TORONTO (June 11) — For the moment, the target remains clear. If it is still within sight on July 1 — just 20 days from now — the Maple Leafs can adopt only one strategy: Get Brad Marchand into the fold, any way possible.

If that means another three seasons on the ice at $8 million a pop, then the transition into unlimited years as a club executive (whatever the role), you do it. Quickly. While crushing all rivals that block your path. And, there will be several, including Marchand’s current team in Sunrise Fla., now just two victories shy of a second Stanley Cup in as many years. So, the route from Florida to Toronto, if it ever exists, will not be a straight line. Keith Pelley, Larry Tanenbaum and other voices of persuasion at Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment will need to sell Marchand on becoming a Leaf for life; on transferring his playoff mettle to the local hockey universe. Only then will the 12–year reign of terror cease: Marchand dispatching the Leafs from the playoffs on five consecutive occasions (2013–18–19–24–25) as a member of the Boston Bruins or Florida Panthers. Obtaining Brad would allow for a franchise re–set; the change of DNA eluded to, not–so–cryptically, last month by general manager Brad Treliving.

Marchand has evolved, before our eyes, from the instigating mole of the Bruins to a poised, jocular and ultra–clutch performer in his 38th year; still carrying the edge that has set him apart when the Cup stakes increase.

Were Brad to join the Leafs as an unrestricted free agent, Auston Matthews would no–longer carry the impossible (for him) burden of team leader. He could still wear the ‘C’ and help peddle club merchandise… yet retreat to his comfort zone: the shadows. From which he might actually emerge, without the emotional cargo, after mid–April. The way Phil Kessel came through for Pittsburgh. Forget the money Auston makes. On his own, he will never be worth, to the Leafs, even half of his $13.25 million salary. Alongside Marchand, however, Matthews may be able to relax into the role of Stanley Cup subordinate. A team of playoff mice, here in Toronto, would finally have its rat.

I submit that no current player in the National Hockey League offers such a unique and full package.

Marchand saw the wisdom of graduating from a cartoonish figure with the Bruins (when he twice licked the face of Toronto’s Leo Komarov) to the polished and charismatic playoff leader of the Panthers. It resulted in consecutive seasons (starting in 2016–17) of 85, 85, 100 and 87 points for Boston. Even as he ages, Marchand continues to put up numbers. Heading into Game 4 of the Stanley Cup final against Edmonton, he is solidly in contention for the Conn Smythe Trophy, with 18 points in 20 games this spring. Few players author bigger moments in the Cup chase. Were he to sign here, Marchand would instantly become the face and voice of the Toronto dressing room. Hardly a chore, mind you, in the banal, cliché–ridden environment of the current group, yet so grievously required.

Imagine a Leafs player with chutzpah. It isn’t easy. When asked, in March, what caliber of individual the Leafs had acquired from Boston in defenseman Brandon Carlo, Marchand deadpanned “you guys are getting a scumbag” before launching into praise. As so often, his easy humor broke up the media scrum. Not since Dave (Tiger) Williams in the late–70’s have the Leafs possessed such a self–assured, in–your–face figure. Bad Brad would create an entirely new aura around the hockey club and easily absorb the weight of leadership from Matthews.

Unless MLSE is afraid of hurting Auston’s feelings — which shouldn’t be remotely a factor after nine years of playoff misadventure — this is the person to target. To court. To offer clandestine intrigue and seduction, even at this early stage. For now and for later. Sam Bennett, another efficient pest, would never provide the Leafs such an emotional boost. Not even close. And, forget the  defeatist attitude of so many browbeaten observers of the Maple Leafs; the “it’ll never happen” crowd. We all understand that “never” vanished from the NHL lexicon the day, in August 1988, that Wayne Gretzky went from Edmonton to Los Angeles. If Tanenbaum, Pelley and Co. have the requisite ingenuity and determination, they can lure Brad Marchand from tax–free Florida to tax–ravaged Ontario.

Bad Brad for Marvelous Mitch is a winning transfiguration.

The Leafs could make no better move this summer.

WHAT’S GOING ON HERE? Everyone is kind of “shhh… shhh” about the Toronto Blue Jays as they craft a totally unanticipated hot streak of 12–2 in 14 games. For a record of 38–30 (third–best in the American League) and a deficit of only 3.5 games in the A.L. East (led by the Yankees). Who saw this coming? If it continues beyond the Stanley Cup final, many more people in Toronto (and across the land) will begin to pay attention. Bad baseball teams don’t often get on a roll for more than two weeks. As are the Jays after a three–game road sweep, completed this afternoon, of the St. Louis Cardinals. Precisely where it goes from here, no one can say. But, this is quite a development from a club that couldn’t scrape out a run as May turned into June. It surely bears watching.

1977–78 MAPLE LEAFS — Part 1
Oct. 13 to Nov. 16, 1977

I’ve been reading the exceptional book co–authored by Damien Cox and Gord Stellick: REVIVAL The Chaotic, Colorful Journey of the 1977–78 Toronto Maple Leafs. As only Damien and Gord can, they recount, in detail, the most–successful Leafs season of the Harold Ballard ownership era (1972–90). The year I turned 19 and attended William Lyon Mackenzie as a high school senior. A lonnnnng time ago. I had season tickets to all games at Maple Leaf Gardens — up in the southwest corner of the mezzanine Blues, in Sec. 30. Other games were viewed from Sec. 49 of the east Reds, between the blue line and center ice, 18 rows behind the Toronto bench.

As per custom in my teenage years, I maintained scrapbooks with stories and photos from the three Toronto newspapers: the Star, the Sun and Globe and Mail. It was the year rookie coach Roger Neilson guided the Leafs into the Stanley Cup semifinals. The club started strongly and compiled what is still its second–best record (19–6–3) after 28 games. Only the 1993–94 Leafs, having won their first 10 matches, sported a better mark: 19–5–4.

Here, in the first of a series, are my Leaf scrapbook images from 1977–78.

The first two parts will cover the 19 victories between Oct. 13 and Dec. 19:

WHAT A YEAR IT WOULD BE FOR ROGER NEILSON AND HIS TWO OFFENSIVE WORKHORSES, DARRYL SITTLER (LEFT) AND LANNY McDONALD. THIS COVER OF THE WEEKLY TV MAGAZINE IN THE TORONTO STAR BECAME QUITE ICONIC, CAPTURED IN THE ICE–LEVEL GOLD SEATS AT MAPLE LEAF GARDENS. SITTLER WAS 27 AT THE TIME, IN THE PRIME OF HIS HALL–OF–FAME CAREER. McDONALD HAD SCORED 46 AND 37 GOALS THE PRIOR TWO SEASONS. 

THE LEAFS COUGHED UP A 3–1 LEAD IN THE THIRD PERIOD OF THEIR 1977–78 SEASON OPENER (ABOVE AND BELOW), DRAWING WITH THE DETROIT RED WINGS AT OLYMPIA STADIUM. RICK BOWNESS (YES, that RICK BOWNESS) AND DAN MALONEY BROUGHT THE GAME TO EVEN FOR THE HOME SIDE —  THE LATTER GOAL WITH JUST 1:36 REMAINING.

 
AFTER A LOSS TO BUFFALO IN THEIR HOME OPENER, THE LEAFS GOT INTO THE WIN COLUMN (ABOVE AND BELOW) ON A WEDNESDAY NIGHT AT THE GARDENS AGAINST THE OLD COLORADO ROCKIES (SINCE 1982–83, THE NEW JERSEY DEVILS). IT REQUIRED A GOAL BY DEFENSEMAN IAN TURNBULL, WITH 4:22 LEFT, TO EDGE THE STUBBORN VISITORS.

 

THE WEEKEND OF OCT. 22–23 (ABOVE AND BELOW) OFFERED AN EARLY — AND ASTONISHING — GLIMPSE OF THE IMPROVED LEAFS UNDER NEILSON. HOME AND ROAD VICTORIES, IN CONSECUTIVE NIGHTS, AGAINST THE CLUB’S LONG–TIME NEMESIS FROM PHILADELPHIA. DECISIVE WINS. AND, A WORD OF WARNING FROM CAPTAIN BOBBY CLARKE.

 

A 2–2 TIE AGAINST MONTREAL AT THE GARDENS WAS FOLLOWED BY A 7–4 HOME–ICE ROMP OVER DETROIT (ABOVE AND BELOW) WHICH TEMPORARILY VAULTED THE MAPLE LEAFS INTO FIRST PLACE IN THE OLD ADAMS DIVISION.

IN 1977–78, CHCH TV (Channel 11) IN HAMILTON PURCHASED THE MIDWEEK LEAFS PACKAGE FROM CTV, AGREEING TO SHOW ALL WEDNESDAY GAMES, REGARDLESS OF LOCATION. UNTIL THEN, ONLY MIDWEEK ENCOUNTERS FROM MONTREAL WERE AVAILABLE IN THIS MARKET (IN THE PLAYOFFS, ALL LEAF ROAD GAMES WERE TELEVISED). ON NOV. 2, 1977, THE WEDNESDAY GAME (ABOVE AND BELOW) ORIGINATED FROM VANCOUVER AT 11 p.m. AS THEY HAD A WEEK EARLIER IN PHILADELPHIA, THE LEAFS VAULTED TO A 4–0 LEAD IN THE FIRST PERIOD. AFTER WHICH, THE TV FEED FROM THE OLD PACIFIC COLISEUM WENT DEAD. ONLY THE VOICE OF PLAY CALLER BILL HEWITT COULD BE HEARD OVER A GRAPHIC THAT READ “WE APOLOGIZE FOR TECHNICAL DIFFICULTIES.” TORONTO WON IN A BREEZE.   

 
 
AFTER A NARROW DEFEAT IN LOS ANGELES, THE LEAFS FLEW TO DENVER AND UPENDED THE COLORADO ROCKIES (ABOVE AND BELOW) FOR THE SECOND TIME. ALL LEAF ROAD GAMES WERE STAFFED BY THE THREE TORONTO DAILIES, A PRACTICE THAT ENDED AFTER THE COVID–19 PANDEMIC. VETERAN BEAT–REPORTER JOHN IABONI, WHO SHOULD BE IN THE MEDIA WING OF THE HOCKEY HALL OF FAME, COVERED THE NOVEMBER 1977 TRIP FOR THE TORONTO SUN.

 

IT WAS A BIG NIGHT FOR VETERAN RON ELLIS AND YOUTHFUL MIKE PALMATEER (ABOVE AND BELOW) AS THE LEAFS SHUT OUT THE FLAMES, IN ATLANTA. ELLIS, RETURNING AFTER A TWO–YEAR HIATUS FROM THE LEAFS, SCORED THE FIRST GOAL OF HIS COMEBACK. PALMATEER STOPPED 34 ATLANTA SHOTS. THIS WAS ANOTHER OF THE WEDNESDAY CHCH TELECASTS; THE FIRST TIME THE LEAFS HAD BEEN SHOWN FROM THE OLD OMNI ARENA IN DOWNTOWN ATLANTA.

THE FLAMES FRANCHISE RELOCATED TO CALGARY FOR THE 1980–81 SEASON.

THE VETERAN ELLIS SCORED TWICE MORE IN A 3–1 VICTORY OVER WASHINGTON, A FRIDAY NIGHT MATCH AT THE CAPITAL CENTER IN LANDOVER, Md. THE LATE JIM KERNAGHAN COVERED THE GAME (ABOVE) FOR THE TORONTO STAR.

 
A FORETELLING ROMP BY THE CANADIENS IN MONTREAL (5–0) FOLLOWED THE TRIUMPH AT WASHINGTON. A MUCH–EASIER GAME OCCURRED, THREE NIGHTS LATER, WHEN THE FORLORN CAPITALS (ABOVE) CAME TO THE GARDENS.

THE LEAFS WERE 9–3–2 AFTER 14 GAMES.

EMAIL: HOWARDLBERGER@GMAIL.COM