David Shoalts - Tales from the Toronto Maple Leafs Locker Room: A Collection of the Greatest Maple Leafs Stories Ever Told

TALES FROM THE
TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS
LOCKER ROOM

TALES FROM THE
TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS
LOCKER ROOM

A COLLECTION OF THE GREATEST
MAPLE LEAFS STORIES EVER TOLD

DAVID SHOALTS

Copyright 2007, 2012 by David Shoalts

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available on file.

ISBN: 978-1-61321-240-0

Printed in the United States of America

To Yvonne, Rebecca, and Matthew

CONTENTS

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

When a team has a history as long and rich (at least in the earlier years) as the Toronto Maple Leafs, many of its stories pass into legend. Leaf fans of a certain age are all familiar with them, from how Conn Smythe got Maple Leaf Gardens built by convincing the workers to accept Gardens shares as part of their salaries, to the triumph of Bobby Bauns game-winning goal in overtime in the Stanley Cup final on a broken leg, to the time Darryl Sittler ripped the captains C off his sweater in protest of the trade of a friend.

The purpose of this book is not to retell all of those old stories, although the Baun saga is found here. Nor is this an anecdotal history of the franchise. This is a collection of stories that some people connected to the Leafs tell over dinner or a few drinks, tales that are interesting or funny or both. There is no historical thread here, only a wish to entertain.

I am indebted to a large group of people for these stories, some of whom wish to remain anonymous, given the nature of their anecdotes. My thanks go to all of them.

Bob Haggert, who was hired by Conn Smythe and Hap Day in the 1950s as a trainer and served through the first Punch Imlach era, was especially generous with his time. So was Jim McKenny, who played for Imlach and a succession of coaches through the 1970s and then took his talent for talk to television.

The Stellick brothers, Gord and Bob, are a couple of Toronto boys who landed dream jobs while they were still in high schoolgo-fers for the Maple Leafs. Both parlayed their jobs into long careers with the Leafs, with Gord rising to general manager and Bob to public relations director. They were witness to a lot of wild and wonderful events along the way, and I thank both men for sharing them.

Also generous with their time and recollections were a group of former and current Leaf staffers and players who are now, like Gord Stellick and McKenny, in the broadcasting business. Bill Watters, the former assistant GM of the Leafs, and his old sidekick Joe Bowen, the sworn enemy of silence who still calls Leaf games, were invaluable. Glenn Healy, contender for the title of the worlds most loquacious goalie, and Bob McGill also contributed.

There were many reference materials I consulted to check factual matters such as times, dates, and names. The one I found myself picking up more than any other was Toronto author Jack Battens anecdotal history, The Leafs.

My fellow hockey writers in Toronto were also a valuable resource, particularly Lance Hornby of the Toronto Sun and Paul Hunter of the Toronto Star. I would especially like to thank my friend and colleague at The Globe and Mail, Tim Wharnsby. My boss, Globe sports editor Steve McAllister, also deserves a salute for his support.

Finally, books do not get written while holding down a full-time job unless you have a supportive family. This is the second book Ive written, and like the first one, it came along in the midst of a major home renovation project. I am forever grateful to my wife, Yvonne, who said, Just worry about the book, and to my children, Rebecca and Matthew, for their support. I also owe many thanks to my father, Roy, for his leadership on the renovation side and to my mother, Vivian, for not minding all the time Dad spends on it.

LEAFS POTPOURRI

Walter Gretzky, hockeys most famous dad, is also one of the worlds most famous Toronto Maple Leafs fans. This is not an act of disloyalty to his son Wayne, who came close on one occasion but never did play for the Maple Leafs. As a native of Brantford, Ontario, just a 90-minute drive from Toronto, it is natural for Walter to cheer for the Blue and White, and he is a fixture at the Air Canada Centre.

In the summer of 2005, Wayne decided to reward his fathers loyalty by purchasing a road trip with the Maple Leafs for him at a charity auction. As it turned out, the trip in earlyjanuary 2006 was therapeutic for Walter. It came a couple of weeks after his wife and Waynes mother, Phyllis, had died of cancer.

Walter got to travel on the Leafs charter flights, stay at their hotel, and ride on the team bus. He told reporters the trip helped him cope with the loss of his wife.

However, the trip did not start well for the diehard Leafs fan. The Leafs lost their first game 10 to the Calgary Flames, and all agreed they did not play well. Naturally Walter was not happy, although he is not the kind of fellow to throw a public tantrum.

The next night they were in Edmonton, and a few hours before the game Walter and the Leafs climbed on the team bus for the ride from the hotel to the arena. As soon as the bus was underway, Walter stood up, went to the back of the bus, and faced the players.

Well, ladies, are we going to be better tonight? he asked.

The Leafs responded with a 32 win over the Oilers, and Walter was smiling again.

In the years after the Air Canada Centre opened on February 20, 1999, the tour guides had a favourite story about the Maple Leafs dressing room that involved head coach Pat Quinn and the Leaf logo on the floor.

Before I tell the tale, there are a couple of things to remember about Quinn in those days. One, Quinns relationship with his players did not lend itself to heartfelt, emotional speeches. Two, before a heart arrhythmia frightened the coach into embracing a healthier lifestyle, Quinns love of cigars, good scotch, and thick steaks, along with a hip replacement, kept him well north of the slim line.

Now, as is the fashion in many NHL cities, the Leaf logo is emblazoned on the carpet in the middle of the dressing room. Some teams have functionaries shooing interlopers from their logo, telling them not to step on it. The Leafs, however, very sensibly keep theirs covered up by a circular rug. This is where the tour guides tale comes in.

At least one tour guide was said to regularly take a group of wideeyed fans into the Leaf dressing room and gather them around the Leaf logo. Before every Leaf game, the guide would say, Pat Quinn gives his pep talk to the players. Then, as he finishes, Mr. Quinn bends over, pulls the rug off the logo, and yells, Go get em, boys! Then the players charge out to the ice.