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March 28: On this day in 1922, the Toronto St. Pats won their first and only Stanley Cup in the NHL's 5th season. The best-of-five Finals series against the PCHA's Vancouver Millionaires went the limit to a fifth and deciding game. All games of the series were played in Toronto with rules alternating for each game. Under NHL rules, the St. Pats won Game 5 convincingly by a score of 5-1, thanks mostly to an outstanding performance by superstar Babe Dye who netted 4 goals, including the Cup-winner. Dye set an NHL record that is still in place as of 2008 by scoring 9 goals in the Finals. The St. Pats became the Toronto Maple Leafs in 1927.
March 28: On this day in 1950, the Leafs and the Red Wings opened the playoffs with a highly controversial game. Ted Kennedy and Gordie Howe collided sending Howe crashing into the boards and coming out with a fractured skull, a near death injury. Howe did not play the rest of the playoffs but the Red Wings rallied without him and went on to win their first of four Cups in six years.
March 28: On this day in 1957, ex-Leaf John Anderson was born in Toronto, Ontario. Anderson was Toronto's first draft choice in 1977, 11th overall. Between 1977 and 1985, Anderson had 393 points in 534 games as a Leaf. For 4 straight seasons between 1981-82 and 1984-85, he scored 30+ goals. On his birthday in 1985, Anderson was in the midst of a 10 game goal scoring streak which lasted from March 18 to April 7 and tied a Leaf team record for consecutive games with at least one goal. John Anderson was traded to the Quebec Nordiques in August of 1985 for Brad Maxwell.
March 28: On this day in 1959, Gerry Ehman of the Maple Leafs scored one of the biggest goals of his NHL career at 5:02 of overtime in Game 3 of the Leafs Semi-Final series against the Boston Bruins. Ehman went on to lead the Leafs with 13 points in 12 playoff games as Toronto advanced to the Finals.
March 28: On this day in 1959, Gerry Ehman of the Maple Leafs scored one of the biggest goals of his NHL career at 5:02 of overtime in Game 3 of the Leafs Semi-Final series against the Boston Bruins. Ehman went on to lead the Leafs with 13 points in 12 playoff games as Toronto advanced to the Finals.
March 28: On this day in 1965, the Leafs concluded the regular season with a 4-0 victory over the Red Wings in Detroit. Johnny Bower earned the shutout in goal for the Leafs. He and netminding partner Terry Sawchuk, who was in his first season as a Leaf, became the first goaltender duo in NHL history to share the Vezina trophy. Sawchuk had played in 36 games and Bower in 34 of the 70-game schedule. As of 2008, it was the last time a Leaf goaltender has won the Vezina.
March 28: On this day in 1988, Wayne Gretzky played his final game at Maple Leaf Gardens as a member of the Edmonton Oilers. The Oilers won 6-4 and Gretzky had a goal and 3 assists. There was something special for him about playing in Toronto. In the 14 games Gretzky played at MLG between 1979 and 1988, he scored an unbelievable 22 goals and 26 assists, an average of 3.4 points per visit.
March 28: On this day in 1990, Gary Leeman became the second Leaf player in team history to record a 50-goal season. The milestone came in a 6-3 loss to the New York Islanders and goalie Mark Fitzpatrick. Leeman completed the 1989-90 season with 51 goals and added 44 assists.
