LEW
October 21, 2009 / 10:35

Rocky Saganiuk (Wrong Way Rocky)....actually it was Brian Spinner Spencer - a tough sob that gave 100% every shift. It was the Leafs giving him away in the draft that landed him on the Island, that had me drift from being a Leaf supporter. Second was Dave Keon, was he the last NHL'r to have a straight stick????
PS - if the ticket from VCR is not included please take me out of the pool.

Darren Franceschini
October 21, 2009 / 10:35

Tie Domi, because he had a take no shit attitude and still managed to pop in over a 100 by the goalies.

Paul
October 21, 2009 / 10:43

Doug Gilmour. I gotta go with Dougy.. I just remember him being such a force on the team and kicking so much ass. The one year when the leafs played the Kings, 1993 I believe, he played so well got a bullshit high stick from Gretzky and then lost in OT. The cameras caught him in the locker room after, and he seemed so genuinely sad.

Jason C
October 21, 2009 / 11:24

Wendel. He gave it his all every game.

Alvin
October 21, 2009 / 12:13

Peter Ing

Jon
October 21, 2009 / 12:51

I was more for the team than the players growing up. Player wise I favoured Detroit (Yzerman, Fedorov). So I'll pick one player I was sad to see leave the Leafs, Kyle 'Magic Hands' Wellwood. Knowing you can make the NHL while not being in the best shape gives me all kinds of hope.

Mike from Lowville
October 21, 2009 / 13:00

Francis William Mahovlich. It's a toss up between him and Red Kelly but will have to go with Frank. Why? He was also a Hab. ;O) These were the good old days or you could say, these days were when the team was good. Also he was part of the team the won the LAST Cup for Toronto and he was on that Canadian team that beat Russia in 1972!

marinasinger
October 21, 2009 / 13:33

Has to be Sundin! Not only was he our longest-serving player but he is our all-time leader in goals(420) and points(984).
He played a minimum of 70 games in every full season of his NHL career and ALWAYS gave his all for the team!
We miss you Mats!

christine medeiros
October 21, 2009 / 13:37

Doug "Killer" Gilmour
Always the best.....shame we dont have guys like him on the team anymore!!!

Horonymous
October 21, 2009 / 13:43

Frank Mahovilch is my favourite Leaf, due to the success he had as a Montreal Canadien playing with his brother Pete.

Michelle
October 21, 2009 / 13:55

Mats Sundin! Leafs all-time leading scorer and a classy guy.

Mike from Lowville
October 21, 2009 / 14:02

Horonymous your as bad as Punch. Imlach pronounced Franks last name wrong for years.

Allan
October 21, 2009 / 14:12

No doubt about it, Doug Gilmour had the talent, drive and leadership, making him the top Leaf. He created a us-against-the-world chemistry for the last best Leaf team. His inspired his teammates to rally around him. Although I could also vote for Baun, Keon, Kelly, Sittler, Palmateer, Salming, Glennie, etc., etc.

Randy
October 21, 2009 / 14:12

Darryl Sittler!!! NEED I SAY MORE:-)

Anonymous
October 21, 2009 / 14:41

I'm gonna have to say Steve Thomas, great guy on and off the ice, good hustle, I watch his son play for the Generals all the time as well. Was really a fan of Sundin and Joseph until there exits left a bad taste in my mouth

The_Voice
October 21, 2009 / 14:45

Tie Domi. Cause he did ice dancing.

brando
October 21, 2009 / 16:09

whipper billy watson, without question???

Kare
October 21, 2009 / 16:38

Syl Apps Sr. would be the best Toronto Maple Leaf in my books. He was a pole vaulter who was given the opportunity to be a pro hockey player and went on to win the calder trophy as a rookie.

He had one of the greatest shots of his era and was a smart clean player hardly taking any penalty minutes. He is surely someone to admire.

Oliver
October 21, 2009 / 16:49

I wanna respond to this, but please, disqualify me from the contest - I can't attend Marlies games. Unless your tickets are for the Moose vs. the Marlies here in Winnipeg.

Not sure whether your readership is international, but it is interprovincial!

Anyhow...my favorite Leaf was Eddie Olczyk. He was always ready and willing to talk to the media after each game. He also worked hard and seemed to enjoy his time as a Leaf.

I chat with his son frequently on Facebook, and he says that Eddie preferred his time as a Leaf over any other team.

Buffaloboymike
October 21, 2009 / 17:40

Im not going to sit here and pretend to know everything about the Leafs I don't. Im from Buffalo obviously, the Sabres are my favorite team but for as long as I have been a Sabre fan, The Leafs were always number 2, a distant number 2 but they were number 2, if the Sabres were out of the playoffs my Leaf hat was on. That said, Im not going to go back and pick Bill Barilko just because he is in a Tragically Hip song and I would be cool to pick him for brownie points. Im not going to pick Tie Domi because he was essentially a one dimensional player (fighter), Im not going to pick Mats Sundin because he was probably the most talented Leaf ever....My pick is a guy who played for both the Leafs and the Sabres...I picked him because as far as NHL history goes, I Think that he will always be underrated and could use a little pick me up. He was traded to the Leafs during the 1992-1993 season and joined them for the stretch run to and through the playoffs, that year probably should have been his first Stanley Cup too, the Leafs were talented enough but they ran into Gretzky and the Kings. He had a quiet 19 points in the playoffs that year including 12 goals 4 of which were on the power play and 3 of which were game winners. Those three game winning goals that year led the Leafs. All the talk about Gilmour that year and Andreychuk, known for choking for Buffalo in the playoffs played some damn good clutch hockey that year. Even though he was only with the Leafs for 31 games in 92/93 he still managed 25 goals and 38 points and was tied for Nikolai Borschevsky with 12 power play goals. He went on after that year to play with Gilmour and put up his best numbers of his career as a Leaf peaking with 53 goals and 46 assists the following season for 99 points. Andreychuk took a lot of heat in Buffalo but all in all he was a powerplay goal scoring machine and was a better clutch player than most realized, he never had a great team around him in Buffalo until the early 90's but by then it was too late we already labeled him for what he wasn't. He was big, lanky and couldn't skate well but what he lacked in his ability to fly up and down the ice he made up for in a long reach and soft hands in front of the net. I would say a fair comparison would be Rick Vaive...another one of my favorite players who played for both Toronto and the Sabres....Dave Andreychuk gets my vote he was my favorite Leaf by far and very underrated by all.

Buffaloboymike
October 21, 2009 / 17:45

IF for any other reason, being from Buffalo I have always wanted to attend a hockey game in what we all know is the hockey mecca of the hockey world regardless of how the Leafs are playing. I have never seen a game in Toronto. Never made it to a Leafs game (mostly due to $$) and never been to a Marlies game yet.

sherola
October 21, 2009 / 18:24

Captain Clutch, Mats Sundin! Mats always gave his all and was a great leader. He will always be #1 in my books :) We miss you Mats!

hipmommy3
October 21, 2009 / 20:20

This would have to be a toss up between Doug Gilmore & Dave Andreychuk. Both great players on opposite ends of the spectrum Dougy for being 1 of the all-time greatest Leafs ever and an awesome neighbour (he lived down the street from me when I was 15 and lived in the beaches) he was a truly genuine person both on and off the ice. Where as Andreychuk although not as well know and really should have been given more credit (yeah I also got to meet him outside of hockey) he took the time to come to my kids daycare cause the owner was a friend and spent the afternoon playing with a bunch of kids and signed autographs and put up with all the moms swooning over him (yeah me too) lol! so those would be my two picks but if I had to pick one specifically to win this contest then I will say Dougy :) thanks for listening and good luck to me :)

Peter
October 21, 2009 / 22:51

Brian "Spinner" Spencer.

Interesting and tragic character. The excitement of getting called up, life in the big city, his and his Father's violent end.

Read the book and watched the movie "Gross Misconduct".

Try to watch for him on the "Leafs Classics" - haunting.

James Edgar
October 22, 2009 / 06:23

Dave Keon. I watched him as a little kid. He played Clean and Hard. Never thought he was Floating.

codexofdreams
October 22, 2009 / 08:40

Listen.
I'm young- so I've never known a successful team.

But I'd have to say Sundin. He was a great leader, a great player, and the epitome of a franchise player.

Pete McPhedran
October 22, 2009 / 11:44

I have a tie, Jerry Butler as he is my cousin and Mats Sundin as he is the best Leaf evah!

--Pete

Brad
October 22, 2009 / 12:17

Darryl Sittler

6 goals and 4 assist in one game.

When Ballard had his 'C' removed he was still the leader of the Leafs.

My brother and I when we were young weren't close at all, he had a friend who lived on Sittler's street, one afternoon they were playing street hockey and he came over to talk with them. My brother told him that he was my favorite player. When Darryl asked him who his favorite player was he said Lanny McDonald. A week or so later there were 2 autograph pictures (the post cards they used to sell at the Gardens), one of him for me, and one of Lanny McDonald for my brother.

He's all class.

Ray
October 22, 2009 / 12:28

Mats. History will see him as a greater Leaf than he is being considered now, especially as future greats come and go with no better team success than Sundin experienced.

Greg
October 22, 2009 / 13:05

John Anderson because I met John Anderson at John Anderson's at the Dundas and 427 location. It was cool. I was really young and I then told people that I wore #10 because I like John Anderson!! I only know of 1 John Anderson's now. It's on Dundas, east of Mississauga Rd.

Greg
October 22, 2009 / 13:06

I can't believe I wrote "John Anderson" 5 times! ...Now 6 times!!

Jason
October 22, 2009 / 13:30

Dave Keon,

he played almost 20 years before I was born, but he is my dad's all time favourite and subsequently mine. He was captain when they won the cup, an all around great player and a role model. I met him when I was a kid at a fantasy hockey camp. He's the reason I wear 14 on all of my jerseys.

Runner up - Gilmour...that's more of my time

daniel marois
October 22, 2009 / 13:45

It is indeed Wendel Clark.

He epitomies what every Leaf fan hopes for in a Leafs player. Skill, toughness and heart.
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If not for serious back issues, he has been the most dominate scoring power forward Toronto has had since the 1970s.
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When was the last Toronto player you can recall who the Leafs drafted that scored back-to-back 30-goal plus seasons in their first 2 NHL seasons? (Actually, in fact it was Daniel Marois who potted 31 and 39 goal seasons between '88-89 and '89-90). But Clark had 34 and 37 goal seasons in his first 2 seasons in the NHL.
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And he is in fact, the last player Toronto drafted first overall. You always knew that he could score everytime he had the puck. His pension for scoring big goals were evident in his playoff runs in 1993 and 1994 in Toronto.
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One goal in the regular season that sticks in my mind was a game in December of 1989 when the Leafs fell behind in a game against the Boston Bruins 6-1 by the END of the second period. For some reason, this game is never sited as one of the greatest comebacks in NHL history. Well, Leafs roared back with 5 goals in the 3rd period and who scores the overtime winner? Yes, Clark.
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His 2 goals in Game 5 of the '93 Detroit series when the Leafs fell behind 4-1 in the second period, served as the catalyst for Toronto coming back to win the game in overtime 5-4 and take a 3-2 lead in that series. Who could forget that opening goal in Game 7 of the '93 St. Louis series that allowed fans to breathe and relax in that game (not to mention that shot that knocked off Cujo's mask!!), which is exactly what he did in Game 7 of the '94 San Jose series to lead them to victory. See a common thread here? What about the hat trick he scored in Game 5 of the '94 Vancouver series to try and extend the series, only to lose that game and the series in overtime.
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Speaking of hat tricks, it is Clark's 3 goals in Game 6 of the LA series in '93 that has my lungs still tweaked from the screams of euphoria. When he dramtically came off the bench as the extra attacker to score the game tying goal to send the game into overtime, I think any Leaf fan who was up at 1am (EST)at the time that goal was scored must have lept off their sofas and made a number of fist pumps in the air. That tying goal by Clark meant that the Leafs only needed to score ONE more goal in order to advance to the Stanley Cup Finals. In all of the Leafs failed attempts to make it to the Cup Finals, I cannot think of a moment that meant more, especially in a game that they eventually lost, that gave me so much joy.
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The defining image for Wendel in a Leafs uniform was the shot of him smashing his stick on the ice at Maple Leafs Gardens when the final buzzer sounded in Game 7 of the '93 playoff series against LA. The mark of a true captain angry his team finally came to defeat.
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When you talk about favourite all-time Leafs, it should not surprise anyone that his banner now hangs at the ACC.

ginomassari
October 22, 2009 / 18:18

my fav leafs all time is wendel clark

Katharine
October 22, 2009 / 22:35

Mats Sundin. Seems like a stand-up guy.

Patrick
October 23, 2009 / 00:57

It's between Salming and Clark. #21 gets my vote.

rob
October 25, 2009 / 19:35

For me....a diehard leaf fan one all time fav leaf would have to be...well I wish I could say all. But I would have to pick Wendel...who else brought us the passion that unites us all..
Wendel Clarke it is

Horonymous
October 25, 2009 / 21:46

My apologies to the Mahovlich clan with the misspelling of their name