Toronto Maple Leafs honor their past greats

Former Maple Leafs’ greats Tim Horton, Turk Broda and Dave Keon join Toronto’s Legends Row

Next fall will mark the 100-year anniversary since the Toronto Maple Leafs joined the National Hockey League.

They are an Original Six franchise and have won 13 Stanley Cups. However, as most people are aware, there have been a lot more negatives than positives over the past half century. The team has not won the Stanley Cup Final since 1967. There is an entire generation that is lost as people under 50 years old are unfamiliar with this team being a championship team.

One positive over the last 50 years is the creation of Legends Row outside the Air Canada Centre in Toronto. The Maple Leafs have created statues outside the arena in memory of Leaf greats. Some of the names that are cherished are Ted Kennedy, Mats Sundin, Borje Salming, Syl Apps, George Armstrong, Johnny Bower and Darryl Sittler.

According to Mapleleafs.com, the hockey club will have three more names to honor next fall. They are goaltender Turk Broda, forward Dave Keon and defenseman Tim Horton.

Broda played in 629 regular season games in Toronto as its goalie. Over his career, all with the Maple Leafs, he won 302 games. Many fans of that era believed that Broda and Bower were the two best Leaf goaltenders. Broda died in October 1972 at the age of 58.

People in Canada will think of the doughnut chain when they hear the name Tim Horton. However, the chain was named after the Leafs defenseman. Over 20 seasons spent in Toronto, Horton scored 458 points over 1,185 games. In February 1974, Horton lost his life at the age of 44 after being involved in a car accident just west of Toronto.

Keon is still considered to be one of the best players ever to wear the blue and white. He was an integral part of the franchise for 15 seasons. In 1,062 regular season games in Toronto he was almost a point-a-game producer putting up 858 points.

There was a lot of friction, however, between former Leafs owner Harold Ballard and Keon.  Keon felt Toronto’s past players needed to be honored and jerseys retired. Ballard disagreed. After many years, since Ballard’s passing, the Maple Leafs and Keon appear to be unifying their relationship. The Keon tribute is a definite sign and learning tool to fans that broken relationships can be repaired.

Honoring these three men is a great move for the Maple Leafs.