Top 10 Scandals in the History of the Toronto Maple Leafs

Being a storied franchise, one of the Original Six NHL organizations, the Toronto Maple Leafs, have an amazing history. Some of which is filled with exciting moments and great success. (For fans who are younger than 60 years old, they have actually won multiple Stanley Cups.)

Unfortunately, there is more to the Toronto Maple Leafs history that doesn’t often discussed. That would be the scandals.

There have been many incidents that have involved  Leafs players and staff over the years.

Some of these stories became well known, while others forgotten. These are the Toronto Maple Leafs top 10 all-time scandals.

Top 10 Scandals in Toronto Maple Leafs History: 10. Jail and $1 Fines

Fighting during hockey games isn’t anything out of the ordinary in today’s game. In fact, it’s such a regular occurrence that the discipline for doing so is written into the NHL rule book as a five-minute major penalty, after which the player resumes competing in the contest.

Back in 1915, before the NHL had even played its very first game, the Tornoto Maple Leafs organization had a team in the National Hockey Association (NHA).

They were the Toronto Blueshirts. On Feb. 17 that year, the Blueshirts were defeated by the Ottawa Senators, but the story of the game wasn’t the final score. It was the rough night at the rink, which included multiple fights. One of them garnered more attention than the others.

Toronto’s Minnie “Roy” McGiffin, did his best to goad Art Ross into a fight. McGiffin was eventually successful, and the pair squared off in the third period.

This fight saw both combatants drop their sticks, but keep their gloves on. Despite that small remnant of safety, both teams took exception, and most of the players from both sides joined in the fracas.

According to the Winnipeg Tribune, with so many players in the penalty box, “the teams were forced to play five men aside on account of Toronto’s not having sufficient players.” The paper also included that Ross gave McGiffin “a bad lashing, although the gloves saved McGiffin from any real damage.”

When the game ended, McGiffin and Ross were surprised to be approached by police. Both men were placed under arrest and charged with disorderly conduct. They were each released on $100 bail.

The duo later appeared in court. They were unable to escape without punishment. Both men were given one dollar fines plus ordered to pay for costs incurred. McGiffin and Ross were said to have tossed a coin to determine who would pay the owed $8.

In the end, McGiffin lost the fight, the coin toss, and even the game itself. He did, however, settle the $8 bill like a gentleman.