Darryl Sittler: The Trades

Darryl Sittler was selected by the Toronto Maple Leafs in the first round of the 1970 NHL Amateur Draft, eighth overall. The junior star with the London Knights was picked behind seven players: Gilbert Perreault, Dale Tallon, Reg Leach, Rick MacLeish, Ray Martyniuk, Chuck Lefley and Greg Polis. Of the 115 players taken in the 1970 draft, just Sittler and Perreault reached the 1,000 game plateau. 

Leaving Toronto

On January 20, 1982, the Maple Leafs traded their captain and centerpiece to the Philadelphia Flyers. Rick Costello and a 1982 draft pick that turned out to be Peter Ihnacak went to Toronto. Sittler played the rest of the 1981-82 NHL season with the Flyers, following by two more full campaigns. In 1982-83, he scored an impressive 43 goals, the fifth and final time he surpassed the 40 goal plateau.

Rich Costello played a total of 12 games for Toronto, ten in 1983-84 and two in 1985-86. Peter Ihnacak provided a little more value, appearing in 417 regular season and 28 playoff games in the NHL between 1982-83 and 1989-90, all with the Maple Leafs. 

Off To Detroit

Just prior to the start of the 1984-85 NHL season, on October 10, 1984, Darryl was on the move again. This time, he was traded to the Detroit Red Wings for Murray Craven and Joe Paterson. Sittler finished out the year with the Wings, playing 61 games and collecting 27 points, before retiring as a player.

The trade was definitely won by the Flyers. Craven, a first round pick in 1982 out of the Medicine Hat Tigers, stayed with the Flyers until 12 games into the 1991-92 season before moving on to the Hartford Whalers. Murray played 1,071 regular season and 118 playoff games in the NHL between 1982-83 and 1999-00 with the Red Wings, Flyers, Whalers, Vancouver Canucks, Chicago Blackhawks and San Jose Sharks.

Joe Paterson played just eleven regular season and 17 playoff games with the Flyers before moving on to the Los Angeles Kings. Another London Knights grad, Paterson played 291 regular season and 22 playoff games in the NHL between 1980-81 and 1988-89 with the Red Wings, Flyers, Kings and New York Rangers.

Darryl Sittler 1972-73 O-Pee-Chee Vintage Hockey Card

 A quick look at a young Darryl Sittler of the Toronto Maple Leafs. In this 1972-73 O-Pee-Chee 188 hockey card, Sittler was struggling to find his spot in the National Hockey League. However, it was that 1972-73 season when Darryl began to be an offensive threat in the NHL. It was that year where his Hockey Hall of Fame career really started to take off.

Darryl Sittler Toronto Maple Leafs 1972-73 O-Pee-Chee 188 Hockey Card [Video]

Here's a look at our YouTube Shorts feature on this hockey card. Enjoy! Please, hit the 'like' button and consider subscribing to our YouTube Channel...

NHL Hockey Trivia: Toronto Maple Leafs Individual Records

The Toronto Maple Leafs are one of the oldest franchises in the National Hockey League and were once one of the most successful. The individual records of the Toronto Maple Leafs may not be as flashy as other NHL teams but the players involved are often legends of the game.

Test and expand your knowledge of Toronto Maple Leafs records with these four hockey trivia questions and answers.

Q. Before Rick Vaive came along in the early 1980’s and lifted Toronto’s goal scoring record above the 50 goal plateau, the Maple Leafs record for most goals in a season had stood since the 1960-61 season. Who held Toronto’s record for most goals in a season previous to the 1981-82 NHL season?

A. In 1960-61, Frank Mahovlich finished the season with 48 goals. The total was good for second in the NHL behind Bernie Geoffrion of the Montreal Canadiens who scored 50. It should be noted that Mahovlich did this when the Maple Leafs only played a 70 game schedule. Frank topped his personal best in 1968-69 as a member of the Detroit Red Wings, scoring 49.

Q. What Hockey Hall of Fame member holds the Toronto Maple Leafs record for most assists in a single season?

A. Doug Gilmour holds the record with 95 in 1992-93. This is the seventeenth highest single season total in NHL history. Gilmour also holds the number 2 spot in this category with 84 assists in the following season.

Gilmour totalled 964 assists over his NHL career. He played in the league from 1983-84 to 2002-03 with the St. Louis Blues, Calgary Flames, Toronto, New Jersey Devils, Chicago Blackhawks, Buffalo Sabres and Montreal Canadiens. Doug was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2011.

Q. What Toronto Maple Leafs goaltender holds the team career record for most shutouts, most wins and most losses?

A. Walter ‘Turk’ Broda played with Toronto from 1936-37 to 1951-52. Toronto was Broda’s only NHL club and finished his career with 62 shutouts, 302 wins and 224 losses. In eight of his seasons with the Maple Leafs, Broda appeared in every single regular season game. Twice, he was the recipient of the Vezina Trophy. In 1967, 15 years after retiring as a player, Turk was finally inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame.

Q. There are four players that have scored more than 300 goals as a Toronto Maple Leaf. Who holds the record for most goals in a Maple Leafs jersey?

A. Mats Sundin left Toronto after the 2007-08 season having scored 420 goals for the Maple Leafs. Darryl Sittler had held the mark at 389 before that. Dave Keon scored 365 as a Maple Leaf and Ron Ellis scored 332 in Toronto.

Sundin scored 564 goals over his National Hockey League career. That total ties him for 21^st overall with Joe Nieuwendyk. The first overall pick at the 1989 NHL Entry Draft by the Quebec Nordiques played in the NHL from 1990-91 to 2008-09 with Quebec, Toronto and the Vancouver Canucks. Sundin entered the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2012.

NHL Hockey Trivia: Darryl Sittler

Darryl Sittler is one of the greatest legends in the history of the National Hockey League’s Toronto Maple Leafs. Sittler is a Hockey Hall of Fame member that has certainly left his mark on the game. His record of ten points in a single game that was set in 1976 against the Boston Bruins still stands today. Test and expand your hockey knowledge with the following four hockey trivia questions and answers.

Q. When Darryl Sittler was traded from the Philadelphia Flyers to the Detroit Red Wings for the start of the 1984-85 season, what player, who would play over 1,000 career NHL games, went in the other direction?

A. Sittler was traded to Detroit for an unproven youngster named Murray Craven. Philadelphia got the best of the deal with Sittler playing just 61 games with Detroit before retiring. Craven played 1,071 regular season NHL games with the Red Wings, Flyers, Hartford Whalers, Vancouver Canucks, Chicago Blackhawks and San Jose Sharks.

Joe Paterson also went to the Flyers in the deal. Joe played just six games for Philadelphia in 1984-85 and five more with the club in 1985-86 before being traded to the Los Angeles Kings. Paterson, who played his junior hockey for the same OHL team as Sittler, appeared in 291 NHL regular season games between 1980-81 and 1988-89 with the Red Wings, Flyers, Kings and New York Rangers.

Q. In 1977-78, Darryl Sittler finished third in the race for the Art Ross Trophy with 117 points. Who finished first in the NHL that season?

A. Guy Lafleur of the Montreal Canadiens won the Art Ross Trophy with 132 points. Bryan Trottier of the New York Islanders took second spot with 123 points. The three were the only ones to surpass the 100 point plateau that season.

It was the second and last time Darryl would reach the 100 point plateau. He totalled exactly 100 in 1975-76 over 79 games with the Maple Leafs. The 100 points placed him ninth in the race for the Art Ross Trophy.

Q. With what OHA team did Darryl Sittler record 99 points for in 1968-69?

A. Darryl was a member of the London Knights for three years from 1967-68 to 1969-70. 99 points was his highest single season total in the junior league and was accomplished over 53 games on 34 goals and 65 assists. He finished third in the OHA that season behind only Rejean Houle of the Montreal Junior Canadiens and Marcel Dionne of the St. Catherines Black Hawks.

In his third and final year with London, Sittler scored 42 and assisted on 48 for 90 points over 54 regular season games. He was the team’s leader by far with 24 more points than Dan Maloney. He tied Bobby Lalonde of the Montreal Junior Canadiens for sixth in goal scoring. Darryl was also tied for seventh in assists and held the sixth spot for total points.

Q. In what year was Darryl Sittler inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame?

A. Sittler entered the Hall of Fame in 1989. The only other two players to be inducted that season were Herbie Lewis, a member of the Detroit Cougars / Falcons / Red Wings in the late 1920’s and 1930’s and Vladislav Tretiak, the great Russian goaltender.

Hockey Trivia: NHL Goal Scoring Legend Joe Malone

Often over-looked when it comes to naming the greatest hockey players to ever play the game, Joe Malone is a name ever hockey fan should know. Because he played in the game’s infancy when there was a 24 game schedule, before the days of television broadcasts and in an age of whacky rules that would seem foreign to today’s fans and players, Joe Malone goes relatively unnoticed in the history of the National Hockey League.

The following four questions will test and expand the knowledge of the serious hockey fan and may even shock and amaze.

Q. Joe Malone still holds the NHL record for the highest goals per game average in one season after nearly a century has passed. With which team did Malone accomplish this feat?

A. Joe Malone, as a member of the Montreal Canadiens during the 1917-18 season, scored 44 goals in 20 games for an average of 2.2 goals per game. To put this into perspective, in today’s 82 game NHL schedule, that would equate to a 180 goal season. That was the first season of the NHL after the league transformed from the National Hockey Association. Therefore, Malone was the first ever scoring leader.

The 44 goals scored by Joe would remain a single season National Hockey League record until 1944-45. Maurice ‘Rocket’ Richard scored 50 goals that year, but it took him 50 games to do it.

Q. In 1920, Malone set the record for most goals in a NHL game with seven, a record that still stands today. What team did he score his seven goals against?

A. On January 31, 1920, Joe Malone scored seven goals for the Quebec Bulldogs against the Toronto St. Patricks (predecessor to the Toronto Maple Leafs) in a 10-6 win. He also had a six goal game the same year.

To date, just six other players have scored six goals in a single game. Newsy Lalonde accomplished the feat in that 1919-20 season. Corb Denneny of Toronto St. Pats and Cy Denneny of the Ottawa Senators scored six each in games the following season. Syd Howe of the Detroit Red Wings had six in a game during the 1943-44 season. Red Berenson of the St. Louis Blues had six in a 1968-69 game. The last player to accomplish the feat was Darryl Sittler of the Toronto Maple Leafs, nearly 40 years ago, during the 1975-76 season.

Q. What Ontario, Canada based NHL team did Joe Malone play two seasons for?

A. Not the Toronto Maple Leafs or Ottawa Senators. Joe Malone played two years for the Hamilton Tigers, 1920-21 and 1921-22. The Tigers were the result of the Quebec Bulldogs relocating. Malone moved on to the Montreal Canadiens for 1922-23 but his magic was lost. Joe scored just one goal while playing just 29 games over the next two years, his last in the NHL.

The Tigers lasted until the end of the 1924-25 season. For the most part, the Hamilton franchise became the New York Americans for 1925-26. A hard luck story, the Tigers did not qualify for the post season in the first four of their five years of existence. In 1924-25, the team finished first overall in the six team NHL. However, the Hamilton players went on strike and the NHL suspended the team before they could play a single game in the Stanley Cup playoffs.

Q. In what year was Joe Malone inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame?

A. Malone entered the Hall in 1950, five years after its creation and over 25 years after his playing career came to an end. Joe was part of a group of eight inducted that year. Included among the other seven was Malone’s teammate with the Canadiens in the first two years of the NHL, Newsy Lalonde.

 

 

3 From 1970 NHL Amateur Draft Now In Hockey Hall Of Fame

The 1970 NHL Amateur Draft was the first for the Buffalo Sabres and Vancouver Canucks and saw 14 teams select 115 players over 14 rounds. 62 of the 115 players went on to play at least one game in the National Hockey League. Three of the 115 went on to have stellar NHL careers and eventually get inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame.

Gilbert Perreault - 1990

Gilbert Perreault getting chosen first overall by the expansion Buffalo Sabres came down to a spin of the wheel. In deciding which of the two new teams would choose first, Buffalo and Vancouver each took a spin of ‘crown and anchor’ type wheel with Buffalo winning. The Sabres took Perreault and the Canucks took defenseman Dale Tallon.

Perreault was coming off a dominant junior season in the OHA, scoring 51 goals and totalling 121 points in 54 games for the Montreal Junior Canadiens. He finished second in the race for the Eddie Powers Trophy to Marcel Dionne of the St. Catherines Black Hawks, who finished with 132 points. Dionne would go second overall to the Detroit Red Wings in the 1971 draft.

Gilbert played his entire career with the Sabres, from 1970-71 to 1986-87. To this day, he is arguably the franchise’s greatest player. In his first season, he was awarded the Calder Memorial Trophy as the NHL’s top rookie while scoring 38 goals and assisting on 34 others. That, coupled with the Lady Byng Trophy he won in 1972-73 would be the only major individual awards Perreault would win. He finished his career with 512 goals and 1,326 points. Gilbert Perreault was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1990.

Darryl Sittler - 1989

Darryl Sittler was taken in the eighth position by the Toronto Maple Leafs after playing three years of junior hockey with the OHA’s London Knights. Although an immediate regular with Toronto, Sittler was a bit slower to start than his counterpart in Buffalo. In his first two seasons, Darryl contributed just 50 points in 123 regular season games.

Sittler played nearly 1,100 regular season games in the NHL between 1970-71 and 1984-85 with the Maple Leafs, Philadelphia Flyers and Detroit Red Wings. Never a Stanley Cup winner and never the recipient of a major NHL individual award, Darryl did have two 100+ points seasons with Toronto and ended his career with 484 goals and 1,121 points. Darryl Sittler was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1989.

Billy Smith - 1993

NHL teams rarely select goaltenders in the early rounds of the draft. Thus was the case with Billy Smith. The junior star with the Cornwall Royals of the QMJHL was taken down in the fifth round by the Los Angeles Kings, 59^th overall. Smith played just five games with the Kings in 1971-72 but became a regular with the New York Islanders in their inaugural season, 1972-73.

Smith was mostly New York’s number one goalie until he retired after the 1988-89 season. He viscously guarded between the pipes as the Islanders won four consecutive Stanley Cup championships from 1979-80 to 1982-83. Billy was awarded the Vezina Trophy in 1981-82 and received the Conn Smythe Trophy the following season as the MVP of the Stanley Cup playoffs. Billy Smith was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1993.