Ð
02-17-2004, 12:52 PM
that the local NHL franchise played its first game after majority interest was purchased in mid-season — Valentine's Day to be exact, which may or may not explain the city's love/hate relationship with the franchise ever since — for $160,000 by a group headed up by Conn Smythe. The Major promptly changed the club's name from St. Pats to Maple Leafs; he liked the new name because he was a soldier/patriot and he'd had a working connection to the old East Toronto Maple Leaves.
The newly renamed Leafs (spelling might not have been Smythe's forte) won that first game, 4-1 over the New York Americans. The green-and-white (they switched to blue-and-white the next season) were a bad team anchored by a half-decent goalie, Johnny Roach. Then, as now, hockey revolved around goalkeeping.
Story (http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&c=Article&cid=1076973010189&call_pageid=968867503640&col=970081593064)
The newly renamed Leafs (spelling might not have been Smythe's forte) won that first game, 4-1 over the New York Americans. The green-and-white (they switched to blue-and-white the next season) were a bad team anchored by a half-decent goalie, Johnny Roach. Then, as now, hockey revolved around goalkeeping.
Story (http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&c=Article&cid=1076973010189&call_pageid=968867503640&col=970081593064)