1979–80 Toronto Maple Leafs | |
---|---|
Division | 4th Adams |
Conference | 5th Wales |
1979–80 record | 35-40-5 |
Goals for | 304 |
Goals against | 327 |
Team information | |
General manager | Punch Imlach |
Coach | Floyd Smith Dick Duff Punch Imlach |
Captain | Darryl Sittler (Oct-Dec) vacant(Dec-Apr) |
Alternate captains | None |
Team leaders | |
Goals | Darryl Sittler (40) |
Assists | Darryl Sittler (57) |
Points | Darryl Sittler (97) |
Penalty minutes | Tiger Williams (197) |
Wins | Mike Palmateer (16) |
Goals against average | Jiri Crha (3.61) |
The 1979–80 Toronto Maple Leafs season was the 63rd season of the franchise, 53rd season as the Maple Leafs. In July 1979, Leafs owner Harold Ballard brought back Punch Imlach, a longtime friend, as general manager. Imlach traded Lanny McDonald to undermine team captain Darryl Sittler's influence on the team. [1] The McDonald trade sent the Leafs into a downward spiral. They finished five games under .500 and only made the playoffs due to the presence of the Quebec Nordiques, a refugee from the WHA, in the Adams Division.
Round | Pick | Player | Nationality | College/junior/club team |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 9 | Laurie Boschman (C) | Canada | Brandon Wheat Kings (WHL) |
3 | 51 | Normand Aubin (C) | Canada | Verdun Eperviers (QMJHL) |
4 | 72 | Vincent Tremblay (G) | Canada | Quebec Remparts (QMJHL) |
5 | 93 | Frank Nigro (C) | Canada | London Knights (OMJHL) |
6 | 114 | Bill McCreary Jr. (RW) | United States | Colgate University (ECAC) |
The 1979–80 season marked the dismantling of a promising hockey team. The Maple Leafs had stars such as Darryl Sittler, Mike Palmateer, Lanny McDonald, Tiger Williams, Borje Salming and Ian Turnbull. In previous years, the Leafs were always one of the top teams in the league but could not beat the Montreal Canadiens in the playoffs. Leafs' owner Harold Ballard fired General Manager Jim Gregory and Head Coach Roger Neilson. [2] After unsuccessfully attempting to hire both former Boston Bruins head coach Don Cherry (who became head coach of the Colorado Rockies) and former Montreal Canadiens head coach Scotty Bowman (who became head coach and general manager of the Buffalo Sabres), Ballard brought back Punch Imlach, who had been the Leafs' coach and general manager when they last won the Stanley Cup in 1967, to be the team's new GM. Imlach subsequently hired Floyd Smith, a former Leaf player who had previously coached for Imlach when he was GM of the Sabres, to be the Leafs' new head coach.
By November 1979, tensions between Imlach and Sittler mounted as Sittler publicly aired his grievances. An article was featured in the Globe and Mail by James Christie, titled Darryl Sittler drops the Gloves. [3] Sittler was unhappy that Imlach publicly criticized him and Mike Palmateer. Another point of tension for Sittler was the fact that Imlach placed Lanny McDonald and Ian Turnbull on waivers.
On December 13, 1979, Imlach announced that Carl Brewer was making another comeback in the NHL. [4] Brewer would play for the New Brunswick Hawks, the Maple Leafs' American Hockey League affiliate. In Brewer's first game in Moncton, New Brunswick, King Clancy and Johnny Bower showed up to watch him play. [2]
Brewer returned to the Maple Leafs on December 26, 1979, for the Maple Leafs game against the Washington Capitals. Many players on the Leafs felt that Brewer was a spy for Imlach. [2] In Brewer's first game, many of his teammates were openly hostile to him. Brewer's defense partner was Borje Salming, and Salming refused to pass Brewer the puck. [5] During the season, Brewer would only play in twenty contests.
GP | W | L | T | GF | GA | Pts | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Buffalo Sabres | 80 | 47 | 17 | 16 | 318 | 201 | 110 |
Boston Bruins | 80 | 46 | 21 | 13 | 310 | 234 | 105 |
Minnesota North Stars | 80 | 36 | 28 | 16 | 311 | 253 | 88 |
Toronto Maple Leafs | 80 | 35 | 40 | 5 | 304 | 327 | 75 |
Quebec Nordiques | 80 | 25 | 44 | 11 | 248 | 313 | 61 |
[6] Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, Pts = Points, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against
Note: Teams that qualified for the playoffs are highlighted in bold.
Vs. Wales Conference | Vs. Campbell Conference |
Vs. Adams Division
| Vs. Norris Division
| Vs. Patrick Division
| Vs. Smythe Division
|
1979–80 Game log | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
October
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
November
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
December
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
January
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
February
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
March
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
April
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
1979–80 Schedule |
Player | Pos | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | +/- | PPG | SHG | GWG |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Darryl Sittler | C | 73 | 40 | 57 | 97 | 62 | 3 | 17 | 1 | 5 |
Borje Salming | D | 74 | 19 | 52 | 71 | 94 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 1 |
John Anderson | RW | 74 | 25 | 28 | 53 | 22 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 5 |
Wilf Paiement | RW | 41 | 20 | 28 | 48 | 72 | 1 | 8 | 0 | 2 |
Laurie Boschman | C | 80 | 16 | 32 | 48 | 78 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 4 |
Rocky Saganiuk | RW/C | 75 | 24 | 23 | 47 | 52 | -5 | 3 | 0 | 4 |
Walt McKechnie | C | 54 | 7 | 36 | 43 | 4 | -6 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Tiger Williams | LW | 55 | 22 | 18 | 40 | 197 | -13 | 5 | 0 | 1 |
Ian Turnbull | D | 75 | 11 | 28 | 39 | 90 | -23 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
Pat Hickey | LW | 45 | 22 | 16 | 38 | 16 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 3 |
Dan Maloney | LW | 71 | 17 | 16 | 33 | 102 | -13 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
Lanny McDonald | RW | 35 | 15 | 15 | 30 | 10 | -1 | 6 | 0 | 2 |
Paul Gardner | C | 45 | 11 | 13 | 24 | 10 | -8 | 4 | 0 | 1 |
Ron Ellis | RW | 59 | 12 | 11 | 23 | 6 | -9 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
Terry Martin | LW | 37 | 6 | 15 | 21 | 2 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
Dave Burrows | D | 80 | 3 | 16 | 19 | 42 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Bill Derlago | C | 23 | 5 | 12 | 17 | 13 | -6 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Rick Vaive | RW | 22 | 9 | 7 | 16 | 77 | -4 | 2 | 0 | 1 |
Jerry Butler | RW | 55 | 7 | 8 | 15 | 29 | -3 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Greg Hotham | D | 46 | 3 | 10 | 13 | 10 | -4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Richard Mulhern | D | 26 | 0 | 10 | 10 | 11 | -1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Dave Farrish | D | 20 | 1 | 8 | 9 | 30 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Mike Kaszycki | C | 25 | 4 | 4 | 8 | 10 | -4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Dave Hutchison | D | 31 | 1 | 6 | 7 | 28 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Joel Quenneville | D | 32 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 24 | -2 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Carl Brewer | D | 20 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 2 | -5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Bob Stephenson | RW | 14 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 4 | -7 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Pat Boutette | C/RW | 32 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 17 | -6 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Mike Palmateer | G | 38 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Pat Ribble | D | 13 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 8 | -9 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Ron Wilson | D | 5 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | -2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Mark Kirton | C | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Larry Carriere | D | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | -1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Paul Harrison | G | 30 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Bruce Boudreau | C | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Jiri Crha | G | 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Jimmy Jones | RW | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Daryl Maggs | D | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Curt Ridley | G | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Vincent Tremblay | G | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Player | MIN | GP | W | L | T | GA | GAA | SO |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Mike Palmateer | 2039 | 38 | 16 | 14 | 3 | 125 | 3.68 | 2 |
Paul Harrison | 1492 | 30 | 9 | 17 | 2 | 110 | 4.42 | 0 |
Jiri Crha | 830 | 15 | 8 | 7 | 0 | 50 | 3.61 | 0 |
Vincent Tremblay | 329 | 10 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 28 | 5.11 | 0 |
Curt Ridley | 110 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 4.36 | 0 |
Team: | 4800 | 80 | 35 | 40 | 5 | 321 | 4.01 | 2 |
Player | Pos | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | PPG | SHG | GWG |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Darryl Sittler | C | 3 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Ron Wilson | D | 3 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Ian Turnbull | D | 3 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Terry Martin | LW | 3 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
John Anderson | RW | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Laurie Boschman | C | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 18 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Borje Salming | D | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Wilf Paiement | RW | 3 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 17 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Rick Vaive | RW | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Dave Burrows | D | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Larry Carriere | D | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Jiri Crha | G | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Bill Derlago | C | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Ron Ellis | RW | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Dave Farrish | D | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Pat Hickey | LW | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Mike Kaszycki | C | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Richard Mulhern | D | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Mike Palmateer | G | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Rocky Saganiuk | RW/C | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Player | MIN | GP | W | L | GA | GAA | SO |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Jiri Crha | 121 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 10 | 4.96 | 0 |
Mike Palmateer | 60 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 7.00 | 0 |
Team: | 181 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 17 | 5.64 | 0 |
Date | Opponent | Score | Series lead |
---|---|---|---|
April 8, 1980 | at Minnesota North Stars | 3 - 6 | Stars lead series 1-0 |
April 9, 1980 | at Minnesota North Stars | 2 - 7 | Stars lead series 2-0 |
April 11, 1980 | Minnesota North Stars | 3 - 4 (OT) | Stars win series 3-0 |
The Maple Leafs have been involved in the following transactions during the 1979-80 season.
February 10, 1980 | From Los Angeles Kings Richard Mulhern |
|
|
The Maple Leafs were affiliated with the New Brunswick Hawks of the American Hockey League.
The Toronto Maple Leafs are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference. The club is owned by Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment, a company that owns several professional sports teams in the city. The Maple Leafs' broadcasting rights are split between BCE Inc. and Rogers Communications. For their first 14 seasons, the club played their home games at the Mutual Street Arena, before moving to Maple Leaf Gardens in 1931. The Maple Leafs moved to their present home, Scotiabank Arena, in February 1999.
Francis William Mahovlich is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player and a former Liberal Senator in the Canadian Senate. He played on six Stanley Cup-winning teams and is an inductee of the Hockey Hall of Fame. In 2017 Mahovlich was named one of the '100 Greatest NHL Players' in history. Mahovlich was inducted into the Ontario Sports Hall of Fame in 1999. His brother Peter also played in the NHL. His nickname is "The Big M".
Harold Edwin Ballard was a Canadian businessman and sportsman. Ballard was an owner of the Toronto Maple Leafs of the National Hockey League (NHL) as well as their home arena, Maple Leaf Gardens. A member of the Leafs organization from 1940 and a senior executive from 1957, he became part-owner of the team in 1961 and was majority owner from February 1972 until his death. He won Stanley Cups in 1962, 1963, 1964 and 1967, all as part-owner. He was also the owner of the Hamilton Tiger-Cats of the Canadian Football League (CFL) for 10 years from 1978 to 1988, winning a Grey Cup championship in 1986. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame (1977) and the Canadian Football Hall of Fame (1987). He is 1 of 7 names to be on both the Stanley Cup and Grey Cup.
Lanny King McDonald is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player for the Toronto Maple Leafs, Colorado Rockies and Calgary Flames of the National Hockey League (NHL). He played over 1,100 games during a 16-year career in which he scored 500 goals and over 1,000 points. His total of 66 goals in 1982–83 remains the Flames' franchise record for a single season.
Darryl Glen Sittler is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player who played in the National Hockey League (NHL) from 1970 until 1985 for the Toronto Maple Leafs, the Philadelphia Flyers and the Detroit Red Wings. He was elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1989, the Ontario Sports Hall of Fame in 2003 and the Canadian Walk of Fame in 2016. In 2017 Sittler was named one of the '100 Greatest NHL Players' in history.
David Michael Keon is a Canadian former professional ice hockey centre. He played professionally from 1960 to 1982, including 15 seasons with the Toronto Maple Leafs, and was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1986. Keon was inducted into the Ontario Sports Hall of Fame in 2010. On October 16, 2016, as part of the Toronto Maple Leafs centennial celebrations, Keon was named the greatest player in the team's history. In 2017, Keon was named one of the 100 Greatest NHL Players in NHL history.
The Toronto Marlborough Athletic Club, commonly known as the Toronto Marlboros, was an ice hockey franchise in Toronto, Canada. Founded in 1903, it operated junior ice hockey and senior ice hockey teams in the Ontario Hockey Association and later the Ontario Hockey League. The Marlboros were a farm team to the Toronto Maple Leafs and one of the dominant junior teams in history, winning seven Memorial Cup championships. The senior team competed for the Stanley Cup in 1904, and won the Allan Cup in 1950. After decline from the late 1970s, the sale of the franchise, and a move away from Toronto, it became the Guelph Storm in 1991.
George "Punch" Imlach was a Canadian ice hockey coach and general manager best known for his association with the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Buffalo Sabres. He is a member of the Hockey Hall of Fame, and the Ontario Sports Hall of Fame (2004).
Robert Alan Eagleson is a disbarred Canadian lawyer, hockey agent and promoter. Clients that he represented included superstars Bobby Orr and Darryl Sittler, and he was the first executive director of the NHL Players Association (NHLPA), which was initially lauded for improving the bargaining power of National Hockey League (NHL) players. He is also well known for providing the opportunity for professional players to compete in international hockey, by promoting the 1972 Summit Series between Canada and the Soviet Union, and the Canada Cup. However, Eagleson was convicted of fraud and embezzlement and briefly imprisoned, after it was revealed that he had abused his position for many years by defrauding his clients and skimming money from tournaments. After his convictions, he was removed as a member of the Order of Canada and resigned from the Hockey Hall of Fame where he had been inducted in the builder category.
The Toronto Toros were an ice hockey team based in Toronto that played in the World Hockey Association from 1973 to 1976.
Anders Börje Salming ; 17 April 1951 – 24 November 2022) was a Swedish ice hockey player. He was a defenceman who played professionally for 23 seasons, for the clubs Brynäs IF, Toronto Maple Leafs, Detroit Red Wings, and AIK. He spent 16 seasons with the Maple Leafs, who retired his number 21 in 2016. Salming holds several Maple Leafs records, including the most assists.
Michael Scott Palmateer is a Canadian former professional ice hockey goalie. He played in the National Hockey League (NHL) from 1976 to 1984 for the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Washington Capitals.
Loran Errol Thompson is a Canadian former professional ice hockey winger who played most of his NHL career with the Toronto Maple Leafs. He was selected 2nd by the Toronto Maple Leafs in the 1970 Amateur Draft. Thompson is also a former captain of the Detroit Red Wings.
Mark Robert Kirton is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player who played 266 games in the National Hockey League.
James Michael Gregory was a Canadian professional ice hockey coach and executive. Born in Port Colborne, Ontario and raised in Dunnville, Ontario, Gregory attended St. Michael's College School in Toronto where he became involved with the school's ice hockey teams, first as a trainer, eventually moving to management and coaching positions. He went on to coach and manage the Toronto Marlboros, winning two championships. He then moved to the National Hockey League's (NHL) Toronto Maple Leafs, serving as their general manager between 1969 and 1979. He led the team to eight playoff appearances during his ten-year tenure. He then moved to the NHL head offices, becoming the director of central scouting, and later took a directorship position in the hockey operations department, which he held until his death.
The history of the Toronto Maple Leafs spans more than a century whose origins begins with the establishment of the National Hockey League (NHL). The Toronto Maple Leafs and the NHL arose from disputes between Eddie Livingstone, owner of the National Hockey Association's Toronto Blueshirts, and the other owners of the Association. In November 1917, the Toronto Arena Company was granted a temporary franchise from the NHL, a new ice hockey league made up of the other NHA owners that had disputes with Livingstone. The franchise was later made permanent by the NHL in October 1918. Playing at Arena Gardens, the Toronto Arenas won the 1918 Stanley Cup Finals following the inaugural 1917–18 NHL season.
The 1975–76 Toronto Maple Leafs season saw the Maple Leafs finish in third place in the Adams Division with a record of 34 wins, 31 losses, and 15 ties for 83 points. They defeated the Pittsburgh Penguins two games to one in the preliminary round before losing the Quarter-Finals in seven games to the Philadelphia Flyers.
The 1977–78 Toronto Maple Leafs season was the 61st season of the franchise, 51st as the Maple Leafs. The Leafs made the playoffs and won two series before losing the semi-finals to the Montreal Canadiens.
The 1976–77 Toronto Maple Leafs season was the franchise's 60th season, 50th as the Maple Leafs. The Leafs finished in third place in the Adams Division with a record of 33 wins, 32 losses and 15 ties for 81 points. In the playoffs, they defeated the Pittsburgh Penguins in the preliminary round 2–1 before falling to the Philadelphia Flyers in six games in the Quarter-finals.
The 1973–74 Toronto Maple Leafs season was the 57th season of the Toronto NHL franchise, 47th as the Maple Leafs. The Leafs placed fourth to make the playoffs, but were swept in the first round by the Boston Bruins.