3 Toronto Maple Leafs With 300 or More PIM in a Single Season

Four times in the history of the National Hockey League’s Toronto Maple Leafs, a player has accumulated 300 or more minutes in penalties during one regular season. Despite Gary Bettman’s propaganda regarding the unpopularity of fighting in the NHL, two of the three players to top 300 PIM are pretty much considered legends by many Toronto hockey fans.

Tie Domi

Tie Domi holds the Toronto Maple Leafs record for the most PIM in a single season with 365 in 1997-98. Domi finished second in the NHL that season, seven PIM behind Donald Brashear of the Vancouver Canucks. This was Tie’s career high, topping the 347 he sat out with the Winnipeg Jets in 1993-94.

Domi totaled 3,515 PIM during his NHL career, ranking him third all-time behind Dave Williams and Dale Hunter. Tie played 1,020 regular season NHL games between 1990-91 and 2005-06 with the New York Rangers, Jets and Maple Leafs. Originally, he was a second round pick of the Maple Leafs at the 1988 NHL Entry Draft, 27^th overall.

Dave ‘Tiger’ Williams

Dave ‘Tiger’ Williams was the previous owner of the Toronto Maple Leafs record before Domi came along. Williams sat out 351 in 1977-78. This total was 54 behind league leader Dave ‘The Hammer’ Schultz, who split his season between the Los Angeles Kings and Pittsburgh Penguins. Williams topped this total by seven PIM in 1986-87 with the Los Angeles Kings.

Dave is the all-time NHL penalty minutes leader with 3,966 in 962 games. Tiger played in the NHL from 1974-75 to 1987-88 with the Maple Leafs, Vancouver Canucks, Detroit Red Wings, Los Angeles Kings and Hartford Whalers. He was a second round pick of the Maple Leafs at the 1974 NHL Amateur Draft, 31^st overall.

Williams also topped 300 PIM in the previous season. In 1976-77, Dave led the National Hockey League with 338 PIM, 64 more than the next man, Dennis Polonich of the Detroit Red Wings.

Brian Curran

In 1989-90, a less than memorable Maple Leaf sat out 301 minutes in the sin bin. Brian Curran tied with Dave Manson of the Chicago Blackhawks for sixth place in the category. The NHL was led in 1989-90 by Basil McRae of the Minnesota North Stars with 351. Curran’s career high came in 1986-87 with the New York Islanders when he sat 356 minutes.

Brian totaled 1,461 PIM in 381 NHL games over his career. He played from 1983-84 to 1993-94 with the Boston Bruins, New York Islanders, Toronto, Buffalo Sabres and Washington Capitals. He played with Toronto between 1987-88 and 1990-91. Originally, Curran was a second round pick of the Bruins in 1982, 22^nd overall.