999 run to the Conference Finals where he had eight goals and 16 points in 17 games.

Sundin continued to lead the Toronto Maple Leafs throughout the 2000’s and was team captain from 1997-2008.  He would be honoured with an induction into the Hockey Hall of Fame, a statue on Legends Row, and his retired #13 raised to the rafters of Scotiabank Arena.

Achievements with the Toronto Maple Leafs in the 1990’s

Statue on Legends Row
Number “13” Retired by Toronto Maple Leafs
#5 on Top 100 Toronto Maple Leafs
Toronto Maple Leafs Captain 1997-2008
Hockey Hall of Fame Inductee
5th NHL All-Star Team voting 2000
6th NHL All-Star Team voting 1997
7th NHL All-Star Team voting 1998
Four NHL All-Star Games
Led Toronto Maple Leafs in Goals four times in the 1990’s
Led Toronto Maple Leafs in Points six times in the 1990’s
10th Most NHL Goals 1997-98
10th Most NHL Assists 1998-99
7th Most NHL Points 1996-97
10th Most Single Season Points in Toronto Maple Leafs History 1996-97 (94)
Most Career Goals in Toronto Maple Leafs History (420)
2nd Most Career Assists in Toronto Maple Leafs History (567)
Most Career Points in Toronto Maple Leafs History (987)
24th Most Career Goals in NHL History (564)
36th Most Career Assists in NHL History (785)
30th Most Career Points in NHL History (1349)

Curtis Joseph – Toronto Maple Leafs Goaltender 1998-2002, 2008-09

The Toronto Maple Leafs signed Curtis “Cujo” Joseph as a free agent on July 15, 1998.

“Cujo” would play five seasons with the Toronto Maple Leafs.  During his entire career, he would never win a Vezina trophy, but the closest he came was with the Leafs in 1999.

No Toronto Maple Leafs goaltender has won the Vezina trophy since the trophy began being awarded by vote in 1982, but in 1999, Curtis Joseph came closer than any when he was Vezina runner-up behind Dominik Hasek.

In 1999, Joseph was also fourth in Hart trophy voting behind only Dominik Hasek, Alexei Yashin and winner, Jaromir Jagr.

Curtis Joseph was a Vezina Trophy finalist again after the 1999-2000 season finishing third in voting behind Roman Turek and winner, Olaf Kolzig.

Joseph is one of the winningest goaltenders in NHL history having the seventh most NHL wins with 454 wins during his career.  He had the fourth most single season wins in Toronto Maple Leafs history in 1999-2000 and the sixth most in 1998-99.

Curtis Joseph has yet to be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame, but his name seems to pop up every time players are inducted.  Hopefully he’ll get the call to the Hall he deserves.

Achievements with the Toronto Maple Leafs in the 1990’s

#35 on Top 100 Toronto Maple Leafs
King Clancy Trophy Winner 2000
Vezina Trophy Runner- Up 1999
Vezina Trophy Finalist (3rd in voting) 2000
4th in Hart Trophy voting 1999
4th in NHL All-Star Team voting 1999
5th in NHL All-Star Team voting 2000
2nd Most NHL Wins 1998-99
4th Most NHL Wins 1999-2000
7th Best NHL Save Percentage 1999-2000
4th Most Single Season Wins in Toronto Maple Leafs History 1999-2000 (36)
6th Most Single Season Wins in Toronto Maple Leafs History 1998-99 (35)
7th Most Career Wins in NHL History (454)

Doug Gilmour – Toronto Maple Leafs Centre 1992-1997, 2003

The Toronto Maple Leafs acquired Doug Gilmour from the Calgary Flames on January 2, 1992 with Jamie Macoun, Kent Manderville, Ric Nattress and Rick Wamsley for Craig Berube, Alexander Godynyuk, Gary Leeman, Michel Petit and Jeff Reese.  It was the most players traded in one deal in NHL history.

Doug “Killer” Gilmour played seven seasons with the Toronto Maple Leafs and was team captain from 1994 to 1997.

I’ve chosen Doug Gilmour as the greatest member of the Toronto Maple Leafs during the 1990’s for a few reasons.  For one, he was closer to winning the Hart Trophy than any other Leaf that decade when he was runner-up in 1993 behind only the legendary Mario Lemieux.

He also won the biggest NHL award of any Toronto Maple Leafs player during the 1990’s when he won the Selke trophy in 1993.

In 1994, Doug Gilmour was also fourth in Hart trophy voting behind John Vanbiesbrouck, Dominik Hasek and winner, Sergei Fedorov.  He was also runner-up for the Selke trophy that year behind Sergei Fedorov.

Doug Gilmour also holds the Toronto Maple Leafs franchise record for the most single season points with 127 points in 1992-93, and had the third most single season points in franchise history with 111 points in 1993-94. No other member of the Toronto Maple Leafs hit the 100 point mark during the 1990’s.

Gilmour has been inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame and has had his #93 retired by the Toronto Maple Leafs.  He doesn’t have a statue on Legends Row, but if there are ever plans on an expansion, I’m sure he’ll be next in line.

Achievements with the Toronto Maple Leafs in the 1990’s

Number “93” Retired by Toronto Maple Leafs
#13 on Top 100 Toronto Maple Leafs
Toronto Maple Leafs Captain 1994-1997
Hockey Hall of Fame Inductee
Frank J. Selke Trophy Winner 1993
Hart Trophy Runner-Up 1993
Selke Trophy Runner-Up 1994
4th in Hart Trophy voting 1994
5th in Selke Trophy 1992
9th in Hart Trophy voting 1992
3rd in NHL All-Star Team voting 1993
3rd in NHL All-Star Team voting 1994
Two NHL All-Star Games
Led Toronto Maple Leafs in Points twice
2nd Most NHL Assists twice 1992-93, 1993-94
6th Most NHL Assists 1996-97
4th Most NHL Points 1993-94
7th Most NHL Points 1992-93
Most Single Season Points in Toronto Maple Leafs History 1992-93 (127)
3rd Most Single Season Points in Toronto Maple Leafs History 1993-94 (111)
9th Most Career Assists in Toronto Maple Leafs History (321)
14th Most Career Assists in NHL History (964)
19th Most Career Points in NHL History (1414)

What’s your favourite decade in Toronto Maple Leafs history?  Let me know in the comment section.