Nitzy's Hockey Toons

Williams was one of the players ejected along with coach Roger Neilson, when Towel Power was created. Tiger on the cover of a magazine in 1978 .  

 Lanny in a few unpublished Leafs photos from the 70's. Lanny of course, was selected to my All-Time Leafs team a few years back.

Rare photos of Palmateer as a rookie. A few Palmateer magazine covers from  my collection. Below is one of my favourite  from my childhood days. No, I wasn't a big Tony Currie fan, but I always liked that fact that my favourite goalie Mike Palmateer sneaks in the left side of the photo. Currie's teammate Perry Turnbull also pops into the foreground. Twenty years ago, I got Palmateer to sign this card and as he laughed at it he put a little arrow pointing towards himself. It got me thinking about other players who have made un-credited cameos on others hockey cards. 1981/82 #292 Tony Currie Mike Palmateer, Pat Ribble, Perry Turnbull  

 I attended opening night at Maple Leaf Gardens, 1981 . Salming had a hat-trick in a wild win. A few great Salming magazine covers in my collection.

  The story of Sittler's 10-point game. The story of Sittler's 5-goal playoff game. He almost became a Toronto Toro in 1973.

  Aut Erickson played one game with the Maple Leafs. It happened to be Game One of the 1967 Stanley Cup final against Montreal. Erickson dressed as the extra defenceman and probably would not have seen the ice at all if the score didn't get out of hand in the third period. He actually served a Too Many Men on the Ice bench minor in the first period.  Once the Canadiens went up 6-2 in the ninth minute of the third (on Henri Richard's hat-trick goal), Leaf coach Punch Imlach pulled back his regulars. According to Dick Beddoes writing for The Globe and Mail,   "He benched Allan Stanley, gave Tim Horton and Dave Keon long reprieves, spotted Frank Mahovlich and removed goaler Terry Sawchuk. The benchings brought out the bullpen that is stocked by Johnny Bower, Eddie Shack and Aut Erickson - the last a blond defenseman called up as a playoff standby from Victoria.. 'I just tried to keep my good guys off the ice in the last 10 minutes,' Imlach explained, 'I'm not ...

 Marcetta in a Western Hockey League program while with the Victoria Maple Leafs. Some beautiful Victoria Maple Leafs programs. And one more.

Game program from Larry Jeffrey's last game as a Leaf , Game Six of the '67 semifinals against Chicago.

  After the 1967 Cup winning campaign, Larry Hillman asked Punch Imlach for a salary of $20,000 on his new contract. Imlach would only offer $19,500. Hillman held out until NHL President Clarence Campbell intervened in favour of the club and was fined $2,400 by Imlach, $100 for each day of his holdout. Hillman vowed the Leafs would never win the Cup again until he was repaid his fine. Apparently in 2017, Hillman was indeed repaid (with interest) by the Leafs and he lifted the curse.  However, Leaf fans are still waiting. Larry Hillman knocked Johnny Bower out of the '67 Cup Final with a shot in warm-up for Game Four. Hillman went 4 for 8 taking face-offs in Game Six of the '67 Final.

  Pronovost in an old unidentified action photo. In a 1954 game at Maple Leaf Gardens, Pronovost was timed being on the ice for over 31 minutes in a 60 minute game, pretty normal back in those days.

  Mike Walton in a 1968 Leafs game program.

 Allan Stanley in a 1953/54 Victoria Cougars program from the old Western League. Stanley and other player's off-ice activities in the 1961 Magazine. Stanley made my All-Time Maple Leafs team.

  Conacher thought he was robbed of an assist in Game 5 of the '67 Cup Final . Brian Conacher scoring in a warm-up game to the 1964 Olympics . Here is Conacher back with the National Team playing the Soviets in an exhibition game inVancouver.

Jim Pappin in an old Toronto Archives photograph Pappin in the 1964 Cup presentation photo that hangs over my desk,

Stemkowski had 37 points in the Leaf's final 33 games (including Playoffs) of 1966/67. Stemmer was involved in The Buttock Shot , Leafs Game 6 Game-winning Goal.