Leafs All-Time Team Vote: #1 Defenseman

[Jimmy Firecracker]

With the Leafs Centennial Season coming up, I think it'd be interesting to see who Leafs fans would vote for when creating an All-Time team. After 100 years and 1000's of players, many greats have donned the blue and white and represented the city of Toronto. Who makes the cut and who doesn't when it comes to creating a team of the greatest Leafs ever?

Rules:

1. Players must have played a minimum of three seasons for the Toronto Maple Leafs.

2. Players must be voted on for their respective positions, so the polls will only feature players in their natural positions (defensemen exempt, fretting over left D vs right D is a bit much).

3. Consider what these players did in their time as Leafs. The rest of their career doesn't matter.

Current options for Leafs All-Time #1D:

King Clancy

Hap Day

Red Horner

Tim Horton

Babe Pratt

Marcel Pronovost

Börje Salming

Allan Stanley


(If you have any player suggestions, just let me know in a post)

Current All-Time Roster:

(#1LW)-Sundin-(#1RW)
(#2LW)-(#2C)-(#2RW)
(#3LW)-(#3C)-(#3RW)
(#4LW)-(#4C)-(#4RW)

(#1D)-(#2D)
(#3D)-(#4D)
(#5D)-(#6D)

(#1G)
(#2G)

Click to read more...

 

[hamzarocks]

voted salming just based on his accomplishments. But you should add kaberle to the group. think he's one of the top 6 dmen in our team history. Obviously not one, but i'd have him between 3-5

 

[Schenn]

I think most of these guys died before I was born.

 

[Leaf Lander]

Tim horton

 

[Leaf Lander]

voted salming just based on his accomplishments. But you should add kaberle to the group. think he's one of the top 6 dmen in our team history. Obviously not one, but i'd have him between 3-5

Point wise yes but he isnt better then jimmy thomson or bobby baun

 

[TLeafsFan]

Horton for those that know their Leafs history.

Salming HM.

surprised Kaberle didn't make your list though. In the top 5 and that Iafrate shot!

 

[Rare Jewel]

Borje Salming for me.

Supposedly George Armstrong thinks he's the best Leaf of all time - which considering just who he played with is saying something.

 

[67Cup]

I remember Horton and Stanley as players and King Clancy as a character and professional sidekick. I have been told Clancy was great in his prime, however. I have mentioned before that my late father was coached by another name on the poll, Red Horner. Apparently Horner told great stories about Clancy, mainly about Clancy starting fights Horner had to finish.

Salming was great for a long time, including on some truly rotten teams. I was tempted to vote that way but in terms of achievement, eg all star nominations and Stanley Cups, finally settled on Horton.

I think Carl Brewer was actually the most gifted blueliner of those Leaf teams of the sixties but he couldn't stand Punch Imlach and quit the NHL in his prime. He could have been the clear number one , IMO, if he had stayed on the team.

 

[p.l.f.]

no contest

 

[67Cup]

I'm not really suggesting posters should vote for Harry Cameron but Leafs fans with an interest in hockey history should know about this great player from early in the 20th century. He won three Cups with Maple Leaf predecessor teams the Toronto Blueshirts and St. Pats. He is sometimes considered hockey's first great rushing defenseman. Cameron scored 88 goals in 121 NHL games and is credited with the first recorded "Gordie Howe hat trick" as it would later be called.

Sadly, he is almost unknown today among Leaf fans.

 

[scotian1]

Sadly so many voters never saw the Leafs when they were the dominant team in the NHL. If you had you would have selected Tim Horton.

 

[diceman934]

Why is this guy not on the list:

Named to the NHL Second All-Star Team in 1962, 1965 and 1970
Named to the NHL First All-Star Team in 1963
Won the Stanley Cup in 1962, 1963, and 1964

Brewer....he quit hockey in his prime as the Leafs owned his rights and would not trade him.

Salming was a fantastic D man and a deserving winner.

 

[MJ65]

Salming - who can argue that

 

[therealkoho]

I've seen Tim Horton, Allan Stanley, Marcel Pronovost, Bobby Baun and Carl Brewer.

Pronovost had a couple of very good years in Toronto and his name has become intertwined with the 60's Leafs and cups. he also had a couple of so so end of the career years, still good but not outstanding. His Hof selection has more to do with his career in Detroit then his time in Toronto

Stanley was a big solid stay at home journeymen type with a good first pass and average skating ability and could always be depended on when holding a lead, but that duty usually went to Horton and Baun. While Stanley no doubt had his best years in Toronto, I don't think I'd have him in a Leafs all-time top 7

Pronovost and Stanley were good players on a very hard working team mostly romantic choices more or less, because of the cups!

Tim Horton was a tough as nails bull terrier, a fearless shot blocker, excellent skater, wholly consistent night in and night out and is 2nd all time leading points getter for Leafs Dmen, passed only by Borje Salming

Hard to pick between Timmy and Borje, because Salming did all the same stuff and just as good or better, he like Horton had the heart of a lion....he fought about as frequently as Horton although neither man is known as a fighter and funny enough both fought Dave Shultz! Salming's first ever fight was with Schultz in Oct of 73 and Horton's last fight Jan of 74, both were draws.

There's a special place in my heart for Horton because of the 4 cups, but Salming played in a different time and a much different game. The original six was very buttoned down and defensive, but by the the first expansion the Bobby Orr effect had opened the game up and by the time 73 rolled around the game had been influenced by the Russians with a good dose of brawling a la the B's and the Flyers. Both games were tough, but 70's hockey was just as crazy as it got, full on wild west stuff, a wide open skating game with freewheeling wingers and Dmen and of course the dirtiest of dirt. The referees let all kinds of stuff go and only blew the whistle when the game looked like it was getting out of hand or you hooked or tripped a guy who was blowing past you, so I would say a harder game to play altogether.

...and thats why Borje gets my vote and he's the only one in my all time top 7 w/o a cup

my all time leafs top 7

Horton - Salming

Brewer - Clancy

Flaman - Stanowski

Thomson

Hap Day is interchangeable with the bottom 3

 

[Mr Hockey*]

Al iafrate?

 

[FrozenJagrt]

I would probably lean toward Horton, but I don't think Salming is as appreciated as he should be. He's kind of lacking in individual accomplishments, but when you consider the competition of the era he spent his prime in... Tough to get much recognition in an era of Orr, Potvin, Robinson and Park. And then, just as some of these guys were slowing down, Roy Bourque shows up.

 

[saltming]

Got to go with my avatar if only for the game that gave him that face! Beast mode!

 

[Jeypic]

I've seen Tim Horton, Allan Stanley, Marcel Pronovost, Bobby Baun and Carl Brewer.

Pronovost had a couple of very good years in Toronto and his name has become intertwined with the 60's Leafs and cups. he also had a couple of so so end of the career years, still good but not outstanding. His Hof selection has more to do with his career in Detroit then his time in Toronto

Stanley was a big solid stay at home journeymen type with a good first pass and average skating ability and could always be depended on when holding a lead, but that duty usually went to Horton and Baun. While Stanley no doubt had his best years in Toronto, I don't think I'd have him in a Leafs all-time top 7

Pronovost and Stanley were good players on a very hard working team mostly romantic choices more or less, because of the cups!

Tim Horton was a tough as nails bull terrier, a fearless shot blocker, excellent skater, wholly consistent night in and night out and is 2nd all time leading points getter for Leafs Dmen, passed only by Borje Salming

Hard to pick between Timmy and Borje, because Salming did all the same stuff and just as good or better, he like Horton had the heart of a lion....he fought about as frequently as Horton although neither man is known as a fighter and funny enough both fought Dave Shultz! Salming's first ever fight was with Schultz in Oct of 73 and Horton's last fight Jan of 74, both were draws.

There's a special place in my heart for Horton because of the 4 cups, but Salming played in a different time and a much different game. The original six was very buttoned down and defensive, but by the the first expansion the Bobby Orr effect had opened the game up and by the time 73 rolled around the game had been influenced by the Russians with a good dose of brawling a la the B's and the Flyers. Both games were tough, but 70's hockey was just as crazy as it got, full on wild west stuff, a wide open skating game with freewheeling wingers and Dmen and of course the dirtiest of dirt. The referees let all kinds of stuff go and only blew the whistle when the game looked like it was getting out of hand or you hooked or tripped a guy who was blowing past you, so I would say a harder game to play altogether.

...and thats why Borje gets my vote and he's the only one in my all time top 7 w/o a cup

my all time leafs top 7

Horton - Salming

Brewer - Clancy

Flaman - Stanowski

Thomson

Hap Day is interchangeable with the bottom 3

all of this was before my time. It's cool reading about it though.

 

[lifelonghockeyfan]

Yea, I think would be between Horton and Salming.

Salming played in the era when there were some absolutely studs on defence....Robinson, Savard, Lapointe, Potvin, Orr, Park.

I like Harry Neale's take on Salming. He broke hockey's "colour barrier". One of the first Europeans to come to the NHL and succeed. Salming was absolutely fearless.

Before my time and television, would have been great to see Day and Clancy. Great Dmen.

 

[Mats13]

It's got to be Salming.

He'd have much more hardware if he didn't play in the golden era of defencemen.

 

[BayStreetBully]

It has to be Horton or Salming. I never got to watch either, but what I wouldn't give to see a Leaf defenceman of that caliber in my lifetime.

I went with Horton because he was the rock of the blueline on the 60's dynasty. From everything I've read, it sounded like he had remarkable offensive gifts that were hampered both by the Leafs' defensive style of play, and his own injuries.

Salming would also be a good choice. I don't fault him for having a bare trophy case, just because of the era he played in. Despite that, he still finished top 5 in Norris voting 7 years in a row, which is really good in any era.

I might've considered Clancy, had he played longer with the Leafs. His 7 years pale in comparison to Horton's and Salming's tenure. He's an easy 3rd place in my book.

I think all of Jimmy Thomson, Carl Brewer and Bobby Baun should've been in the poll. Thomson was probably the best defenceman of the 40's dynasty, winning 4 cups in 5 years alongside the more notorious Apps, Kennedy and Broda. He was kept out of the Hall of Fame because of his activities fighting for a players' association. History has forgotten him since.

Brewer and Baun are also possible candidates for inclusion among the top 6. Brewer was a Hall of Fame talent, if not for his super early retirement. Baun was just everything you wanted in a steady defender. That foursome of Horton-Stanley-Brewer-Baun was possibly the greatest top 4 defence in the history of the game. There have been better duos and better trios, but I can't think of a better foursome.

Great tradition of Leafs blueliners throughout history, but very weak since I began watching hockey in the early 90's. I'm still waiting for that supreme blueliner we can call our own.

 

[moon111]

My vote for #1 defenceman for the Leafs has the 2nd highest points/game of all Leaf's blueliners (Behind Walter 'Babe' Pratt who was born in 1916, and sorry can't get behind players that far back.) The only NHL player to score five goals on five shots in one game. Only defenceman to score five goals in a game. ...that would be Ian Turnbull. He had more assist per game then Kaberle, more goals per game then McCabe.

(On playing with Salming)
"We basically had a very good chemistry," Turnbull says. "He had a much more spectacular style than I did. He would be sliding all over the ice and blocking shots, doing all those sort of things. And I was a little calmer, less spectacular. I went about my business, sometimes to my detriment, I guess. It was said that I almost looked like I wasn't trying but that's not the truth at all. My style of play was very pretty slick. I didn't waste too much effort. I made the game look a little easier than it really is."

Reality is, there was more money to be made away from the rink then on it. If the salaries were what they are today, Turnbull wouldn't just be one of the greatest to play for Toronto, but the entire league.

 

[Mr Hockey*]

Kaberle had a pretty good leaf career.

 

[saltming]

My vote for #1 defenceman for the Leafs has the 2nd highest points/game of all Leaf's blueliners (Behind Walter 'Babe' Pratt who was born in 1916, and sorry can't get behind players that far back.) The only NHL player to score five goals on five shots in one game. Only defenceman to score five goals in a game. ...that would be Ian Turnbull. He had more assist per game then Kaberle, more goals per game then McCabe.

(On playing with Salming)
"We basically had a very good chemistry," Turnbull says. "He had a much more spectacular style than I did. He would be sliding all over the ice and blocking shots, doing all those sort of things. And I was a little calmer, less spectacular. I went about my business, sometimes to my detriment, I guess. It was said that I almost looked like I wasn't trying but that's not the truth at all. My style of play was very pretty slick. I didn't waste too much effort. I made the game look a little easier than it really is."

Reality is, there was more money to be made away from the rink then on it. If the salaries were what they are today, Turnbull wouldn't just be one of the greatest to play for Toronto, but the entire league.

Turnbull was very very good too and maybe it was the fact that Salming was flashy why I love him so much, but I also remember thinking because Salming was so dominant that he allowed Turnbull the space and time to shine.
I loved them both and would not be upset if they were to tie in votes, even though Turnbull is not on the list, but I would still vote for Saltmin... err Salming.

 

[frizzer1]

Has anyone mentioned Bobby Baun?
Played with brewer as a pairing....
Underrated....solid as a rock....had earth shaking collisions with Bobby Hull....scored cup winning goal on a broken leg....
Only lacked offensive flair..