1931-1999 MEMORIES & DREAMS

This being Toronto's centennial season, there is no bigger or important date in Maple Leafs history than November 12, 1931. It was 85 years ago tonight that Maple Leaf Gardens opened and a new era began.

In their new building, the Leafs won the Stanley Cup on April 9, 1932, against the New York Rangers. They went on to capture ten more Cups with the last coming in 1967.

The Gardens was not only the domicile to Leaf captains (pictured below from left to right) Hap Day, Charlie Conacher, Red Horner ( Leaf owner/manager Conn Smythe), Syl Apps, Bob Davidson, Ted Kennedy and Sid Smith, but also was the hockey home for generations of Leaf fans.

On the radio, young and old used their imagination to visualize the play being called by Foster Hewitt from his post in the gondola. When television arrived in 1952, families gathered in the living room and had the chance to witness the action from the hockey shrine at Carlton and Church. It was as though they had their own seat in the greys or greens. Saturday was Hockey Night in Canada from Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto.