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November 28: On this day in 1931, Dick Irvin was hired as head coach of the Leafs, replacing Art Duncan who had been fired the day before. That evening, the Leafs won their first game of the season in six tries and 16 days after the grand opening of Maple Leaf Gardens. Andy Blair scored an overtime winner to secure a 6-5 win over the Bosoton Bruins. In Irvin's first season as coach, the Leafs won the Stanley Cup. In his second season, 1933, and through to 1940, Irvin led the Leafs to the Stanley Cup Finals six more times. Irvin went on to coach the Leafs for nine seasons between 1931 and 1940, never missing the playoffs. His regular season record with the Leafs was an impressive W-216, L-152, T-59 in 427 games. After coaching in Toronto, Irvin became head coach of the Montreal Canadiens for another 15 years. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1958 as a player.
November 28: On this day in 1933, the Maple Leafs defeated the New York Americans 7-3 at Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto. This began the longest Leaf undefeated streak in team history at home. (matched in 1953-54) The team almost went the rest of the season without losing on home ice. In all, the home undefeated streak between November 28, 1933 and March 10, 1934 was 18 games, 15 wins and 3 ties. They only lost twice at home all season.
November 28: On this day in 1958, The Leafs fired head coach Billy Reay and Punch Imlach took over. The turnaround for the Leafs was immediate and dramatic. In one season, the Leafs went from a team that finished dead last and out of the playoffs to a team that went to the Stanley Cup Finals in 1959 and 1960. Under Imlach as G.M. and head coach, the Leafs became a Stanley Cup dynasty between 1962 and 1967. To date, George "Punch" Imlach is the only person to win three consecutive Stanley Cups as both coach and G.M. between 1962 and 1964.
November 28: On this day in 1970, Darryl Sittler scored his first NHL goal assisted by Mike Walton and Jim McKenny. It came in a 9-4 Toronto victory over the Detroit Red Wings and goalie Don McLeod and it was on the first shot that McLeod faced as an NHL goaltender. It was Sittler's first of 389 goals as a Leaf, a team record that he held for 25 years between 1982 and 2007.
