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December 29: On this day in 1961, Ed Litzenberger was claimed by the Leafs on waivers from the Detroit Red Wings. Litzenberger's NHL career was slightly out of the ordinary. He was traded to Detroit by Chicago in the summer of 1961 after being captain of the Cup-winning Black Hawks the previous spring. In joining the Leafs the same year, he went on to win four Cups in a row between 1961 and 1964. In 1954-55, Litzenberger won the Calder trophy as rookie of the year after being traded to Chicago by Montreal in mid-season. He became only the second player in NHL history, along with Carl Voss, to win the Calder trophy after being traded in mid-season.
December 29: On this day in 1979, the Leafs completed one of the most unpopular trades ever conducted by the Leafs organization. Fan-favourite Lanny McDonald along with Joel Quenneville were sent to the Colorado Rockies in exchange for Pat Hickey and Wilf Paiement. Leaf players were so upset, they trashed the dressing room. The next day, Leaf captain Darryl Sittler ripped the "C" from his jersey.
December 29: On this day in 1988, the Leafs tied an NHL record when they scored two goals just 4 seconds apart. Ed Olczyk scored at 5:24 of the third period and then Gary Leeman scored at 5:28. As it turned out, the Leafs needed both goals to defeat the Quebec Nordiques 6-5. Unbelievably, this record was broken by the Minnesota Wild in 2004 when they scored two goals in just 3 seconds. The Nordiques moved to Colorado in 1995 and promptly won the Stanley Cup the next season as the Avalanche. As of the end of the 2007-08 season, the Leafs and the Nordiques/Avalanche have played 66 times and the Leafs have an all-time losing record against Colorado of W-23, L-34, T-9, OL-0. The Leafs and the Nordiques/Avs have never met in the playoffs.
