A FIRST FOR DAVE KEON

It wasn't big news back on October 16, 1960, but 59 years later, Dave Keon's first National Hockey League goal can be looked at as an important beginning for the Toronto Maple Leaf icon.

As the above newspaper clipping shows, there were no bells and whistles or great detail on how Keon scored his goal. It was a case of a rookie scoring a goal in his teams' first win of the season over the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden.

But that doesn't mean Keon's graduation from the OHA junior 'A' St. Mike's Majors wasn't a big deal at the time. As I noted in my Goldham book, "In a scouting report to his boss, Bob Davidson, the Leafs bird-dog in Quebec, Vince Thompson, wrote, 'don't miss this boy or he'll haunt you later.'"

Looking back at his time coaching Keon at St. Mike's, Goldham observed, "He was a very gifted athlete whose only fault as a junior was his failure to check at first, but would become a master at that aspect. He was very easy to handle and a class individual."

There were many big headlines in Dave Keon's future, including a Calder Trophy win, four Stanley Cups, a Conn Smythe Trophy following the 1967 Cup victory, several Lady Byng Trophies, a Second Team All-Star, captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs, and an Honoured Member of the Hockey Hall of Fame. The latest tribute was having his number 14 jersey retired by the Maple Leafs.