Nitzy's Hockey Toons

 Bob Pulford is a legitimate Hall of Fame selection. Pully, in a cool old Leaf photo. Stats for Game 6 of the Cup Final when Imlach employed defencemen to take over 1/3rd of the face-offs.

 Did the NHL make new rules in 1964 to curtail Baun and the Leafs defensive ways? Bobby Baun and the Ice Capades.

Some great photos of S awchuk as a Leaf. Sawchuk and the Leafs as they prepared for Game 6 of the '67 Final . Sawchuk had a ridiculous beginning to his career, after that, not so much.  

  Ron Ellis and Team Canada '72 had a reunion game at Maple Leaf Gardens in 1985 and I was there. In 1979, Ellis capped off the Leafs NHL playoff record of three goals in 23 seconds . Ellis played and scored in the 1968 NHL All-Star Game , the last time the All-Stars played the previous season's Stanley Cup champs.

Tim Horton was almost killed, in 1951 The time in 1965 when Horton turned into a goal-scoring forward Here's how Horton and the Leafs prepared on game day in 1962  

  Eddie Shack, The Entertainer My poem, Schinkel to Shack to Shock Shack on the cover of a 1965 Hockey Illustrated  And here inside 1964 The Maple Leafs Colouring Book

Dave Keon, How to Play Forward Booklet.   One of my favourite  pieces in The Den, Dave Keon Skate Sharpener. Dave Keon was one of hockey's most gentlemanly players ever.

Leonard "Red" Kelly, one of the all-time greats. I had the pleasure of meeting and chatting with him for a good half hour at a Society for International Hockey Research meeting. To top it off, the meeting was held at the house of the Ultimate Leaf Fan, Mike Wilson in Toronto.  A great story of Kelly while he was coaching the Leafs.

 The Chief. His 1188 games played are still the most ever in Maple Leafs franchise history. Armstrong captained the Leafs to four Stanley Cup victories. Here he is accepting the '64 Cup in this fantastic photograph . Here's "Army" in a poster for Showdown '78 with other All-Time greats. The time Armstrong and the Leafs almost played the Russians in a "Summit Series"...in 1954 .

The China Wall.  One of the very few to ever win an MVP award in three consecutive seasons .  Bower was ready and able to and almost actually DID play an NHL game at age 55 . Johnny as a member of the Vancouver Canucks in 1954/55.  

This is the first of a new project I've been playing with for a while. Being a hockey history researcher as well as a veteran of thirty years in the animation industry, I figured I would combine my two skills. The initial goal is to create a cartoon artwork of most, if not all of my favourite Leafs from the past, beginning with the 1967 Cup team. First up, The Big M, Frank Mahovlich.  I'll try to post a new one every day for a while. Enjoy! Mahovlich cover of 1968 Leafs program. Big M in the Leafs room, 1964 Mahovlich on the Leafs 1963/64 media guide.