One of the original teams in the NHL is the Toronto Maple Leafs, based in Toronto, Ontario and founded in 1917. They are members of the National Hockey League's Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference and are one of the most popular teams in Canada. Toronto is the biggest city in Canada and the club is owned by Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment, Ltd. It also has one of the biggest fan bases in professional sports with an estimated value of US $1.4 billion in 2017. And according to Forbes and the Maple Leafs are the second most valuable franchise in the NHL, after the New York Rangers. Their logo and brand has changed over the years with the fourth major change came in the 1966–67 season, when the logo was changed to an 11-point leaf.
The Maple Leafs have had a few arenas over the years but moved to their present home, the Air Canada Centre in February 1999. When they started way back they were operating simply as Toronto and known then as the Toronto Arenas. Under new ownership, the club was renamed the Toronto St. Patricks in 1919. In 1927 the club was purchased by Conn Smythe and renamed the Maple Leafs. A member of the "Original Six", the club was one of six NHL teams to have endured through the period of League retrenchment during the Great Depression. Since they began, the club has won thirteen Stanley Cup championships, second only to the 24 championships of the Montreal Canadiens.
The Toronto Maple Leafs have also had many legendary hockey players on the team like Johnny Bower who was the goaltender from 1958 to 1969 and he helped the team win four Stanley Cups. Other famous players included Frank Mahovlich, and team captain George Armstrong. And it was the beginning of the 1960–61 season also saw the debut of rookies Bob Nevin, and Dave Keon. Darryl Sittler was also a popular captain and a hockey legend and played during the 60’s and 70’s. On Feb. 7, 1976, Darryl Sittler scored 10 points in a game against the Boston Bruins, a league record that still stands today.
Matter of fact, the Maple Leafs are a Canadian icon and there is even a song written about them from the Tragically Hip. William "Bashin' Bill" Barilko (March 25, 1927 – c. August 26, 1951) was a Canadian ice hockey player who played his entire National Hockey League career for the Toronto Maple Leafs. As stated earlier, the fan base for the team is incredible and expensive to get a ticket to a game if you can even get one. The price of a Maple Leafs home game ticket is the highest amongst any team in the NHL. And, the Air Canada Centre holds 18,900 seats for Leafs games, with 15,500 reserved for season ticket holders. You have to pretty much inherit the season tickets if you want to become a member of that club.
In the recent 2017-18 season many thought that the The Toronto Maple Leafs would win their first Stanley Cup since 1967 because they have their deepest roster in decades and a front office with a winning pedigree. With general manager Lou Lamoriello who won the Stanley Cup three times with the New Jersey Devils (1995, 2000, 2003), and coach Mike Babcock won a Stanley Cup with the Detroit Red Wings (2008). But it did not come to pass, as they were recently defeated by the Boston Bruins in a nail biting 7 games.
