Toronto Maple Leafs

About the Toronto Maple Leafs

The Toronto Maple Leafs franchise was founded in 1917 and was one of the original members of the National Hockey League.

The team initially operated as Toronto and is commonly referred to today as the Toronto Arenas. In 1919, new ownership renamed the franchise the Toronto St. Patricks. Conn Smythe purchased the team in 1927 and changed its name to the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Toronto later became one of the teams associated with the NHL's “Original Six” era. From 1942-43 through 1966-67, the league consisted of the Maple Leafs, Boston Bruins, Chicago Blackhawks, Detroit Red Wings, Montreal Canadiens and New York Rangers.

The Maple Leafs have one of the richest histories in professional hockey, highlighted by 13 Stanley Cup championships.

Division History

When the NHL introduced divisions in 1926, Toronto became a member of the Canadian Division.

The league later eliminated divisions before bringing them back following expansion in 1967. Toronto then competed in the East Division alongside the other established NHL franchises.

League realignment in 1974 moved the Maple Leafs into the Adams Division. Another reorganization in 1981 placed Toronto in the Norris Division of the Campbell Conference.

When the NHL adopted geographic conference and division names in 1993, the Maple Leafs became members of the Central Division in the Western Conference.

Toronto moved back to the Eastern Conference in 1998 as a member of the Northeast Division.

Another league realignment in 2013 placed the Maple Leafs in the Atlantic Division, where they remain today.

The exception was the shortened 2020-21 season, when the NHL temporarily reorganized its divisions and placed all seven Canadian teams together in the North Division.

Championship History

The Maple Leafs have won 13 Stanley Cup championships, second only to the Montreal Canadiens among NHL franchises.

Toronto captured the first championship in franchise history during the NHL's inaugural 1917-18 season. The team, then known simply as Toronto, defeated the Vancouver Millionaires to win the Stanley Cup.

Another championship followed in 1922 under the Toronto St. Patricks name.

After becoming the Maple Leafs, Toronto won the Stanley Cup in 1932 and later developed into one of hockey's great dynasties during the 1940s and early 1950s.

One of the franchise's most famous championship runs came in 1942. Toronto fell behind the Detroit Red Wings 3-0 in the Stanley Cup Final before winning four consecutive games to capture the championship. The Maple Leafs remain the only team in NHL history to overcome a 3-0 series deficit in the Stanley Cup Final.

Toronto went on to win Stanley Cups in 1945, 1947, 1948, 1949 and 1951.

Another championship era followed in the 1960s. The Maple Leafs won three consecutive Stanley Cups from 1962 through 1964 before capturing another championship in 1967.

The 1967 Stanley Cup remains the franchise's most recent championship.

Toronto has won seven division championships. The Maple Leafs captured the North Division during the shortened 2020-21 season and won the Atlantic Division for the first time in 2024-25.

The 2024-25 team finished with 108 points and defeated the Ottawa Senators in the opening round of the playoffs before losing a seven-game second-round series to the eventual Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers.

Toronto then missed the playoffs in 2025-26, ending a run of nine consecutive postseason appearances.

The Leafs' Home

The Maple Leafs play their home games at Scotiabank Arena in downtown Toronto.

The franchise played its earliest seasons at Arena Gardens before moving into Maple Leaf Gardens in 1931.

Maple Leaf Gardens became one of the most famous arenas in hockey history and hosted many of Toronto's Stanley Cup championship teams. The Maple Leafs remained there for more than six decades.

Toronto played its final game at Maple Leaf Gardens in February 1999 before moving into a new downtown arena originally known as Air Canada Centre.

The building was renamed Scotiabank Arena in 2018.

Located near Toronto's waterfront and Union Station, Scotiabank Arena is also home to the NBA's Toronto Raptors. Its listed hockey capacity is 18,819.

Notable Maple Leafs

Mats Sundin remains the leading scorer in Maple Leafs history.

Toronto acquired the Swedish center from the Quebec Nordiques in 1994, and Sundin spent 13 seasons with the franchise.

He recorded 420 goals, 567 assists and 987 points in 981 regular-season games for the Maple Leafs. His 987 points remain the franchise record.

Sundin served as team captain for 11 seasons and helped Toronto reach the Eastern Conference Final in both 1999 and 2002.

His No. 13 was retired by the Maple Leafs, and he was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2012.

Auston Matthews became the greatest goal scorer in franchise history after Toronto selected him with the first overall pick in the 2016 NHL Draft.

Matthews scored four goals in his NHL debut and quickly developed into one of the league's elite offensive players.

He has won multiple Maurice “Rocket” Richard Trophies as the NHL's leading goal scorer and received both the Hart Trophy as league MVP and the Ted Lindsay Award following the 2021-22 season.

In January 2026, Matthews passed Sundin's previous franchise record of 420 goals to become the Maple Leafs' all-time leading goal scorer.

Darryl Sittler became one of Toronto's biggest stars during the 1970s.

Sittler recorded 389 goals, 527 assists and 916 points during his time with the Maple Leafs and remains one of the leading scorers in franchise history.

His most famous performance came on February 7, 1976, when he recorded six goals and four assists against the Boston Bruins. His 10 points remain the NHL record for most points by one player in a single game.

Sittler later served as Toronto captain, and his No. 27 was retired by the franchise.

Dave Keon became one of the defining Maple Leafs of the franchise's last championship era.

Keon spent 15 seasons with Toronto and recorded 365 goals and 858 points. He played on four Stanley Cup-winning teams in 1962, 1963, 1964 and 1967.

During Toronto's 1967 championship run, Keon won the Conn Smythe Trophy as the most valuable player of the playoffs.

His No. 14 was retired by the Maple Leafs.

Borje Salming became one of the most important European players in NHL history during his 16 seasons with Toronto.

The Swedish defenseman joined the Maple Leafs in 1973 at a time when European players were still relatively uncommon in the NHL and went on to become one of the league's premier defensemen.

Salming played 1,099 regular-season games for Toronto and recorded 620 assists and 768 points. He remains the franchise's highest-scoring defenseman.

His No. 21 was retired by the Maple Leafs, and Salming became the first Swedish player inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame.

Other prominent players in Maple Leafs history include Hap Day, Charlie Conacher, Syl Apps, Ted Kennedy, Turk Broda, Johnny Bower, Tim Horton, George Armstrong, Frank Mahovlich, Wendel Clark and Doug Gilmour.