10 Incredible Things You Didn’t Know About the Toronto Maple Leafs

The Toronto Maple Leafs are winding down a regular season in which they’ve known their playoff opponent since before Christmas.

Despite playing over half a season of meaningless games, the  Toronto Maple Leafs season has still been incredibly entertaining.

That’s the fun of having one of the best rosters in the league. But while we wait for the playoffs, it doesn’t mean we can’t have some fun –

The history of the Toronto Maple Leafs is long and filled with interesting idiosyncrasies. Here are ten of them that fans have likely never heard before.

10 Interesting Facts About the Toronto Maple Leafs

1. The Maple Leafs had the same coach as the Toronto Argonauts.

Mike Rodden coached the football team in 1920, taking his club to the Grey Cup finals. He was back at the helm in 1926 when he led the Argonauts to an even record and missed the playoffs.

Rodden was given his shot to coach the Toronto St. Patricks for the 1926–27 season. He had the job for a total of two games. Rodden lost both contests and was fired. Incredibly, Rodden was also a referee for the Ontario Hockey Association while working as a coach in Toronto.

2. The Toronto Maple Leafs first ever draft pick didn’t play with the team until he was reacquired.

In 1963, the NHL held its first ever amateur draft. The Buds had the sixth pick, which they used to select Walt McKechnie. The center was 16 at the time.

McKechnie played junior hockey after being drafted. By the time he turned pro, he went to the WHL to play for the Phoenix Roadrunners and then the Minnesota North Stars in their expansion that same season.

McKechnie played for a total of nine NHL clubs. He didn’t lace up for the Leafs until they traded for him over a decade after his draft.

He played two seasons for the Leafs. In his first year, 1978-79, McKechnie played 79 games and scored 25 goals and 36 assists for a total of 61 points. McKechnie followed that up the next season by playing 54 games where he recorded seven goals and 36 assists for a sum of 43 points.

3. Turk Broda was mis-characterized as being a former Leafs captain.

In the Hockey Hall of Fame, there is a misleading photo of goaltender and former Vezina Trophy winner Turk Broda. He played his entire NHL career with the Toronto Maple Leafs, from 1936-52. The picture in the Hall of Fame captured Broda clad in a Leafs captain’s jersey. The ‘C’ that was on Broda’s chest didn’t belong to him. He happened to be wearing the team’s captain Syl Apps’ jersey at the time.

4. The Maple Leafs did have a goaltender as their captain.

In the long history of the Maple Leafs organization, there has been just one goaltender who was actually the team’s captain. That was John Ross Roach. He wore the ‘C’ for the 1924-25 season. That year, the Toronto St. Pats made it to the Stanley Cup Finals but lost to the Montreal Canadiens.

5. The Maple Leafs had one of their players become an NHL referee.

In 1999, Kevin Maguire was the first and only Maple Leafs player to become an NHL referee. He played parts of three seasons for the Leafs and was an NHL official for three seasons. After retiring as an official, he became the president of the Maple Leafs Alumni Association.

6. Bobby Orr once played for the Toronto Marlies.

Hockey Legend Bobby Orr never played for the Toronto Maple Leafs, but he did play for the Toronto Marlies. It was just one time and it was an exhibition game. On December 14, 1965, the Oshawa Generals loaned him to the Marlies. Orr played for the Marlboros – Ontario Hockey Association (OHA) Junior A All-Stars which competed against the Russian National Team. Even with Orr on the team, the Russian’s won 4-3.

7. The Leafs had a D-man skate 35 minutes in a single game.

On April 11, 2006, Tomas Kaberle set a Maple Leafs record that stands as the 21st highest time on ice total for a single game in NHL history by a skater. That day, Kaberle played exactly 35 minutes in an overtime victory against the Florida Panthers.

Bryan McCabe was Kaberle’s long time defense partner. As such, it’s not surprising that McCabe owns the second highest time on ice record behind Kaberle’s. He has the 25th most by a skater in NHL history. On November 27, 2007, McCabe played against the Canadiens for 34:53.

8. Two Maple Leafs scored within the first seven seconds of their games.

Two Leafs have done the improbable. In 1932 Charlie Conacher did something only to be repeated by Mitch Marner in 2019. That was scoring a goal in the first seven seconds of a hockey game. The Leafs won their game when Conacher scored but lost when Marner did.

The next fastest goal was scored by Ted Kennedy in 1953. It took him eight seconds to light the lamp. The NHL record is owned by four players who scored in just the first five seconds of their respective games.