Many Toronto Maple Leafs fans are relishing the opportunity to get a glimpse of their future as Auston Matthews participates in the World Cup of Hockey before he has even played one NHL game. It is easy to forget, however, that the NHL’s participation in international hockey has often included a strong Leafs presence.
The 2016 World Cup is no exception, with many Leafs players participating and coach Mike Babcock serving as head coach of Team Canada (which doesn’t have any Leafs on its roster). But will someone like Matthews, James van Riemsdyk, Leo Komarov or Morgan Rielly be a standout?
The roots of NHL participation in international hockey are tied to the Summit Series in 1972 between Canada and the Soviet Union. Many of Canada’s big names were unable to be big contributors in the eight-game series, and it was an unheralded and unassuming line of Paul Henderson, Bobby Clarke and Ron Ellis that provided the most consistent play throughout.
Henderson scored all three game-winning goals in the series’ final three games and finished with 10 points (7G, 3A) in the tournament. Ellis, Henderson’s Maple Leafs teammate at the time, chipped in with three assists but was credited more for his excellent work in being one of the few Team Canada players effective in neutralizing some of the star Soviet forwards.
Four years later, in 1976, the Summit Series format was expanded to include six countries in the first Canada Cup tournament (which later evolved to be the World Cup). Again, the most consistent line included two Leafs in Darryl Sittler and Lanny McDonald who played alongside Bob Gainey. Sittler scored the game-winning goal in overtime in one of the final games against Czechoslovakia, finishing with six points (4G, 2A) and was named to the tournament all-star team.
Also named to that all-star team was Borje Salming of Sweden who had an exceptional series and was at the centre of one of the really true, emotional moments when the Maple Leaf Gardens crowd gave him a standing ovation despite the fact he was playing against their beloved Team Canada at the time.
The 1981 Canada Cup came at a time when the Leafs were going through one of their many post-1967 rebuilds. Their only star player at the tournament was once again Salming, who had an ordinary tournament while Team Sweden overall was a disappointment.
The Leafs were going through further rebuilds during the Canada Cups that followed in 1987 and 1991. The only emotional chord struck by Leafs fans was when Wendel Clark made it past the final cuts in 1987 after only two years in the NHL. Such was the respect he was garnering as a young up-and-coming player, getting to hang in with the likes of Wayne Gretzky, Mark Messier and Mario Lemieux.
The Canada Cup format later evolved into the more inclusive World Cup for the next tournament in 1996. The Leafs’ status? They were once again—yes, wait for it—rebuilding! But their top player, Mats Sundin, proved to be an international star that fall with seven points (4G, 3A) and was named to the tournament all-star team.
The most recent World Cup in 2004 remains kind of a blur for most fans, given it was well-known that no NHL hockey would be played that season once the World Cup was over. Personally, I remember the beloved Salming presenting an “interesting” World Cup trophy to Mario Lemieux as Team Canada won. I don’t remember much else.
Records show that the Leafs were well-represented by Sundin and Mikael Tellqvist in Sweden, Tomas Kaberle and Robert Reichel with the Czech Republic, Ken Klee and Brian Leetch (yes, he was a Leaf then) with Team USA and the much-scorned Aki Berg with Finland.
It was an ex-Leaf (and then Tampa Bay Lightning player) that was an individual star, as Freddy Modin notched eight points (4G, 4A) to make the tournament all-star team.
Most 2016 Leafs fans probably expect (and hope) Team Canada will win. Will there also be a surprise in the mix like Henderson in 1972 or Sittler in 1976?
