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October 16: On this day in 1946, the Leafs opened their 1946-47 season with a 3-3 tie on the road against the Detroit Red Wings. Gordie Howe scored the first of his 801 NHL goals in his first NHL game against Hall-of-Fame Leaf goaltender Turk Broda. As at the end of the 2007-08 season, the Leafs and the Red Wings had played 640 regular season games against each other since Detroit entered the NHL in 1926. Amazingly, after 82 years, the Leafs' all-time record against the Wings is W-273, L-274, T-93, OL-0, almost dead even. In 23 playoff series against Detroit between 1929 and 1993, the Leafs have won 12 and lost 11.
October 16: On this day in 1955, ex-Leaf Wilf Paiement was born in Earlton, Ontario. Paiement was the only Leaf in their history to wear sweater number 99. He became a Leaf in December of 1979 as part of the trade that sent Lanny McDonald to the Colorado Rockies. Over 187 games until March of 1982, Paiement registered 203 points, a ratio of more than a point per game. In 1980-81, Paiement set a team record that still stands as of 2007 for the most points by a Leaf right winger in one season with 97 on 40 goals and 57 assists. The next season he was dealt to Quebec for Miroslav Frycer.
October 16: On this day in 1968, Leaf rookie defenseman Jim Dorey, playing in his NHL debut at Maple Leaf Gardens against the Pittsburgh Penguins, set a Leafs team record that still stands of 9 separate penalties in one game. By the end of the second period he had set a new NHL record with 48 penalty minutes in one game. (The record has since been surpassed) Dorey had been the Leafs' 4th choice, 23rd overall in the 1964 Amateur Draft. Jim Dorey played four seasons in Toronto until February of 1972 when he was traded to the Rangers. In 231 games as a Leaf, he had a very respectable 25 goals and 74 assists.
October 16: On this day in 1971, Hall-of-Fame center Norm Ullman recorded his 1,000th career point in a 5-3 Leaf loss to the New York Rangers. He became the first player to record his 1,000th NHL point as a member of the Leafs. Ullman played 535 of his 1,410 NHL regular season games as a Maple Leaf, including game number 1,113 when he hit the 1,000 point plateau. Before coming over to the Leafs in a blockbuster trade with Detroit, Ullman scored a league best 42 goals during the 1964-65 season as a Red Wing. Norm Ullman played 20 seasons in the NHL, but never on a Cup winner. His rookie season in Detroit was year one of the Red Wings' 42 year Cup drought. His first season with the Leafs was year one of their current Cup drought.
October 16: On this day in 1976, Lanny McDonald set a team record that still stands as of 2007 for the fastest three goals scored by a Leaf in one game. In the first period of a game that ended in a 5-5 draw against the Flyers, McDonald scored three goals in 2 minutes and 54 seconds. The NHL record for the fastest three goals in one game was set by Bill Mosienko of Chicago in 1952 when he scored three goals in just 21 seconds.
October 16: On this day in 1989, the Leafs gave up a first round draft choice to the New Jersey Devils in exchange for defenseman, Tom Kurvers who ended up playing just 89 regular season games as a Leaf. Meanwhile, New Jersey used that first round pick to select defenseman Scott Niedermayer in the 1991 NHL Entry Draft.
