NHL hockey team season
1979–80 Toronto Maple Leafs |
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Division | 4th Adams |
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Conference | 5th Wales |
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1979–80 record | 35-40-5 |
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Goals for | 304 |
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Goals against | 327 |
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Team information |
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General manager | Punch Imlach |
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Coach | Floyd Smith Dick Duff Punch Imlach |
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Captain | Darryl Sittler (Oct-Dec) vacant (Dec-Apr) |
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Alternate captains | None |
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Team leaders |
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Goals | Darryl Sittler (40) |
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Assists | Darryl Sittler (57) |
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Points | Darryl Sittler (97) |
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Penalty minutes | Tiger Williams (197) |
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Wins | Mike Palmateer (16) |
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Goals against average | Jiri Crha (3.61) |
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The 1979–80 Toronto Maple Leafs season was the 63rd season of the franchise, 53rd season as the Maple Leafs. In July 1979, Leafs owner Harold Ballard brought back Punch Imlach, a longtime friend, as general manager. Imlach traded Lanny McDonald to undermine team captain Darryl Sittler's influence on the team.[1] The McDonald trade sent the Leafs into a downward spiral. They finished five games under .500 and only made the playoffs due to the presence of the Quebec Nordiques, a refugee from the WHA, in the Adams Division.
Offseason
NHL draft
Regular season
The 1979–80 season marked the dismantling of a promising hockey team. The Maple Leafs had stars such as Darryl Sittler, Mike Palmateer, Lanny McDonald, Tiger Williams, Borje Salming and Ian Turnbull. In previous years, the Leafs were always one of the top teams in the league but could not beat the Montreal Canadiens in the playoffs. Leafs' owner Harold Ballard fired General Manager Jim Gregory and Head Coach Roger Neilson.[2] After unsuccessfully attempting to hire both former Boston Bruins head coach Don Cherry (who became head coach of the Colorado Rockies) and former Montreal Canadiens head coach Scotty Bowman (who became head coach and general manager of the Buffalo Sabres), Ballard brought back Punch Imlach, who had been the Leafs' coach and general manager when they last won the Stanley Cup in 1967, to be the team's new GM. Imlach subsequently hired Floyd Smith, a former Leaf player who had previously coached for Imlach when he was GM of the Sabres, to be the Leafs' new head coach.
By November 1979, tensions between Imlach and Sittler mounted as Sittler publicly aired his grievances. An article was featured in the Globe and Mail by James Christie, titled Darryl Sittler drops the Gloves.[3] Sittler was unhappy that Imlach publicly criticized him and Mike Palmateer. Another point of tension for Sittler was the fact that Imlach placed Lanny McDonald and Ian Turnbull on waivers.
On December 13, 1979, Imlach announced that Carl Brewer was making another comeback in the NHL.[4] Brewer would play for the New Brunswick Hawks, the Maple Leafs' American Hockey League affiliate. In Brewer's first game in Moncton, New Brunswick, King Clancy and Johnny Bower showed up to watch him play.[2]
Brewer returned to the Maple Leafs on December 26, 1979, for the Maple Leafs game against the Washington Capitals. Many players on the Leafs felt that Brewer was a spy for Imlach.[2] In Brewer's first game, many of his teammates were openly hostile to him. Brewer's defense partner was Borje Salming, and Salming refused to pass Brewer the puck.[5] During the season, Brewer would only play in twenty contests.
Season standings
[6]Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, Pts = Points, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against
Note: Teams that qualified for the playoffs are highlighted in bold.
Record vs. opponents
Adams Division record vs. opponents |
Vs. Wales Conference Vs. Adams Division 1979–80 NHL records[7] | Team | BOS | BUF | MIN | QUE | TOR | Total | Boston | — | 2–1–1 | 2–2 | 4–0 | 4–0 | 12–3–1 | Buffalo | 1–2–1 | — | 2–1–1 | 3–1 | 4–0 | 10–4–2 | Minnesota | 2–2 | 1–2–1 | — | 2–1–1 | 2–2 | 7–7–2 | Quebec | 0–4 | 1–3 | 1–2–1 | — | 3–1 | 5–10–1 | Toronto | 0–4 | 0–4 | 2–2 | 1–3 | — | 3–13–0 | | Vs. Norris Division 1979–80 NHL records | Team | DET | HFD | LAK | MTL | PIT | Total | Boston | 2–1–1 | 2–1–1 | 2–1–1 | 1–3 | 2–2 | 9–8–3 | Buffalo | 3–1 | 3–1 | 3–0–1 | 1–1–2 | 4–0 | 14–3–3 | Minnesota | 1–2–1 | 4–0 | 0–2–2 | 1–3 | 3–1 | 9–8–3 | Quebec | 1–2–1 | 1–1–2 | 1–3 | 1–2–1 | 2–2 | 6–10–4 | Toronto | 4–0 | 2–2 | 0–3–1 | 1–3 | 2–2 | 9–10–1 | | Vs. Campbell Conference Vs. Patrick Division 1979–80 NHL records | Team | ATL | NYI | NYR | PHI | WSH | Total | Boston | 4–0 | 3–1 | 2–2 | 1–1–2 | 2–1–1 | 12–5–3 | Buffalo | 3–0–1 | 2–1–1 | 2–1–1 | 0–3–1 | 4–0 | 11–5–4 | Minnesota | 1–1–2 | 2–0–2 | 2–1–1 | 1–3 | 3–0–1 | 9–5–6 | Quebec | 0–3–1 | 0–4 | 1–2–1 | 0–3–1 | 1–1–2 | 2–13–5 | Toronto | 3–1 | 1–3 | 2–2 | 1–1–2 | 3–1 | 10–8–2 | | Vs. Smythe Division 1979–80 NHL records | Team | CHI | COL | EDM | STL | VAN | WIN | Total | Boston | 2−2 | 2−1−1 | 4−0 | 1−1−2 | 1−0−3 | 3−1 | 13−5−6 | Buffalo | 1−1−2 | 3−1 | 2−1−1 | 2−2 | 1−0−3 | 3−0−1 | 12−5−7 | Minnesota | 1−2−1 | 3−1 | 1−1−2 | 3−1 | 1−2−1 | 2−1−1 | 11−8−5 | Quebec | 1−2−1 | 3−1 | 2−2 | 2−2 | 2−2 | 2−2 | 12−11−1 | Toronto | 0−4 | 3−0−1 | 1−2−1 | 2−2 | 3−1 | 4−0 | 13−9−2 | | |
Schedule and results
1979–80 Game log |
Game | Date | Opponent | Score | Location/Attendance | Record | 1 | 10/10/1979 | New York Rangers | 3-6 | Maple Leaf Gardens | 0-1-0 | 2 | 10/13/1979 | Colorado Rockies | 2 - 1 | Maple Leaf Gardens | 1-1-0 | 3 | 10/14/1979 | at Philadelphia Flyers | 3 - 4 | The Spectrum | 1-2-0 | 4 | 10/17/1979 | Minnesota North Stars | 6 - 2 | Maple Leaf Gardens | 2-2-0 | 5 | 10/19/1979 | at Washington Capitals | 5 - 3 | Maple Leaf Gardens | 3-2-0 | 6 | 10/20/1979 | Vancouver Canucks | 2 - 0 | Maple Leaf Gardens | 4-2-0 | 7 | 10/24/1979 | at Vancouver Canucks | 1 - 5 | The Pacific Coliseum | 4-3-0 | 8 | 10/26/1979 | at Colorado Rockies | 2 - 2 | McNichols Sports Arena | 4-3-1 | 9 | 10/27/1979 | at Los Angeles Kings | 5 - 7 | The Forum | 4-4-1 | 10 | 10/31/1979 | Hartford Whalers | 2 - 4 | Maple Leaf Gardens | 4-5-1 | |
Game | Date | Opponent | Score | Location/Attendance | Record | 11 | 11/2/1979 | at Hartford Whalers | 3 - 5 | Springfield Civic Center | 4-6-1 | 12 | 11/3/1979 | Buffalo Sabres | 3 – 4 | Maple Leaf Gardens | 4-7-1 | 13 | 11/7/1979 | at St. Louis Blues | 7 - 4 | | 5-7-1 | 14 | 11/10/1979 | at Winnipeg Jets | 8 - 4 | | 6-7-1 | 15 | 11/11/1979 | at Edmonton Oilers | 6 - 3 | | 7-7-1 | 16 | 11/14/1979 | St. Louis Blues | 7 - 2 | | 8-7-1 | 17 | 11/17/1979 | Boston Bruins | 0 - 2 | Maple Leaf Gardens | 8-8-1 | 18 | 11/18/1979 | at Quebec Nordiques | 2 - 4 | Le Colisée | 8-9-1 | 19 | 11/21/1979 | Edmonton Oilers | 4 - 4 | Maple Leaf Gardens | 8-9-2 | 20 | 11/24/1979 | Chicago Blackhawks | 1 - 2 | Maple Leaf Gardens | 8-10-2 | 21 | 11/25/1979 | at New York Rangers | 4 - 3 | Madison Square Garden | 9-10-2 | 22 | 11/27/1979 | at Atlanta Flames | 5 - 3 | | 10-10-2 | 23 | 11/28/1979 | at Washington Capitals | 4 - 2 | | 11-10-2 | |
Game | Date | Opponent | Score | Location/Attendance | Record | 24 | 12/1/1979 | Philadelphia Flyers | 4-4 | Maple Leaf Gardens | 11-10-3 | 25 | 12/5/1979 | Montreal Canadiens | 3 – 2 | Maple Leaf Gardens | 12-10-3 | 26 | 12/7/1979 | New York Islanders | 1 - 6 | Maple Leaf Gardens | 12-11-3 | 27 | 12/12/1979 | Colorado Rockies | Maple Leaf Gardens | 5 – 3 | 13-11-3 | 28 | 12/15/1979 | Atlanta Flames | 8 - 1 | Maple Leaf Gardens | 14-11-3 | 29 | 12/17/1979 | at Minnesota North Stars | 1 - 5 | | 14-12-3 | 30 | 12/19/1979 | Los Angeles Kings | 4 - 4 | Maple Leaf Gardens | 14-12-4 | 31 | 12/20/1979 | at Boston Bruins | 0 – 10 | Boston Garden | 14-13-4 | 32 | 12/22/1979 | Detroit Red Wings | 2 – 1 | Maple Leaf Gardens | 15-13-4 | 33 | 12/23/1979 | at Montreal Canadiens | 4 - 8 | Montreal Forum | 15-14-4 | 34 | 12/26/1979 | Washington Capitals | 2 - 8 | Maple Leaf Gardens | 15-15-4 | 35 | 12/27/1979 | at Buffalo Sabres | 3 - 5 | War Memorial Auditorium | 15-16-4 | 36 | 12/29/1979 | Winnipeg Jets | 6 - 1 | Maple Leaf Gardens | 16-16-4 | |
Game | Date | Opponent | Score | Location/Attendance | Record | 37 | 1/2/1980 | New York Islanders | 1-3 | Maple Leaf Gardens | 16-17-4 | 38 | 1/5/1980 | Quebec Nordiques | 3 - 7 | Maple Leaf Gardens | 16-18-4 | 39 | 1/7/1980 | Pittsburgh Penguins | 9 - 5 | Maple Leaf Gardens | 17-18-4 | 40 | 1/9/1980 | Montreal Canadiens | 3 - 5 | Maple Leaf Gardens | 17-19-4 | 41 | 1/12/1980 | Vancouver Canucks | 6 - 4 | Maple Leaf Gardens | 18-19-4 | 42 | 1/16/1980 | at Pittsburgh Penguins | 4 - 6 | | 18-20-4 | 43 | 1/17/1980 | at New York Islanders | 6 - 9 | | 18-21-4 | 44 | 1/19/1980 | at Montreal Canadiens | 2 - 7 | Montreal Forum | 18-22-4 | 45 | 1/22/1980 | at Atlanta Flames | 4 - 2 | | 19-22-4 | 46 | 1/24/1980 | at Los Angeles Kings | 4 - 5 | Los Angeles Forum | 19-23-4 | 47 | 1/26/1980 | at Edmonton Oilers | 3 - 8 | Northlands Coliseum | 19-24-4 | 48 | 1/27/1980 | at Vancouver Canucks | 5 - 2 | | 20-24-4 | 49 | 1/30/1980 | Detroit Red Wings | 6 - 4 | Maple Leaf Gardens | 21-24-4 | |
Game | Date | Opponent | Score | Location/Attendance | Record | 50 | 2/2/1980 | Chicago Blackhawks | 4-5 | Maple Leaf Gardens | 21-25-4 | 51 | 2/3/1980 | at Chicago Blackhawks | 2 - 4 | Chicago Stadium | 21-26-4 | 52 | 2/7/1980 | at Boston Bruins | 6 - 8 | Boston Garden | 21-27-4 | 53 | 2/9/1980 | Los Angeles Kings | 2 - 7 | Maple Leaf Gardens | 21-28-4 | 54 | 2/10/1980 | at Detroit Red Wings | 4 - 1 | | 22-28-4 | 55 | 2/13/1980 | Pittsburgh Penguins | 2 - 4 | Maple Leaf Gardens | 22-29-4 | 56 | 2/16/1980 | Hartford Whalers | 5 - 3 | Maple Leaf Gardens | 23-29-4 | 57 | 2/17/1980 | at New York Rangers | 6 - 4 | Madison Square Garden | 24-29-4 | 58 | 2/19/1980 | at New York Islanders | 6 - 4 | | 25-29-4 | 59 | 2/20/1980 | at Chicago Blackhawks | 2 - 4 | Chicago Stadium | 25-30-4 | 60 | 2/23/1980 | at Winnipeg Jets | 9 - 3 | | 26-30-4 | 61 | 2/26/1980 | at St. Louis Blues | 2 – 5 | | 26-31-4 | 62 | 2/27/1980 | at Colorado Rockies | 4 - 3 | | 27-31-4 | |
Game | Date | Opponent | Score | Location/Attendance | Record | 63 | 3/1/1980 | Philadelphia Flyers | 3 - 3 | Maple Leaf Gardens | 27-31-5 | 64 | 3/2/1980 | at Detroit Red Wings | 6 - 3 | | 28-31-5 | 65 | 3/5/1980 | at Pittsburgh Penguins | 5 - 3 | | 29-31-5 | 66 | 3/8/1980 | Quebec Nordiques | 3 - 2 | 30-31-5 | 67 | 3/9/1980 | at Quebec Nordiques | 4 - 5 | Le Colisée | 30-32-5 | 68 | 3/12/1980 | St. Louis Blues | 2 - 3 | Maple Leaf Gardens | 30-33-5 | 69 | 3/15/1980 | New York Rangers | 4 - 8 | Maple Leaf Gardens | 30-34-5 | 70 | 3/17/1980 | Atlanta Flames | 1 - 5 | Maple Leaf Gardens | 30-35-5 | 71 | 3/19/1980 | Winnipeg Jets | 9 - 1 | Maple Leaf Gardens | 31-35-5 | 72 | 3/20/1980 | at Philadelphia Flyers | 3 - 0 | | 32-35-5 | 73 | 3/22/1980 | Buffalo Sabres | 1 - 5 | Maple Leaf Gardens | 32-36-5 | 74 | 3/24/1980 | Washington Capitals | 6 - 1 | Maple Leaf Gardens | 33-36-5 | 75 | 3/25/1980 | at Minnesota North Stars | 2 - 7 | | 33-37-5 | 76 | 3/29/1980 | Edmonton Oilers | 5 – 8 | Maple Leaf Gardens | 33-38-5 | |
Game | Date | Opponent | Score | Location/Attendance | Record | 77 | 4/1/1980 | at Hartford Whalers | 5-4 | | 34-38-5 | 78 | 4/2/1980 | Boston Bruins | 2-5 | Maple Leaf Gardens | 34-39-5 | 79 | 4/5/1980 | Minnesota North Stars | 2-1 | Maple Leaf Gardens | 35-39-5 | 80 | 4/6/1980 | at Buffalo Sabres | 3-7 | Buffalo War Memorial Auditorium | 35-40-5 | |
1979–80 Schedule |
Transactions
Player statistics
Regular season
- Scoring
- Goaltending
Player | MIN | GP | W | L | T | GA | GAA | SO |
Mike Palmateer | 2039 | 38 | 16 | 14 | 3 | 125 | 3.68 | 2 |
Paul Harrison | 1492 | 30 | 9 | 17 | 2 | 110 | 4.42 | 0 |
Jiri Crha | 830 | 15 | 8 | 7 | 0 | 50 | 3.61 | 0 |
Vincent Tremblay | 329 | 10 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 28 | 5.11 | 0 |
Curt Ridley | 110 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 4.36 | 0 |
Team: | 4800 | 80 | 35 | 40 | 5 | 321 | 4.01 | 2 |
Playoffs
- Scoring
- Goaltending
Player | MIN | GP | W | L | GA | GAA | SO |
Jiri Crha | 121 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 10 | 4.96 | 0 |
Mike Palmateer | 60 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 7.00 | 0 |
Team: | 181 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 17 | 5.64 | 0 |
[9]
Playoffs
Date | Opponent | Score | Series lead |
April 8, 1980 | at Minnesota North Stars | 3 - 6 | Stars lead series 1-0 |
April 9, 1980 | at Minnesota North Stars | 2 - 7 | Stars lead series 2-0 |
April 11, 1980 | Minnesota North Stars | 3 - 4 (OT) | Stars win series 3-0 |
[10]
Transactions
The Maple Leafs have been involved in the following transactions during the 1979-80 season.
Trades
August 22, 1979 | To Edmonton Oilers 6th round pick in 1981 - Steve Smith | To Toronto Maple Leafs Reg Thomas |
December 13, 1979 | To Quebec Nordiques Reg Thomas | To Toronto Maple Leafs Dave Farrish Terry Martin |
December 24, 1979 | To Hartford Whalers Pat Boutette | To Toronto Maple Leafs Bob Stephenson |
December 29, 1979 | To Colorado Rockies Lanny McDonald Joel Quenneville | To Toronto Maple Leafs Pat Hickey Wilf Paiement |
January 10, 1980 | To Chicago Black Hawks Dave Hutchison | To Toronto Maple Leafs Pat Ribble |
February 10, 1980 | To Vancouver Canucks Cash | To Toronto Maple Leafs Curt Ridley |
February 16, 1980 | To Washington Capitals Pat Ribble | To Toronto Maple Leafs Mike Kaszycki |
February 18, 1980 | To Vancouver Canucks Tiger Williams Jerry Butler | To Toronto Maple Leafs Rick Vaive Bill Derlago |
March 3, 1980 | To Colorado Rockies Walt McKechnie | To Toronto Maple Leafs 3rd round pick in 1980 - Fred Boimistruck |
June 10, 1980 | To Calgary Flames 2nd round pick in 1980 - Kevin LaVallee | To Toronto Maple Leafs David Shand 3rd round pick in 1980 - Torrie Robertson |
June 11, 1980 | To Washington Capitals Mike Palmateer 3rd round pick in 1980 - Torrie Robertson | To Toronto Maple Leafs Tim Coulis Robert Picard 2nd round pick in 1980 - Bob McGill |
Waivers
Free agents
Awards and records
Farm teams
The Maple Leafs were affiliated with the New Brunswick Hawks of the American Hockey League.
References
Notes
- ^ "Lanny McDonald trade has Sittler in tears," Jim Kernaghan, Toronto Star, December 29, 1979, p. 1.
- ^ a b c Foster, p. 103
- ^ Foster, p. 102.
- ^ Foster, p. 101.
- ^ Foster, p. 104.
- ^ Dinger, Ralph, ed. (2011). The National Hockey League Official Guide & Record Book 2012. Dan Diamond & Associates. p. 152. ISBN 9781894801225.
- ^ "All-Time NHL Results". NHL.com. Retrieved August 25, 2023.
- ^ Legends of Hockey – Spotlight – One on One with Lanny McDonald Archived 2010-07-03 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "1979-80 Toronto Maple Leafs Statistics - Hockey-Reference.com". hockey-reference.com. Retrieved May 28, 2009.
- ^ Toronto Maple Leafs 1979-80 Game Log and Scores Archived 2011-07-08 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ NHL Official Guide and Record Book 2006, p. 222.
Bibliography
- The Power of Two: Carl Brewer's Battle with Hockey's Power Brokers, Susan Foster with notes by Carl Brewer, Fenn Publishing Company Ltd., Bolton, Ontario, 2006, ISBN 978-1-55168-313-3 (paperback).
- National Hockey League Official Guide and Record Book 2006, Dan Diamond & Associates, Toronto, Ontario, ISBN 0-920445-98-5.
External links
- Maple Leafs on Hockey Database
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