Legends Row grows to 10 former Leafs stars
Keon had input with sculptor on final details of his statue, including hair and sideburns
When the Maple Leafs unveil their latest additions to Legends Row on Thursday, sculptor Erik Blome will be watching nervously.
The Chicago-based artist has created every statue for the Maple Leaf Square display, which will grow to 10 with the likenesses of Dave Keon, Tim Horton, and Turk Broda. Blome will be attending his fourth unveiling.
“I’ve come to enjoy the facts and history about these guys,” Blome said Wednesday.
“When I meet their family members, we talk about their famous dads, and they’re excited to tell me things, and a lot of the time, I know those things, so it’s kinda cool.”
The Legends Row unveiling is part of the weekend festivities surrounding the Leafs’ home opener Saturday against Boston, which also includes the team’s top 100 players of all time.
While fans are awaiting the debuts of teenagers Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner, seen as the team’s future, the franchise’s centennial season will celebrate the past, with a host of events leading up to a game on Dec. 19, 2017, the team’s 100th anniversary.
The Leafs’ 7 p.m. game Saturday will be preceded by an hour-long, live broadcast, with ceremonies commemorating the 100th home opener. Fans are being asked to be in their seats by 5:30 p.m., and the club is offering a free beer to those who are in their seats by that time.
First up, though, are the statues. Keon was in Blome’s Chicago-area studio in August when the sculptor had his basic likeness completed. There were, however, details to be taken care of and, with Keon’s help, Blome learned more about hockey and its history — all important tools in the creation process.
“(Keon’s) wife and daughter were there ahead of time, then he came down, and he wanted to be involved,” said Blome, who has also created statues of Rosa Parks, Jack Benny and historical figures.
“He had me change the hair . . . if you look at Dave Keon, he had probably 10 different hairstyles over the years but, for this, he wanted the sideburns era.
“And when you look at hundreds of pictures of him, you get down to ‘what do you want your stick to look like, what do you want your skates to look like?’
“So he took a pair of skates I had in the studio and tied them the way he wanted them to tied. And he got a stick and taped it the way he wanted. It was very helpful.”
Keon will be present Thursday, along with members of the Horton and Broda families.
For Blome, who spent 12 months working on the latest three statues, the moment will be extra special since he will be joined by family members for the first time since he began creating the statues for Leg- ends Row.
“My dad was an artist,” Blome, 49, said of his father, Donald, who owned a graphic design studio in downtown Chicago for decades.
“He passed away during this process, before the unveiling (of the first three statues). I was in shock, my dad was my mentor. My mother (Phyllis) is coming here from North Carolina. My dad did graphic design for years for a lot of big companies in Chicago, and I learned so much from him.”
Keon, Broda, and Horton are joining Johnny Bower, George Armstrong, Ted Kennedy, Syl Apps, Darryl Sittler, Mats Sundin and Borje Salming on Legends Row. This latest unveiling is expected to show Armstrong’s hand on Keon’s back, a symbol of the passing of the Leafs captaincy.
The display will grow again in 2017, with potential additions including Frank Mahovlich, Red Kelly and Wendel Clark.
It may also include its first coaches, with Punch Imlach and Conn Smythe potential candidates.