The Toronto Maple Leafs were established in 1917 as a founding member of the National Hockey League, although they initially played without an official nickname 1)
In their very first season of existence in 1917-18, the Toronto team (then known as the Arenas) won the Stanley Cup by defeating the Vancouver Millionaires 2)
From 1919 to 1927, the franchise was known as the Toronto St. Patricks, adopting green and white colors to appeal to the city's large Irish population 3)
Conn Smythe purchased the struggling St. Patricks in 1927 for $160,000, keeping the team in Toronto and renaming them the Maple Leafs 4)
Conn Smythe chose the name “Maple Leafs” to honor the Maple Leaf Regiment of the Canadian Army that served during World War I 5)
The team’s legendary home, Maple Leaf Gardens, was built in just five months during the Great Depression and opened on November 12, 1931 6)
Legendary broadcaster Foster Hewitt, who called the first game at Maple Leaf Gardens, popularized the iconic phrase “He shoots, he scores!” 7)
In 1951, Bill Barilko scored the Stanley Cup-winning overtime goal and tragically disappeared in a plane crash just months later 8)
The Maple Leafs did not win another Stanley Cup until 1962, the same year that Bill Barilko's plane wreckage was finally discovered in Northern Ontario 9)
The Maple Leafs' most recent Stanley Cup victory occurred in 1967, which was also the final year of the NHL's “Original Six” era 10)
As of 2026, the Toronto Maple Leafs hold the record for the longest active Stanley Cup championship drought in NHL history 11)
On February 7, 1976, Darryl Sittler set an NHL record by recording 10 points (six goals and four assists) in a single game against the Boston Bruins 12)
During the 2023-24 season, Auston Matthews set a modern franchise record by scoring 69 goals, the highest total in the NHL in over 30 years 13)
Auston Matthews became the first player in the modern era to score four goals in his very first NHL game on October 12, 2016 14)
George “The Chief” Armstrong is the longest-serving captain in franchise history, leading the team for 13 seasons and four Stanley Cups 15)
In 2018, the team's home arena was renamed Scotiabank Arena in a 20-year deal worth a reported $800 million CAD 16)
At the time it was signed, the Scotiabank Arena naming rights deal was believed to be the highest-priced annual venue sponsorship in North American sports 17)
Since 2009, the MLSE Foundation (the team's charitable arm) has invested more than $74 million into Ontario communities to support youth through sport 18)
The Toronto Maple Leafs have won a total of 13 Stanley Cup championships, the second-most in NHL history behind the Montreal Canadiens 19)
The first nationally televised hockey game in Canada featured the Toronto Maple Leafs playing the Boston Bruins on November 1, 1952 20)
Ace Bailey's number 6 was the first number ever retired by the Maple Leafs, following a career-ending injury in 1933 21)
Hall of Fame goaltender Johnny Bower did not become a regular NHL starter until age 33, yet he led the Leafs to four Stanley Cups 22)
Mats Sundin remains the franchise's all-time leader in career points with 987, recorded over 13 seasons in Toronto 23)
In 1997, Mats Sundin became the first European-born player to be named captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs 24)
Borje Salming was the first European star to truly dominate the NHL, playing 16 seasons for the Maple Leafs and paving the way for future international players 25)
The Maple Leafs' victory in 1967 remains the last Stanley Cup won by a team comprised entirely of players from the “Original Six” era 26)
The famous photo of Bill Barilko flying through the air after scoring the 1951 winning goal is considered one of the most iconic images in hockey history 27)
Before his 10-point game, Darryl Sittler famously ate a meal of chicken and fries from Swiss Chalet in his car on the way to the arena 28)
Foster Hewitt broadcasted games from a specialized “gondola” suspended high above the ice at Maple Leaf Gardens 29)
The first radio broadcast of a Toronto hockey game took place in 1923, featuring a match between the Toronto St. Patricks and Ottawa Senators 30)
Since opening in 1999, the venue (formerly the Air Canada Centre) has hosted over 36 million guests for sports and entertainment events 31)
As of late 2025, the Toronto Maple Leafs are consistently ranked as one of the three most valuable franchises in the National Hockey League 32)
After the team moved out in 1999, Maple Leaf Gardens was eventually converted into a multi-use facility including a Loblaws grocery store and a university arena 33)
The 1918 Stanley Cup Finals were played under a mix of NHL and PCHA rules, rotating the use of a “rover” player game by game 34)
In the inaugural 1917-18 season, Harry Cameron became the first defenseman in NHL history to score four goals in a single game 35)
The Maple Leafs played at the Mutual Street Arena from 1917 until the opening of Maple Leaf Gardens in 1931 36)
While the first NHL game was in Montreal, Toronto’s match on the same night in 1917 featured a 10-9 scoreline, showcasing the league's high-scoring start 37)
In 2016, to celebrate their centennial, the Maple Leafs officially retired the numbers of 17 different legendary players simultaneously 38)
In 1967, Dave Keon became one of the few players to win the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP while playing for a Stanley Cup-winning Maple Leafs team 39)
The story of Bill Barilko’s 1951 goal and disappearance was immortalized in the hit song “Fifty-Mission Cap” by the Canadian band The Tragically Hip 40)
Toronto hosted the very first official NHL All-Star Game in 1947, a benefit match between the Maple Leafs and a team of NHL stars 41)
In 1982, Rick Vaive became the first player in Toronto Maple Leafs history to score 50 goals in a single season 42)
In 2017, the team's foundation opened MLSE LaunchPad, a 42,000-square-foot facility dedicated to using sport to help youth facing barriers 43)
Wendel Clark is the only player in franchise history to be drafted first overall (1985) and have three separate playing stints with the team 44)
Only 700 people reportedly attended Toronto's first-ever NHL home game in 1917, a stark contrast to the massive global following the team has today 45)