NO FOOLIN’
These weird, wacky Maple Leafs stories are true
There’s no recognized April Fool’s Day in hockey, though Brian Burke used to joke NHL general managers made more mistakes on freeagent day than the rest of the year combined.
The origins of devoting the first of this month to pranks across world are hazy. Theories include the disputed calendars in many European countries in the Middle Ages, some with April 1 as New Year’s, or a passage in Geoffrey Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales about a rooster being tricked into thinking March had 32 days.
Punking is prevalent throughout the NHL schedule and the Toronto Maple Leafs have certainly been part of many game-night shenanigans in their 102-year franchise history; some funny, some frustrating, if not embarrassing episodes of their own making.
There could be one unusual occurrence for each day of the Leafs Nation year, but we’ve narrowed it to these highlights:
JAN. 5, 1918
This was the game where nobody came.
When the Montreal Wanderers rink burned down, it was decided not to send the team to Toronto for its scheduled match. But with tickets already sold at Mutual St. Arena, the hosts wanted to cover their legal obligations. At the appointed puck drop of 8:30 p.m., five players and goalie Hap Holmes came out at the near empty rink, referee Lou Marsh dropped the puck, Cy Denneny skated to an empty net and scored and Toronto departed the ice.
The Arenas, Canadiens and Senators were left to complete the season.
FEB. 23, 1918
Today’s quote-starved fans craving colourful Leafs would have loved Ken Randall.
A member of the inaugural Toronto Arenas in 1917-18, who could play wing or defence, the Kingston, Ont., native was already a terror in a couple of leagues before the NHL. He was constantly in trouble for swearing, reckless stick use and other misdeeds, yet his skill and sass helped make him the franchise’s first captain.
With a number of unpaid league fines on his tab before this game against Ottawa, referee Marsh warned Randall he’d have to cough up $35 on the spot or not play. Randall produced $32 in bills just before the faceoff, but out of spite gave Marsh the balance in pennies.
As Marsh struggled to hold and count the 300 coppers, a player bumped into him and the coins flew everywhere, causing a delay while the Leafs and Senators picked them all off the ice.
MARCH 15, 1932
If the foul was warranted, goaltenders in this era had to serve their own penalties.
Such was the case with Lorne Chabot, assessed a minor in Boston. And he couldn’t return when the opposition scored, so three Leaf defencemen, Red Horner, Alex Levinsky and King Clancy, went in net and allowed a goal each. Toronto lost 6-2.
NOV. 24, 1935
This tale involves the other Scotty Bowman, (no relation to the coach), but who also was with the Red Wings, as a defenceman.
Penalized in this game, Bowman hid from the officials while Syd Howe (no relation to Gordie, but a great player in his own time) went to the box instead. The Leafs pointed out the chicanery to the ref and Howe was sent back in to serve another minor.
DEC. 1, 1949
Most people thought manager Conn Smythe’s threatened benching of stars such as Turk Broda for being overweight was a publicity stunt to distract from the Grey Cup hoopla going on in Toronto the last week of November.
But after a five-game winless streak, he did pull Broda and put Gilles Mayer in net for this 2-0 loss to Detroit, telling reporters “I’m not running a fat man’s club.”
Broda had to shed a few pounds, known as The Battle of the Bulge, which the city followed every day with dietary tips for the roly-poly goalie. A few nights later, Broda returned with a 2-0 shutout.
JAN. 30, 1965
Career backup goalie Jack Norris thought his big day had finally come, a start against the threetime champion Leafs at the Gardens, no less.
Eddie Johnston, who’d played 160 straight games for Boston, was down with a bad flu and with no spare on the trip, Norris was flown all the way from the Bruins’ farm team in Los Angeles the night before the match.
But Norris’s equipment was stolen from the team’s Toronto hotel and the ailing Johnston had to go in, anyway. Not long into the game, he was slashed and suffered a broken hand, but endured to finish the 6-1 loss.
The home-and-home the next night saw Norris in goal, wearing Johnston’s equipment, but losing 4-2 to the Leafs.
MARCH 24, 1971
The Leafs were on a California road trip and a few members of the Golden Seals stopped by Toronto’s game-day skate in Oakland.
They noticed an unfamiliar face struggling to keep up. It was actor Art Hindle, who’d been quietly invited along to get immersed in his role as Billy Duke for the upcoming Canadian-made movie Face- Off.
With no idea who Hindle was or the movie plan, the Seals began mocking his poor skill set. Paul Henderson overheard and warned them Hindle was a minor league goon who could snap at any moment and might be playing that night. The Seals were relieved not to see him in the lineup.
Hindle got so caught up in the role, he stayed out too long with the boys and missed a team flight, resulting in a fine.
FEB. 26, 1978
Embroiled in dispute with NHL president John Ziegler about refusing to put names on the back of players’ sweaters, owner Harold Ballard came up with a devious plan.
When his team played the Blackhawks at Chicago Stadium, the names were there, but in the same blue lettering as Toronto’s road sweaters, making them unreadable. Ballard, who had long claimed he was trying to protect home-game program sales, was quite pleased with himself. The root of the issue was really his resentment of Ziegler telling him what to do in his own building.
After Toronto wore the controversial costumes a second night on Long Island, N.Y., Ziegler threatened to increase the US$10,000 fine, which got the frugal Ballard’s attention. The names appeared correctly for a March 1 game against the Flyers, while Gardens organist Ralph Fraser played Bobby Vinton’s Blue on Blue.
MARCH 3, 1979
Coach Roger Neilson’s many attempts to circumvent NHL rules could fill volumes, but this night he narrowly escaped national embarrassment himself.
Neilson was fired two days earlier by Ballard, who then found none of his hockey office staff wanted the no-win job. When the players asked to have Neilson back, Ballard relented — if the coach would go along with a gag to wear a paper bag over his head before the home game against the Flyers. He was to remove it just before the faceoff.
Exhausted by the whole affair, Neilson said yes, until assistant coach Al Dunford warned he’d come out of the crazy affair looking as silly as Ballard. Without the bag, Neilson and the Leafs won, but he was soon fired for real.
MARCH 28, 1980
A lot was happening in this 8-5 loss to the Oilers, including Borje Salming called for closing his hand on a puck in Mike Palmateer’s crease.
Referee Ron Hoggarth awarded a penalty shot to Stan Weir, but in the absence of video review, a Leafs mob went after Hoggarth to argue. As that debate raged, an angry fan got to the gate (the benches were unsecured in those days at the Gardens) and released some mice onto the ice. Maintenance men were sent out with shovels to scoop up the scurrying rodents (no, they didn’t play Three Blind Mice). Weir patiently skated around during this long delay and eventually scored on Palmateer.
This game also became a popular numerical trivia question, why only two of Wayne Gretzky’s goals counted in this game when No. 99 scored five times?
Because the Leafs had their own 99 at the time, forward Wilf Paiement, who recorded a hat trick in defeat.
APRIL 1, 1989
This goalie gamble actually happened on an April Fool’s Day and the Leafs certainly confused fans in St. Louis.
As the seconds ticked toward a 3-3 overtime tie, which most teams would take on the road, coach George Armstrong suddenly called Allan Bester to the bench for a sixth man. It was motivated by the standings on the final weekend of regular play. The Leafs needed to pass Chicago, which was two points up and where they were playing next night to end the schedule, thus a draw versus the Blues meant nothing.
Yet not only did the Leafs become the first team ever to lose in overtime on an empty-net goal, they fell in overtime to the Hawks and were eliminated.
OCT. 11, 1989
Doug Carpenter will never forget his first home game as coach of the Leafs.
Many disgruntled fans wanted him to serve the minor penalty given the team right after the national anthem against the Sabres.
Toronto submitted a faulty starting lineup, spotted by ex-captain Rick Vaive on the Buffalo bench. Vaive noticed that Gary Leeman’s No. 11 had been circled on the sheet, but Vince Damphousse — No. 10 — was in the circle.
Vaive told the Sabres coaches, who alerted the officials. Dave Andreychuk scored on the ensuing power play to initiate a 7-1 beating.
JAN. 3, 1991
The Bloomington Met Center had one of the NHL’s first bigscreen colour replay boards, but it riled old-school Leafs coach Tom Watt.
When the North Stars goals were replayed in full glory with broadcast commentary, an irate Watt declared it “cheerleading” and said by league rule the Stars should get a minor penalty. He even carried his protest to the league.
On March 11, 1992, after a few more Toronto losses there, a fedup Watt had a plan to pull his team off the ice the first time Minnesota replayed a goal. The showdown was averted when the Leafs had a 3-0 shutout.
NOV. 13, 2003
Not much scared Darcy Tucker, except a ghost story.
The night before a game against the Kings, the Leafs were in the old Biltmore Hotel in L.A., scene of the Black Dahlia murder in the 1940s and supposedly still haunted by the spirit of the aspiring actress, last seen alive in its lobby. The story was casually told to Tucker by mischievous teammates as they checked in.
With help from his roomie, Bryan McCabe, Tucker was stalled downstairs long enough for Tom Fitzgerald and Ed Belfour to hide under his bed and in the closet, respectively. About a half-hour after Tucker was tucked in, Fitzgerald started lightly tugging on the blankets to startle him awake and then Belfour scratched at the door. Tucker jumped so high he almost landed in McCabe’s bed.