On This Day January 2nd.

Jim Harrison 4 assists in a 13-0 romp over Detroit. Photo by Mike Moore private collection.

January 2: On this day in 1971, the Leafs inflicted the worst defeat that the Detroit Red Wings ever suffered in their history. The Leafs scored 13 unanswered goals and came within one of tying a team record for the most goals in one game (14) set in 1957. They did set a team record with 7 goals in the third period. most assists (11) in one period. most points (18). Final score - Leafs 13, Wings 0. Jacques Plante and Bruce Gamble shared the shutout in nets. Former Wings, Norm Ullman and Paul Henderson each had two goals and two assists. Jim Harrison had four assists, two of them on goals scored by a rookie named Darryl Sittler.

January 2: On this day in 1980, the Leafs began a new decade with a 3-1 loss to the New York Islanders. The 1979-80 season was the first of ten consecutive seasons that the Leafs would finish with a losing record in the 21-team NHL. In the calendar 10 year period between January 1, 1980 and December 31, 1989, the Leafs compiled a dismal regular season record of W-228, L-410, T-87 for a winning percentage of just .374 and better than only the Colorado Rockies/New Jersey Devils. In the 1980's, the Leafs allowed 593 more goals than they scored.

Doug Gilmour (aka) "Killer"

January 2: On this day in 1992, the Leafs and the Calgary Flames conducted the largest regular season trade in NHL history. The Leafs sent Gary Leeman, Michel Petit, Jeff Reese, Craig Berube and Alexander Godynyuk to Calgary in exchange for Doug Gilmour, Jamie Macoun and Rick Wamsley. The key prize in the deal turned out to be Doug Gilmour who led the Leafs in scoring for the next three straight seasons including an all-time Leaf record high of 127 points in 1992-93. Gilmour also had an all-time high of 77 career playoff points as a Leaf.

Jeff Brown

January 2: On this day in 1998, the Leafs acquired defenseman Jeff Brown from Carolina for a 4th round draft choice. Brown played in just 19 games as a Leaf before being traded a couple of months later to Washington where he ended his NHL career of 747 regular season games and a very respectable total of 584 points, 9 of which were with the Leafs.

Brian McCabe

January 2: On this day in 2006, Chad Kilger scored the first two Leaf goals of the new calendar year and Bryan McCabe scored the overtime winner as the Leafs defeated the Pittsburgh Penguins 3-2. As at the end of the 2006-07 season, the Leafs have an all-time winning record against the Penguins of W-64, L-62, T-17, O/L-0. The Leafs have a perfect series record of 3-0 in the three times the two teams have met in the playoffs.