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October 31: On this day in 1912, future Leaf Mickey Blake was born in Barriefield, Ontario. The Leafs acquired Blake in 1935 when the St. Louis Eagles franchise was revoked and the NHL conducted a special player dispersal draft. The last pick overall and the only player to be chosen in the 4th round was Mickey Blake by Toronto. Blake played one game in a Leaf uniform and collected zero points.
October 31: On this day in 1914, future Leaf Bucko McDonald was born in Fergus, Ontario. Mcdonald was a member of three Stanley Cup championship teams, two with Detroit and one with the Leafs in 1942. After his playing days were over, Bucko McDonald coached minor hockey and was the man responsible for turning Bobby Orr into a defenseman as his coach in peewee and bantam hockey.
October 31: On this day in 1942, the Leafs opened their regular season schedule in the month of October for the first time and kicked off their first game in the "Original Six" era with a 7-2 victory over the visiting New York Rangers.
Oct. 30: On this day in 1943, Gus Bodnar set the record for fastest goal by a rookie player in his first NHL game, he scored 15 seconds into the game. Bodnar was the recipient of the Calder Memorial Trophy in 1944, and won the Stanley Cup in 1945 and 1947. Bodnar played in the 1951 NHL All-Star Game, and was the recipient of the 1971 to 1972 Coach of the Year Award. Bodnar was elected to the North Western Sports Hall of Fame in 1983, and the Oshawa Sports Hall of Fame in 1995. On July 1, 2005, Bodnar died at the Lakeridge Health Unit in Oshawa, Ontario, Canada.
