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June 9: On this day in 1979, former Leaf Scott Garland was killed in a car accident in Montreal, Quebec at the age of 27 after the car he was in blew a tire and hit a wall. Garland had signed with the Leafs as a free agent in September of 1973. He played 85 games with Toronto between 1976 and 1977, scoring 13 goals and 23 assists before being traded to the L.A. Kings in 1978.
June 9: On this day in 1982, the Leafs selected defenseman Gary Nylund as their first round pick in the Entry Draft, 3rd overall. Up to that time, it was the highest draft position the Leafs had ever enjoyed. Nylund's rookie year was plagued with knee injuries and he only played in 16 games of the 1982-83 season beginning in February of 1983. After 218 games with the Leafs over four seasons, Nylund had 57 points, but a plus/minus rating of -96. He played out his option and was signed as a restricted free agent by Chicago. After an arbitratration process, the Leafs received very little NHL talent in return.
June 9: On this day in 1984, the Leafs selected a pair of defenseman in the 1st and 2nd round that collectively went on to play 1,111 games with the Leafs. Al Iafrate was chosen 4th overall and Todd Gill was chosen 25th. Both began their careers during the 1984-85 season. Iafrate was the more offensive-minded of the duo but Gill was steadier and endured with the Leafs until the end of the 1996 season.
