The Toronto Maple Leafs have had many impressive players suit up in blue and white. However, not many have changed the game.
Perhaps, no members of the Toronto Maple Leafs have had as significant an impact on the direction of the game, as Harry Cameron.
Cameron, a Pembroke, Ontario native, began his professional hockey career in the organization that preceded the National Hockey League (NHL), the National Hockey Association (NHA).
He was a part of the Toronto Blueshirts inaugural season, as a member of the team’s defense. However, the way Cameron played, it was hard to know that he was meant to be posted at the blue line.
The Toronto Maple Leafs Legend With the Curved Shot
Cameron was Bobby Orr before there was a Bobby Orr. (He was even the first player to achieve a Gordie Howe hat trick, before Howe was even born.) Cameron scored liked a forward and eventually learned to setup goals for his teammates better than nearly anyone else on the planet.
Cameron was known to be able to fill the net, but he really broke through when the NHL took root and he began playing for the Toronto Arenas in the league’s first year of operation. That season, he potted 17 goals and 10 assists for 27 points in just 21 games. He happen to lead the league in assists that year as well.
Cameron was the league leader in helpers again in 1921-22 while he was playing for the Toronto St. Pats. He had 17 assists that season to go along with his 18 goals, all of which came in just 24 contests. For his career, Cameron notched an incredible 88 goals in 128 NHL games.
Cameron’s production helped Toronto win three Stanley Cups, each under a different name. His first victory was with the Blueshirts in 1914, then with the Arenas in 1918, and his final Cup was won in 1922 with the St. Pats.
Though it wasn’t just the the incredible offense or the collection of championships that really made Cameron special. It was his shot. He has been credited to be one of the first players, who managed to curve his shot.
With a league full of straight blades, It’s no surprise that Cameron was one of the only players during his playing days that began using a curved blade. His stick was described by fellow NHL player Frank Boucher, as being “crooked like a sabre”.
Cameron was inducted posthumously into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1962. He was a man ahead of his time and true legend of the game.