When you think of Canada, you think of hockey. And when you think of hockey you think of Canada. This could be because hockey has been a part of Canadian culture for just about as long as we can think. It can also be because of teams like the Toronto Maple Leafs who are one of the “Original Six” members of the National Hockey League dating back to 1917 when the league originated in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Since then, the Maple Leafs have won 13 Stanley Cup Championships, 11 as the Leafs and two under different aliases. This is just second behind fellow Canadian team, and with a fitting name, the Montreal Canadiens. The Maple Leafs play in the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference.

The National Hockey Association was the main hockey group prior until 1917 when many of the teams voted to join and create a new league, the NHL. The franchise thought a team in Toronto was important and one was granted to the Arena Company. Using players from the Toronto Blueshirts, which was the team that played with the NHA the year before, they went on to win the very first NHL Stanley Cup Championship. The players were sold and new ownership was taken as the team became the Toronto St. Patricks until 1927. This marked when the team would be taken over by owner Conn Smythe and subsequently a name change to the Toronto Maple Leafs. After a few poorly played seasons, the team moved to play at Maple Leaf Gardens in 1931. They stadium and the team gelled well together as they brought home the franchises third Cup. But in the next seven years, the Leafs would reach the finals five times and fall just short of the win each time.

In 1942, the Maple Leafs made it back to the final and amidst being down 3-0, they became the first sports team to come back from being down three in a best of seven final to add on another championship. They went on to win the Cup again in 1945 against the Detroit Red Wings. Just two years later, the Leafs had to face their nemesis, the Montreal Canadiens, in the 1947 finals. This win marked the first of three consecutive Stanley Cup wins. They lost in 1949-1950 but then met up with the Canadiens again in the finals in 1951 and added one more win to the tally. Defenceman Bill Barilko scored the game-winning goal of the series to give them this championship, and unfortunately passed away in a plane crash just four months later. Whether it was a curse for the team or not, the Leafs did not win another championship during the 1950s.

The Maple Leafs repeated their three-peat from 1962-1964 which featured Hall of Famers Dave Keon, Johnny Bower, Frank Mahovlich, Red Kelly, Andy Bathgate and Tim Horton. Falling short of the Cup in 1966, the leafs would fittingly play the Canadiens one last time in 1967 to take home what would be their last Stanley Cup Championship to date. Harold Ballard bought the majority of shares in the early 1970s but did not get along well with many players and was unable to prove himself as an owner producing no Championships under his term. Despite having some of the League’s top players in Ian Turnbull, Borje Salming, Sittler McDonald, and Dave “Tiger” Williams, the team was unable to make it happen and by 1981, Sittler and McDonald were gone sending the Leafs into a disappointing demise. In 1990, Ballard died and Cliff Fletcher took over hoping to build back a team that was once so great. In 1992-1993 the team went on to win the division championship but failed to get to the Finals. This would happen again in the late 1990s. In 1999, the Maple Leafs moved to the Air Canada Centre to play. The team continues to lose prematurely in the playoffs in the early 2000s. Following the lockout in 2004-05, the Leafs were unable to reach the playoffs for five years. A new coach was hired in 2006 but Paul Maurice has not been able to do much with the team either. As of 2010, the Maple Leafs have not made the playoffs since before the lockout. The Leafs Nation hopes the team will make a change and make it back to the Finals next season.