Leafs All-Time Team Vote: #1 Defenseman

[therealkoho]

Flanman hardly played for the leafs

Pick rushing dman bill barilko 5 yrs
Or bobby baun perhaos even the human high light machine
al iafrate

Flaman played in 228 games over 4 seasons which is not really "hardly" He also wears a Leaf SC ring, he was basically Horton w/o the offense, in fact when Horton finally made the jump from Pittsburgh, King Clancy who was then the Leafs coach deemed Flaman expendable and he was moved back to Boston, the team he chose where he played 7 more very good years.

Back in those days as you know players went where they were told to go, Conn Smythe respected Flaman enough to send him where "he" wanted to go. Flaman was the type of player that Conn loved, in that he could beat you in the alley. He was a great stay at home dman, shot blocker and crease clearer and was the last D partner of Barilko allowing him the freedom to move the puck up the ice.

 

[BayStreetBully]

Flaman played in 228 games over 4 seasons which is not really "hardly" He also wears a Leaf SC ring, he was basically Horton w/o the offense, in fact when Horton finally made the jump from Pittsburgh, King Clancy who was then the Leafs coach deemed Flaman expendable and he was moved back to Boston, the team he chose where he played 7 more very good years.

Back in those days as you know players went where they were told to go, Conn Smythe respected Flaman enough to send him where "he" wanted to go. Flaman was the type of player that Conn loved, in that he could beat you in the alley. He was a great stay at home dman, shot blocker and crease clearer and was the last D partner of Barilko allowing him the freedom to move the puck up the ice.

How do you rate Flaman in comparison to Gus Mortson? It's so hard to find material on any of these guys. I'd thought that Mortson was the better defender as he was on the top line pairing with Thomson, and also the more significant Leaf for having played with us longer than Flaman and having won more cups... but I'd like to hear what you think.

 

[MJ65]

This ploo is over with a land slide for Salming

 

[crkkh]

Not sure if he has been mentioned, but as an addition to the list...Bill Barilko...

Short career but what a career...
Played 5 years with the Leafs...won 4 Stanley Cups...
Played in 3 All Star Games in those 5 years...
as the song says His last goal won the Leafs the Cup...
Always wondered what the Leaf defence would have been like with both Barilko and Horton anchoring it for the 50's and probably early 60's...
Apparently Barilko hit like a tank...

Anyway...he would be in my top 6...definitely...

 

[pgk]

Kaberle McCabe and Horton are the remaining top three. I know everyone hates Dion but damn if he shouldnt be on the bottom pair at least.

 

[lifelonghockeyfan]

There seem to too many "youngsters" saying guys like McCabe and Iafrate should be in the top five of Leaf Dmen.

The 60s....Horton and Stanley. Second tier Baun and for short bursts...even Larry Hillman who had one of the longest pro careers in hockey. (yea he wasn't great but a fine career with many teams, many winning teams.
The 70s....Salming and Turnbull
The 80s....can't think of anyone else in the Chuck Norris divison
The 90s....Short term.....Rouse, Lefevre, Ellett and Todd Gill were a real fine group. By the way, Mike Kitchen was the Dman coach and has had the same job in Chicago for years. IMO, has got the best of the his players. Should be considered one of the finest "coaches" in recent NHL history.

This century...Kaberle, McCabe, weren't too many others especially long term with the Leafs.