Toronto Maple Leafs Timeline

(1917 - Present)

The Toronto Maple Leafs are one of the NHL's Original Six franchises and one of professional hockey's most storied teams. Founded in 1917 as the Toronto Arenas and renamed the Maple Leafs in 1927, the club has won 13 Stanley Cups, though its most recent championship came in 1967. The Leafs play their home games at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto and boast a passionate fanbase and a rich history featuring icons like Auston Matthews' modern-era scoring feats, Darryl Sittler's record-setting performances, and legends such as Ted Kennedy and Johnny Bower. More Less

Go to: Timeline | Event List | Key Facts | Directory

Founding and Early Years

Toronto Arenas begin play in the NHL

Dec 19, 1917

The Toronto Hockey Club, known as the Arenas, began play in the newly founded National Hockey League as one of its four original franchises. The team was operated by the Arena Company after the owners of the NHA's Toronto Blueshirts were suspended, marking the birth of professional hockey in Toronto under the NHL banner.

Image source: 1917–18 Toronto Hockey Club season

Arenas win the first NHL Stanley Cup

Mar 30, 1918

The Toronto Arenas defeated the Vancouver Millionaires of the Pacific Coast Hockey Association to win the Stanley Cup in 1918. It was the first Stanley Cup awarded exclusively between NHL teams' era champions, giving Toronto hockey its first championship just months into the new league's existence.

Image source: 1918 Stanley Cup Final

Franchise renamed the Toronto St. Patricks

Feb 14, 1920

New ownership led by Charlie Querrie rebranded the struggling Arenas as the Toronto St. Patricks, adopting green and white colors. The club would play under that name until 1927, winning one Stanley Cup during that period.

Image source: Toronto St. Patricks

St. Patricks win the Stanley Cup

Apr 5, 1922

The Toronto St. Patricks captured their only Stanley Cup under that name, defeating the Vancouver Millionaires. Star forward Babe Dye scored nine goals during the playoffs to lead Toronto to victory in the best-of-five final series.

Image source: Stanley Cup Final

Conn Smythe buys the team and renames it Maple Leafs

Feb 14, 1927

Conn Smythe led a group that bought the St. Patricks and renamed the franchise the Toronto Maple Leafs on Valentine's Day 1927. Smythe took control of hockey operations and set the foundation for what would become the most storied franchise in Canadian hockey.

Image source: Conn Smythe

Conn Smythe buys the team and renames it Maple Leafs

Maple Leaf Gardens opens

Nov 12, 1931

Conn Smythe oversaw the construction of Maple Leaf Gardens, built in under six months during the Great Depression for about $1.5 million. The arena at Carlton and Church Streets became the Leafs' home for over 65 years and an iconic landmark of Toronto sports culture.

Image source: Maple Leaf Gardens

Stanley Cup Dynasty Era

Maple Leafs win first Stanley Cup under new name

Apr 11, 1932

Led by ace goaltender Lorne Chabot and stars like Ace Bailey and Busher Jackson, the Maple Leafs swept the New York Rangers in three games at Madison Square Garden to capture the franchise's third Stanley Cup and first as the Maple Leafs.

Image source: 1932 Stanley Cup Final

Maple Leafs win the 1942 Stanley Cup after comeback

Apr 18, 1942

Trailing the Detroit Red Wings 3-0 in the best-of-seven final series, the Maple Leafs rallied to win four straight games, becoming the first team in NHL history to come back from a 3-0 deficit to win a playoff series and the Stanley Cup.

Image source: 1942 Stanley Cup Final

Maple Leafs defeat Red Wings for the 1945 Stanley Cup

Apr 21, 1945

Goaltender Frank McCool backstopped the Maple Leafs past the Detroit Red Wings in seven games to win the 1945 Stanley Cup, adding another championship to the franchise's growing wartime-era dynasty.

Image source: 1945 Stanley Cup Finals

Maple Leafs win three straight Cups (1947–1949)

Apr 15, 1947 - Apr 16, 1949

Under coach Hap Day, Toronto won consecutive Stanley Cups in 1947, 1948, and 1949, defeating Montreal twice and Detroit once. The run featured stars like Ted Kennedy, Turk Broda, and Bill Barilko and established a true postwar dynasty.

Maple Leafs win 1962 Stanley Cup

Apr 22, 1962

Punch Imlach's Maple Leafs defeated the Chicago Black Hawks in six games to win the Stanley Cup, launching a stretch of three championships in four years and ending an 11-year Cup drought for the franchise.

Back-to-back Stanley Cups in 1963 and 1964

Apr 23, 1963 - Apr 25, 1964

The Maple Leafs repeated as champions in 1963 by beating Detroit, then edged the Montreal Canadiens in seven games in 1964, with Bobby Baun famously scoring an overtime winner on a broken leg in Game 6. These wins gave Toronto 13 Cups overall.

Maple Leafs win most recent Stanley Cup in 1967

May 2, 1967

As heavy underdogs against the dynastic Montreal Canadiens, the aging Maple Leafs upset Montreal in six games to win the Stanley Cup. It remains the franchise's most recent championship, and the last time a Canadian team won the Cup until 2023.

Players and Legends

Ace Bailey's career ends after hit by Eddie Shore

Dec 12, 1933

Leafs star Ace Bailey suffered a fractured skull when he was checked from behind by Boston Bruins defenseman Eddie Shore. Bailey survived but never played again. The ensuing benefit game at Maple Leaf Gardens was the first NHL All-Star Game, held in his honor in February 1934.

Bill Barilko scores Cup-winning goal before disappearance

Apr 21, 1951

Defenseman Bill Barilko scored the overtime winner in Game 5 against Montreal to give Toronto the 1951 Stanley Cup. That summer, Barilko disappeared in a plane crash in northern Ontario; his remains were found in 1962, the same year the Leafs won the Cup again, inspiring The Tragically Hip's song 'Fifty Mission Cap.'

Image source: Bill Barilko

Ted Kennedy wins Hart Trophy as NHL MVP

1955

Maple Leafs captain Ted Kennedy won the Hart Trophy as the league's most valuable player in 1955, capping a Hall of Fame career in which he captained Toronto to five Stanley Cups and became one of the franchise's all-time greats.

Image source: Ted Kennedy (ice hockey)

Frank Mahovlich emerges as Leafs superstar

Oct 6, 1956

Big left winger Frank Mahovlich broke into the NHL with Toronto and quickly became one of the league's premier scorers, helping power the Leafs' early 1960s dynasty with his combination of size, speed, and scoring touch.

Image source: Frank Mahovlich

Tim Horton becomes cornerstone defenseman of dynasty

Oct 10, 1962

Hall of Fame defenseman Tim Horton anchored the Leafs' blue line through their 1960s championships. After retiring, he co-founded the Tim Hortons coffee chain in Hamilton in 1964, making him a cultural icon beyond hockey.

Image source: Tim Horton

Borje Salming breaks barriers as Swedish pioneer

Nov 7, 1973

Borje Salming became one of the first European players to star in the NHL, spending 16 seasons with the Leafs and paving the way for generations of European talent despite facing intense prejudice early in his career.

Image source: Börje Salming

Daryl Sittler records 11-point game

Feb 7, 1976

Captain Darryl Sittler scored six goals and added five assists against the Boston Bruins, setting the NHL record for most points in a single game with 11. The mark still stands today as one of hockey's most unbreakable records.

Image source: Darryl Sittler

Mats Sundin becomes franchise's greatest scorer

Jan 27, 2004

Swedish center Mats Sundin passed Darryl Sittler to become the Maple Leafs' all-time leading scorer, finishing his Toronto career with 987 points. His number 13 was retired by the franchise in 2017.

Image source: Mats Sundin

Matthews wins Calder Trophy as rookie of the year

Jun 21, 2017

Auston Matthews won the Calder Memorial Trophy as the NHL's top rookie after scoring 40 goals and 69 points, becoming the first Maple Leaf to win the award and cementing the success of the team's youth-driven rebuild under GM Lou Lamoriello.

Image source: Auston Matthews

Matthews scores 60 goals in a single season

Apr 26, 2022

Auston Matthews became the first player in 20 years to score 60 goals in an NHL season, finishing with 60 goals and winning the Hart Trophy as league MVP and the Rocket Richard Trophy as top goal scorer.

Modern Era and Playoff Drought

Harold Ballard era begins amid turmoil

Jun 24, 1972 - Apr 11, 1990

Harold Ballard gained full control of Maple Leaf Gardens Ltd. in 1972 and ran the franchise until his death in 1990. His tenure was marked by controversial decisions, declining on-ice performance, and criticism that made him one of sports' most notorious owners.

Image source: Harold Ballard

Leafs move out of Maple Leaf Gardens to Air Canada Centre

Feb 13, 1999

After 68 years at Maple Leaf Gardens, the Maple Leafs opened the new Air Canada Centre downtown, playing their first game there against the Montreal Canadiens and ushering in a modern era for the franchise.

Image source: Scotiabank Arena

Curtis Joseph leads Leafs to back-to-back semifinal runs

Apr 2000 - May 2001

Goaltender Curtis Joseph starred as Toronto reached the Eastern Conference semifinals in 2000 and then advanced to the conference finals in 2001 and 2002, the deepest playoff runs for the franchise since 1967.

Image source: Curtis Joseph

Pat Quinn era peaks with 2004 division title

Apr 2000 - Apr 2004

Coach Pat Quinn guided the Leafs to five straight playoff appearances from 2000 to 2004, including a Northeast Division title in the 1999–2000 season. Mats Sundin, Gary Roberts, and Ed Belfour headlined competitive teams that fell short of the Cup Final.

Image source: Pat Quinn (ice hockey)

Lockout wipes out 2004–05 NHL season

Sep 15, 2004 - Jul 13, 2005

The entire 2004–05 NHL season was cancelled due to a labor dispute between owners and players, the first time a major North American sports league lost a full season. For the Leafs, it interrupted a period of playoff competitiveness before a long decline followed.

Leafs miss playoffs for record-setting drought begins

Apr 2006

Beginning in 2006, the Maple Leafs embarked on what would become the longest active postseason drought in the NHL, missing the playoffs every year for nearly a decade while undergoing multiple ownership and management changes.

Image source: History of the Toronto Maple Leafs

MLSE acquired by Rogers and Bell consortium

Aug 26, 2011

Rogers Communications joined Bell Canada in acquiring a combined 75% stake in Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment for $1.32 billion, taking control of the Maple Leafs from the Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan and reshaping the franchise's ownership landscape.

Image source: Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment

Leafs end nine-year playoff drought in 2013

May 2013

In a lockout-shortened season under coach Randy Carlyle, the Maple Leafs clinched their first playoff berth since 2004, snapping a nine-year drought. They pushed Boston to seven games in the first round before a heartbreaking collapse in Game 7.

Auston Matthews drafted first overall

Jun 24, 2016

The Maple Leafs selected American center Auston Matthews first overall in the NHL Entry Draft, landing a generational talent who scored four goals in his NHL debut and became the face of the franchise's rebuild.

Key Facts

The franchise was founded in 1917 as the Toronto Arenas, winning the first-ever Stanley Cup of the newly formed NHL.
Conn Smythe purchased and renamed the team the Toronto Maple Leafs in 1927, establishing the iconic blue-and-white identity.
The Maple Leafs have won 13 Stanley Cup championships, second-most in NHL history behind the Montreal Canadiens.
Toronto's most recent Stanley Cup victory came in 1967, making it one of the longest active championship droughts in professional sports.
In 2022, Auston Matthews became the first Maple Leaf to win the Maurice 'Rocket' Richard Trophy as the NHL's leading goal scorer with 60 goals.

Source

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