1998-99 and the Maple Leafs in The Hockey News

By HOWARD BERGER

TORONTO (Sep. 26) - If you are old enough to remember the 1998-99 National Hockey League season - and you don't have to be very old; mid-20s should do - you'll recall it as a rather unique juncture in the game's history.

If you're a fan of the Toronto Maple Leafs, you'll remember it for being one of the most delightfully surprising seasons in the post-1967 era.

The NHL, that year, absorbed a couple of major body blows: Wayne Gretzky - considered, by many, the greatest player in hockey history - announced his retirement as a member of the New York Rangers in the final week of the regular season. He played his last NHL game on Apr. 18, 1999 against Pittsburgh at Madison Square Garden, an event I was privileged to attend.

More of an acute crisis was the triple-overtime goal scored by Brett Hull to win the '99 Stanley Cup for Dallas... ironically and, perhaps, mercifully infringing on the most contentious rule the game has known. I was present for that dubious moment as well - sitting alone in the high corner seats that served as an auxiliary press box at Marine Midland Arena in Buffalo (most others, writing on deadline, had long-before scattered to the press room downstairs). Hull scored the decisive marker below me with one of his skates (as an overhead replay demonstrated) planted on the lip of the goal-crease - the annoyingly-repetitive criterion for waving off such plays all season long.

In an effort to curtail the physical abuse of netminders, the league went to a silly extreme: a goal would be disallowed if any member of the scoring club infringed on the edge of the crease... even if the offending party was completely uninvolved in the play. A winger could be merely watching from the opposite side of the net as a teammate deked and scored a perfectly-suitable goal. If that winger unknowingly had a skate touching any portion of the semi-circular line that formed the crease, the goal was called off. This occurred in many decisive situations - obviously none more-so than the Stanley Cup clincher. By the time replays uncovered Hull's infraction, however, the Dallas players were furiously mobbing one another and an enormous throng of media had burst forth onto the ice for post-game coverage. No one in a position of authority - from commissioner Gary Bettman on down - saw fit to postpone the celebration and resume the interminable match.

Bryan Lewis, the unfortunate soul in direction of NHL officials at the time, was able to concoct a semi-believable vindication of the goal... emphatically stating his case in the arena press lounge well after 2:30 a.m. But, few people bought the explanation - particularly those in the Buffalo area, who felt the Sabres were bilked of an opportunity to force Game 7 in the Stanley Cup final. Less than two weeks later, the NHL announced a welcomed modification of the absurd rule.       

For the Leafs and their fans, 1998-99 was a season to cherish. Having missed the playoffs the two previous years, the club made a couple of prime acquisitions in the summer of '98 that would shape its immediate future. Pat Quinn, the one-time Leafs defenseman, was hired as head coach, and Curtis Joseph - among the top four goaltenders in the NHL - signed with Toronto as an unrestricted free agent after a couple of splendid playoff years with Edmonton. Quinn and Joseph transformed the Leafs from playoff outsider to Stanley Cup contender. A cautious, low-scoring team with fading confidence in goalie Felix Potvin became daring and relentless in front of Joseph. Leafs vaulted 28 points in the standings and knocked off Philadelphia and Pittsburgh in the post-season, before losing to Buffalo in the Eastern Conference final.

Along the way, the club moved from the familiar confines of Maple Leaf Gardens to the spanking, new Air Canada Centre at the foot of the C.N. Tower. Both the final game at the Gardens (against Chicago) and the inaugural match at the ACC (against Montreal) were memorable events, enhanced - in-between - by a week-long commemoration of the team and its legendary players.

Among the biggest NHL stars in the late-'90s were Dominik Hasek, Jaromir Jagr, Peter Forsberg, Joe Sakic, Eric Lindros, Paul Kariya, Pavel Bure, Teemu Selanne, John LeClair, Mike Modano, Al MacInnis and the aforementioned Brett Hull. These players, and others, are pictured below on covers of The Hockey News in the 1998-99 season.

JULY 1998



AUGUST 1998



SEPTEMBER 4, 1998



SEPTEMBER 11, 1998



SEPTEMBER 18, 1998



SEPTEMBER 25, 1998



OCTOBER 2, 1998



OCTOBER 9, 1998



OCTOBER 16, 1998



OCTOBER 23, 1998



OCTOBER 30, 1998



NOVEMBER 6, 1998



NOVEMBER 13, 1998



NOVEMBER 20, 1998



NOVEMBER 27, 1998



DECEMBER 4, 1998



DECEMBER 11, 1998



DECEMBER 18, 1998



DECEMBER 25, 1998



JANUARY 1, 1999



JANUARY 15, 1999



JANUARY 22, 1999



JANUARY 29, 1999



FEBRUARY 5, 1999



FEBRUARY 12, 1999



FEBRUARY 19, 1999



FEBRUARY 26, 1999



MARCH 5, 1999



MARCH 12, 1999



MARCH 19, 1999



MARCH 26, 1999



APRIL 2, 1999



APRIL 16, 1999



APRIL 23, 1999



APRIL 30, 1999



MAY 7, 1999



MAY 21, 1999



JUNE 4, 1999



JUNE 18, 1999



JULY 2, 1999

Old Leafs in New Third Jersey

By HOWARD BERGER

TORONTO (Sep. 24) - Back on July 14, while vacationing in Los Angeles, I received an email from a flawless source in the hockey licensing industry with information the Maple Leafs would be introducing a third jersey identical to that worn by the club in the 1967 Stanley Cup playoffs - and for three seasons thereafter. Official unveiling of the blue jersey (as seen in photo below) was held by the Leafs on Friday and will be worn for the first time when the club opens its 2011-12 regular season, Oct. 6, against Montreal at the Air Canada Centre.

Soon after receiving the information in mid-July - then later on, here at home - I researched and compiled numerous photos of the 1967 - 1970 Maple Leafs wearing the new alternate design, while playing against all 11 opponents in the expanded NHL. They were posted on several blogs, including a monster project in California that took almost 10 days to complete.

I have culled the best of these images as a celebration, of sorts, as the Leafs get set to don the jersey they wore on May 2, 1967 - the night they last hoisted the Stanley Cup.

GEORGE ARMSTRONG (ABOVE) WAS CAPTAIN OF THE MAPLE LEAFS THE LAST TIME THEY WON THE STANLEY CUP. NOW 80, ARMSTRONG ATTENDS ALL LEAF HOME GAMES IN HIS ROLE AS A PART-TIME SCOUT.

SMILING FRANK MAHOVLICH (ABOVE) MIGHT HAVE KNOWN HE WAS GETTING OUT OF TOWN WHEN THIS PHOTO WAS TAKEN... IT APPEARED ON HIS TOPPS 1968-69 HOCKEY CARD SEVERAL MONTHS AFTER HE'D BEEN MERCIFULLY TRADED TO DETROIT.

LEAFS LEGEND DAVE KEON (ABOVE) HAS THE CAPTAIN'S "C" SEWN ON HIS JERSEY BY TRAINER JOE SGRO IN 1969... KEON SUCCEEDING GEORGE ARMSTRONG IN THE ROLE. MORE THAN 38 YEARS LATER, KEON ENDED - FOR ONE NIGHT - A LONG ESTRANGEMENT FROM THE HOCKEY CLUB BY SHOWING UP FOR A FEB. 17, 2007 PRE-GAME CEREMONY AT AIR CANADA CENTRE HONORING MEMBERS OF THE 1967 STANLEY CUP CHAMPIONS. IN PHOTO BELOW, KEON (RIGHT) SHAKES HANDS WITH FORMER TEAMMATE JOHNNY BOWER, WHILE FRANK MAHOVLICH LOOKS ON IN-BETWEEN. ON FAR LEFT OF PHOTO - IN BACKGROUND - IS LARRY JEFFREY, ANOTHER MEMBER OF THE 1966-67 MAPLE LEAFS.

THE LEAFS WILL WEAR ONLY THE PREDOMINANTLY BLUE HOME VERSION OF THEIR 1967-70 JERSEY THIS SEASON. THE WHITE ROAD JERSEY IS DISPLAYED ABOVE BY NORM ULLMAN IN A 1968-69 GAME AT BOSTON GARDEN. GOALIE GERRY CHEEVERS AND DEFENSEMAN BOBBY ORR COVER A LOOSE PUCK.

LEAFS CELEBRATE A GOAL ON MONTREAL'S GUMP WORSLEY (ABOVE) DURING 1967 STANLEY CUP FINAL AT MAPLE LEAF GARDENS. TORONTO UPSET THE FAVORED HABS IN SIX GAMES, BACKED BY SPECTACULAR GOALTENDING FROM TERRY SAWCHUK.

MAPLE LEAF GARDENS PROGRAMS - 1967 - 1970

THE FIVE PROGRAMS (BELOW) WERE SOLD AT MAPLE LEAF GARDENS DURING THE THREE SEASONS THE CLUB WORE THE JERSEY THAT WILL SERVE AS ITS ALTERNATE DESIGN BEGINNING ON OCT. 6.

THE MAPLE LEAFS OF 1968-69 ARE PICTURED ON FRONT OF THE 1969-70 EXPORT CIGARETTES MAPLE LEAF GARDENS CALENDAR (ABOVE). THESE ITEMS WERE UBIQUITOUS IN TORONTO-AREA BARBER SHOPS IN THE '60s.

CLOSER LOOK (ABOVE) AT 1968-69 MAPLE LEAFS ON FRONT OF CALENDAR. SUITED GENTLEMEN IN FRONT ROW ARE GM/COACH PUNCH IMLACH (FAR LEFT) AND ASSISTANT GM KING CLANCY (FAR RIGHT). MIDDLE TRIUMVIRATE IS (LEFT TO RIGHT) OWNERSHIP GROUP OF JOHN BASSETT, STAFFORD SMYTHE AND HAROLD BALLARD. TEAM CAPTAIN GEORGE ARMSTRONG AND ALTERNATE BOB PULFORD ARE ALSO IN FRONT.

GARDENS CALENDARS ALSO INCLUDED PHOTOS OF THE PREVIOUS YEAR'S FIRST AND SECOND-TEAM NHL ALL-STARS. LEAFS DEFENSEMAN TIM HORTON WAS A FIRST-TEAM ALL-STAR IN 1968-69, JOINED BY GLENN HALL, BOBBY ORR, BOBBY HULL, PHIL ESPOSITO AND GORDIE HOWE. SECOND-TEAM GROUP (LEFT TO RIGHT) IS ED GIACOMIN, TED HARRIS, TED GREEN, YVAN COURNOYER, JEAN BELIVEAU AND EX-LEAF FRANK MAHOVLICH.

TODAY YOU KNOW TIM HORTON FOR THE ENORMOUS CHAIN OF DONUT SHOPS THAT BARES HIS NAME. IN THE 1960s, HORTON WAS AMONG THE TOP HALF-DOZEN DEFENSEMEN IN THE NHL WITH THE MAPLE LEAFS. HORTON CLASHES (ABOVE) WITH MIKE LAUGHTON OF THE OAKLAND SEALS AND (BELOW) WITH ROSS LONSBERRY OF THE LOS ANGELES KINGS - BOTH PHOTOS TAKEN IN THE FIRST SEASON OF THE EXPANDED 12-TEAM NHL: 1967-68.

BOB PULFORD (ABOVE) WAS A RELIABLE, COMBATIVE CENTRE-MAN THAT PLAYED ON ALL FOR LEAF STANLEY CUP TEAMS IN THE 1960s. HERE, HE BATTLES WITH BILL PLAGER OF THE MINNESOTA NORTH STARS IN 1967-68 GAME AT THE GARDENS. MINNESOTA GOALIE IS GARY BAUMAN.

JOHNNY BOWER AND DICK DUFF WERE STANLEY CUP TEAMMATES WITH THE MAPLE LEAFS IN 1962 AND 1963. DUFF WAS TRADED TO THE RANGERS IN '64 AND, LATER, TO THE CANADIENS. IN PHOTO (ABOVE), BOWER SEEMS UNAWARE THAT DUFF IS SNEAKING OUT FROM BEHIND HIM.

CAPTAIN DAVE KEON AND LINEMATE BOB PULFORD LOOK FOR LOOSE PUCK (ABOVE) AGAINST DEFENSEMAN JACQUES LAPERRIERE OF MONTREAL IN 1969-70 GAME AT MAPLE LEAF GARDENS.

ON MAR. 3, 1968, PETER STEMKOWSKI (19, ABOVE) WAS TRADED BY THE MAPLE LEAFS TO DETROIT AS PART OF THE MULTI-PLAYER DEAL THAT SENT FRANK MAHOVLICH TO THE RED WINGS AND BROUGHT THE LEAFS NORM ULLMAN, PAUL HENDERSON AND FLOYD SMITH. SIX NIGHTS LATER - SATURDAY, MARCH 9 - STEMKOWSKI AND THE EX-LEAFS PLAYED AT THE GARDENS - TORONTO REBOUNDING FROM A 5-2 SECOND-PERIOD DEFICIT TO WIN THE EXCITING GAME, 7-5. IN PHOTO FROM THAT NIGHT, STEMKOWSKI ATTEMPTS TO CARRY PUCK PAST A SPRAWLED TIM HORTON.

GORDIE HOWE OF THE RED WINGS WAS OFTEN DOUBLE-TEAMED DURING HIS BRILLIANT CAREER, AS HE IS (ABOVE) BY BRIAN GLENNIE (24) AND DAVE KEON OF THE LEAFS IN 1969-70 ACTION AT THE GARDENS.

ANOTHER FELLOW THAT WARRANTED CLOSE ATTENTION WAS PHIL ESPOSITO OF THE BOSTON BRUINS - THE NHL's FIRST 100-POINT AND 60-GOAL SCORER. IN ABOVE PHOTO, ESPOSITO CHASES LEAFS DEFENSEMAN MIKE PELYK DURING 1969-70 SEASON.

IT IS UNDERSTANDABLE WHY LEAFS GOALIE BRUCE GAMBLE LOOKS TERRIFIED IN ABOVE PHOTO: HE IS FULLY AWARE THAT BOBBY ORR - THE GREATEST PLAYER IN NHL HISTORY - IS WAY TOO CLOSE FOR COMFORT IN 1968-69 GAME AT THE GARDENS.

FORWARD ROD GILBERT OF THE NEW YORK RANGERS RELAXES AFTER WHISTLE AT THE GARDENS IN 1969-70, EVEN WITH LEAFS DEFENSEMAN RICK LEY RUNNING AT HIM. TORONTO GOALIE IS GERRY McNAMARA, WHO WOULD SERVE AS GM OF THE MAPLE LEAFS FROM 1982-87.

PAUL HENDERSON OF THE LEAFS CHECKS FORWARD DAVE BALON OF THE RANGERS (ABOVE) IN 1969-70 GAME AT THE GARDENS. IN BACKGROUND, IS BALON'S LINEMATE, BILL FAIRBAIRN (10).

THE LEAFS PLAYER (ABOVE) WAS BEST KNOWN AS KING CLANCY'S SON. TERRY CLANCY (21) PLAYED 86 GAMES FOR THE LEAFS BETWEEN 1968 AND 1973. HERE, HE IS THWARTED BY CHICAGO'S ROOKIE GOALIE TONY ESPOSITO IN ACTION AT THE GARDENS ON JAN. 3, 1970.

LEAFS BEGAN TO WEAR THE JERSEY THAT IS NOW THEIR OFFICIAL ALTERNATE DURING THE 1967 PLAYOFFS. THEY WORE IT FOR THE FIRST TIME IN THE REGULAR SEASON IN 1967-68, THE YEAR THE NHL EXPANDED FROM SIX TO 12 TEAMS BY ADDING (LEFT TO RIGHT ABOVE) CALIFORNIA SEALS, LOS ANGELES KINGS, MINNESOTA NORTH STARS, PHILADELPHIA FLYERS, PITTSBURGH PENGUINS AND ST. LOUIS BLUES.

VETERAN TORONTO DEFENSEMAN ALLAN STANLEY (26) BATTLES FOR PUCK WITH FORWARD KEN SCHINKEL OF PITTSBURGH (ABOVE) DURING FIRST VISIT TO GARDENS BY THE PENGUINS ON DEC. 13, 1967.

DURING PENGUINS SECOND GAME AT THE GARDENS, JAN. 13, 1968 (ABOVE), LEAFS FORWARD JIM PAPPIN TRIES TO ESCAPE CHECKING OF PITTSBURGH'S KEITH McCREARY.

EVEN YOUNG FANS OF THE MAPLE LEAFS SHOULD RECOGNIZE THE PLAYER WEARING NUMBER 23 IN THE PHOTOS ABOVE AND BELOW. PAT QUINN PLAYED DEFENSE FOR THE BLUE & WHITE IN 1968-69 AND 1969-70 BEFORE GOING TO VANCOUVER CANUCKS IN THE 1970 EXPANSION DRAFT. HE IS BEST REMEMBERED TODAY FOR COACHING AND MANAGING THE LEAFS BETWEEN 1998 AND 2006 - GUIDING THE CLUB TO A PAIR OF STANLEY CUP SEMIFINAL APPEARANCES: 1999 vs. BUFFALO AND 2002 vs. CAROLINA. THESE PHOTOS SHOW QUINN IN ACTION AGAINST THE OAKLAND SEALS IN 1969-70 - HE AND GOALIE BRUCE GAMBLE FRANTICALLY TRYING TO KEEP PUCK AWAY FROM VETERAN AND EX-LEAF GERRY EHMAN (ABOVE); STICKING CLOSE TO SEALS' EARL INGARFIELD (BELOW).

RAMBUNCTIOUS LEAFS DEFENSEMAN JIM DOREY (ABOVE) RACES FOR PUCK AGAINST FORWARD LEON ROCHEFORT OF LOS ANGELES KINGS IN 1969-70 GAME AT THE GARDENS.

THAT'S POPULAR EX-LEAF EDDIE SHACK OF THE KINGS (ABOVE) CAUSING HAVOC IN FRONT OF THE MAPLE LEAFS NET, WITH JIM DOREY PROTECTING THE GOAL-CREASE DURING GAME OF DEC. 24, 1969 AT THE GARDENS.

VETERAN FORWARDS NORM ULLMAN AND PAUL HENDERSON CAME TO THE LEAFS FROM DETROIT IN THE MARCH 1968 TRADE FOR FRANK MAHOVLICH AND MADE THEIR DEBUTS IN BLUE & WHITE AGAINST THE EXPANSION PHILADELPHIA FLYERS ON MAR. 6, 1968 AT THE GARDENS. THESE PHOTOS, FROM THAT GAME, SHOW HENDERSON HOUNDING FLYERS GOALIE DOUG FAVELL (ABOVE); ULLMAN ROUNDING NET WITH PHILADELPHIA'S FORBES KENNEDY (BELOW). KENNEDY WOULD BECOME A LEAF IN MARCH 1969.

THE LEAFS AND MINNESOTA NORTH STARS MET FOR THE FIRST TIME ON NOV. 22, 1967 AT THE GARDENS. PHOTO (ABOVE) FROM THAT GAME SHOWS TORONTO CAPTAIN GEORGE ARMSTRONG (LEFT) AND LINEMATE BOB PULFORD (BACKGROUND) IN ACTION AROUND MINNESOTA NET. NORTH STARS GOALIE IS CESARE MANIAGO; BIG DEFENSEMAN IN FRONT IS BOB McCORD. PLAYER BEHIND ARMSTRONG IS JEAN-PAUL PARISE, FATHER OF CURRENT NEW JERSEY DEVILS' FORWARD ZACH PARISE.

YOUNG DEFENSEMAN JIM McKENNY (ABOVE) BATTLES WITH NORTH STARS FORWARD RAY CULLEN IN 1969-70 GAME AT THE GARDENS. McKENNY PLAYED FOR THE LEAFS FROM 1968 TO 1977, AND FINISHED HIS CAREER WITH A BRIEF STOP IN MINNESOTA.

IT WASN'T OFTEN IN 1968-69 THAT A PHOTO CAPTURED TWO PLAYERS WEARING HELMETS. BUT, THE IMAGE ABOVE SHOWS PAUL HENDERSON OF THE LEAFS CHECKING MINNESOTA DEFENSEMAN MARSHALL JOHNSTON AT THE GARDENS. BEGINNING IN 1979-80, HELMETS BECAME MANDATORY FOR ALL PLAYERS COMING INTO THE NHL.

TO THIS DAY, HE IS KNOWN AS MR. GOALIE: HALL OF FAMER GLENN HALL (ABOVE) WAS A MEMBER OF THE ST. LOUIS BLUES IN THE FIRST FOUR YEARS OF EXPANSION, AFTER A BRILLIANT RUN WITH THE CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS. IN THIS PHOTO, FROM GAME OF FEB. 21, 1968 AT THE GARDENS, HALL WATCHES PLAY AS TEAMMATE BOB PLAGER WRESTLES WITH LEAFS FORWARD WAYNE CARLETON IN FRONT OF THE NET.

FORWARD MIKE WALTON (ABOVE) LED THE LEAFS WITH 30 GOALS IN 1967-68. HERE, HE ROUNDS NET IN FRONT OF ST. LOUIS FORWARD TIM ECCLESTONE ON FEB. 21, 1968 AT THE GARDENS. ECCLESTONE WOULD PLAY 51 GAMES FOR TORONTO FROM 1973 TO '75.