January 1, 2017: For the Toronto Maple Leafs, it was a celebration of their 100th Anniversary, as well as for that of their governing body, the National Hockey League. It may also have been their greatest moment in nearly half a century.
They were set to play in The NHL Centennial Classic. Announced on March 9, 2016, the game served as a celebration of the 100th Anniversary, or centennial, season of the Maple Leafs, and the beginning of the NHL's centennial year.
It was one of four outdoor regular season games during the 2016-17 season, the others being the 2016 Heritage Classic; the 2017 NHL Winter Classic, bumped from its usual New Year's Day setting by the Centennial Classic, and the fact that January 1 fell on a Sunday; and the 2017 NHL Stadium Series game. (The NHL calls outdoor games in the United States "Stadium Series," and in Canada "Heritage Classics.")
The Heritage Classic was held at Investors Group Field (now Princess Auto Stadium) in Winnipeg, and the Edmonton Oilers beat the Winnipeg Jets, 3-0. Attendance: A full house of 33,240.
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The Toronto Arenas were 1 of 4 founding members of the NHL in 1917, and they won the League's 1st title, and the Stanley Cup, in that 1st season of 1917-18. Changing their name to the Toronto St. Patricks to reflect their city's Irish heritage, and changing their colors from blue, the traditional "colour" of Toronto hockey (the Toronto Blueshirts won the Cup in 1914 before folding with the National Hockey Association in 1917) to green, they won another Cup in 1922.
In 1927, Conn Smythe, a former hockey star and Canadian Army officer in World War I, bought the St. Patricks, and, being of English descent and a British Empire nationalist, changed the name of the team to the Maple Leafs, and restored the blue and white color scheme. He built their arena, Maple Leaf Gardens, for the 1931-32 season, and the Leafs won another Cup. They won it again in 1942, 1945, 1947, 1948, 1949, 1951, 1962, 1963, 1964 and 1967.
But subsequent Leaf ownership broke up that 1960s dynasty. As a result, they didn't win another Playoff series until 1975. Having rebuilt, they got to the Stanley Cup Semifinals in 1978, but not back to the Finals. They got to the Eastern Conference Finals in 1993 (controversially in Game 6, and then losing Game 7 as well), 1994, 1999 (the year they moved from Maple Leaf Gardens to the Air Canada Centre, now known as the Scotiabank Arena) and 2002. After the lockout that cancelled the 2004-05 season, they missed the Playoffs 10 seasons out of 11.
Their Centennial season was a rare chance to celebrate what was. But what was was no longer much. They had celebrated the 50th Anniversaries of Cup wins in 2012, 2013 and 2014, but the players from that dynasty were dying off from the ravages of age. Their home opener, on October 15, 2016, was a chance to, in a small way, rewrite their history.
Since 1992, the Maple Leafs had taken an unusual approach to retiring uniform numbers. Whereas players who suffered a career-ending injury had their numbers "retired," other stars had players had their numbers "honoured," yet remained in circulation.
Number 6 was worn by right wing Irvine "Ace" Bailey until his career-ending head injury on December 12, 1933, and officially retired on February 14, 1934. In 1968, Bailey was working as the Leafs' timekeeper, and he offered to let right wing Ron Ellis, who had been wearing 8, switch to 6. He wore it for the rest of his career, until January 14, 1981, and the number was re-retired.
Shortly after his overtime goal won the 1951 Stanley Cup, defenseman Bill Barilko was killed in a plane crash. His Number 5 was never worn again, and presumed retired, but someone discovered that there had never been an official retirement ceremony for the number. One was held on October 17, 1992.
In 1993, they honored 1940s and '50 center Ted "Teeder" Kennedy with the honour of his Number 9, and 1930s and '40s center Syl Apps with the honour of his Number 10. Both were still alive, and on hand for the ceremony. In 1995, they honored 1940s goalie Walter "Turk" Broda and 1960s goalie Johnny Bower with the honour of their shared Number 1. A few days later, they honored 1930s defenseman Frank "King" Clancy and 1950s and '60 defenseman Tim Horton with the honour of their shared Number 7.
In 1998, they honored 1930s right wing Charlie Concacher with the honour of the Number 9 later worn by Kennedy, and 1950s and '60s right wing George "Chief" Armstrong with the honour of the Number 10 previously worn by Apps. In 2001, they honored 1960s left with Frank "the Big M" Mahovlich with the honour of his Number 27. In 2003, the honored a later Number 27, 1970s center Darryl Sittler.
In 2006, they honored 1920s and '30s defenseman, and 1940s head coach, Clarence "Hap" Day (dead) and 1960s center Leonard "Red" Kelly (alive and on hand, although better known as a defenseman with the 1950s Detroit Red Wings) with the honour of their shared Number 4; and 1970s and '80s defenseman Börje Salming (alive and on hand) with the honour of his Number 21. In 2008, they honored 1990s left wing Wendel Clark (alive and on hand) with the honour of his Number 17.
In 2009, they honored 1990s center Doug Gilmour (alive and on hand) with the honour of his Number 93 (which he took on after the 39 he'd worn with the Calgary Flames was already taken by a Leafs player). In 2012, they honored 1990s and 2000s center Mats Sundin with the honour of his Number 13.
Conacher had died in 1967, Broda in 1972, Horton (namesake of the donut chain that bears his name) in a car crash while still an active player in 1974, Clancy in 1986, Day in 1990, Bailey in 1992. The rest were alive and able to attend the ceremonies. Apps later died in 1998. Kennedy died in 2009, within days of the U.S. Senator with whom he shared a name, but not a family. Armstrong died in 2021.
Finally, the morning of the Centennial season opener, October 15, 2016, the Leafs announced that all the "Honoured Numbers" would be officially retired, never to be worn again. They also announced the retirement of the Number 14 of 1960s center Dave Keon, who attended, along with the still-living Bower, Kelly
(Bower died in 2017, shortly after the celebration of the 50th Anniversary of the 1967 Cup; Kelly in 2019.)
On September 6, 2014, the club commissioned Legends Row, a 30-foot granite hockey bench with statues of former club players, currently consisting of just the 14 players whose numbers have been retired.
The NHL Centennial Classic, kicking off the League's 100th Anniversary calendar year with an "Original Six" matchup, the Toronto Maple Leafs beat the Detroit Red Wings. They had previously met at the Detroit Tigers' Comerica Park in the 2014 NHL Winter Classic. This game was held at BMO Field, home of the CFL's Toronto Argonauts and MLS' Toronto F.C. A sellout crowd of 40,148 fans attended, including most of the Leafs' honorees still living.
In a pregame ceremony, the NHL announced the 1st 33 players, representing the League's 1st 50 years, from its 100th Anniversary 100 Greatest Players. The rest were announced on January 27. These are the players, listed with their primary teams, in chronological order, noting that some players had significant contributions to more than one team:
* Montreal Canadiens (NHA, 1909-17): Georges Vézina, Howie Morenz, Toe Blake, Elmer Lach, Maurice Richard, Bill Durnan, Doug Harvey, Jean Béliveau, Bernie Geoffrion, Dickie Moore, Jacques Plante, Henri Richard, Yvan Cournoyer, Jacques Lemaire, Serge Savard, Ken Dryden, Guy Lafleur, Larry Robinson, Bob Gainey, Patrick Roy.
* Toronto Maple Leafs, 1917: King Clancy, Charlie Conacher, Turk Broda, Syl Apps, Max Bentley, Ted Kennedy, Tim Horton, Johnny Bower, Frank Mahovlich, Red Kelly, Dave Keon, Darryl Sittler, Börje Salming, Mats Sundin.
* Boston Bruins, 1924: Eddie Shore, Milt Schmidt, Johnny Bucyk, Phil Esposito, Bobby Orr, Ray Bourque, Adam Oates.
* New York Rangers, 1926: Andy Bathgate, Jean Ratelle, Brad Park, Brian Leetch, Mark Messier.
* Detroit Red Wings, 1926: Sid Abel, Ted Lindsay, Gordie Howe, Terry Sawchuk, Alex Delvecchio, Steve Yzerman, Sergei Fedorov, Nicklas Lidstrom, Brendan Shanahan, Chris Chelios, Pavel Datsyuk.
* Chicago Blackhawks, 1926: Max Bentley, Glenn Hall, Bobby Hull, Stan Mikita, Tony Esposito, Denis Savard, Chris Chelios, Duncan Keith, Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane.
* Philadelphia Flyers, 1967: Bobby Clarke, Bernie Parent, Eric Lindros.
* Pittsburgh Penguins, 1967: Mario Lemieux, Ron Francis, Jaromír Jágr, Sidney Crosby.
* Los Angeles Kings, 1967: Marcel Dionne, Luc Robitaille, Wayne Gretzky.
* St. Louis Blues, 1967: Brett Hull, Chris Pronger.
* Dallas Stars, 1967 (Minnesota North Stars, 1967-93): Mike Modano, Brett Hull.
* Buffalo Sabres, 1970: Gilbert Perreault, Dominik Hasek.
* Vancouver Canucks, 1970: Pavel Bure.
* New York Islanders, 1972: Mike Bossy, Denis Potvin, Billy Smith, Bryan Trottier, Pat LaFontaine.
* Calgary Flames, 1972 (Atlanta, 1972-80): Al MacInnis, Joe Nieuwendyk.
* Edmonton Oilers (WHA, 1972-79): Wayne Gretzky, Mark Messier, Jari Kurri, Paul Coffey, Grant Fuhr.
* Carolina Hurricanes (New England Whalers in WHA, 1972-79; Hartford Whalers, 1979-96): Ron Francis.
* Colorado Avalanche (Quebec Nordiques, 1972-95; WHA, 1972-79): Peter Šťastný, Joe Sakic, Peter Forsberg, Patrick Roy, Ray Bourque.
* Winnipeg Jets, 1972 (WHA, 1972-79, hiatus 1996-2011): Bobby Hull, Teemu Selanne.
* Washington Capitals, 1974: Mike Gartner, Alex Ovechkin.
* New Jersey Devils, 1974 (Kansas City Scouts, 1974-76; Colorado Rockies, 1976-82): Scott Stevens, Martin Brodeur, Scott Niedermayer.
* San Jose Sharks, 1991: None.
* Tampa Bay Lightning, 1992: None.
* Ottawa Senators, 1992: None.
* Anaheim Ducks, 1993: Teemu Selanne, Chris Pronger, Scott Niedermayer.
* Florida Panthers, 1993: Pavel Bure.
* Arizona Coyotes, 1996: None. (UPDATE: Became the Utah Mammoth in 2024.)
* Nashville Predators, 1998: None.
* Columbus Blue Jackets, 2000: None.
* Minnesota Wild, 2000: None.
The Leafs led the Centennial Classic, 4-1 with 7:55 left in regulation, but the Wings died it with 2 seconds to go, on a goal by Anthony Mantha. But with 1:20 left in overtime, Auston Matthews -- ironically, given their identity as English Canada's unofficial national sports team, an American -- scored the winning goal for the Leafs, avoiding a shootout.
Since 1945, and the end of World War II, Toronto fans have always sold out the building, whether Maple Leaf Gardens, the Air Canada Centre/Scotiabank Arena, or, in this case, BMO Field. (They have never played at the SkyDome/Rogers Centre, unlike the Blue Jays, the Argonauts, Toronto F.C., and even the Raptors.) But they frequently leave unhappy. This time, they left not only happy, but proud -- and that's been a rare thing for them since Lester Pearson was the Prime Minister, not the namesake of the airport.
The following day, January 2, the NHL Winter Classic was held at Busch Stadium in St. Louis. With Hall-of-Famer Bobby Hull serving as Honorary Captain for the Chicago Blackhawks, and his son, Hall-of-Famer Brett Hull, serving as such for the St. Louis Blues, the Blues beat the Hawks, their arch-rivals, 4-1. Attendance: A full house of 46,556.
And, in celebration of the NHL's 100th Anniversary, the 50th Anniversary of the 1967 "Great Expansion," and also the 50th Anniversary of both of the League's Pennsylvania teams, the Stadium Series game was staged on February 15. Originally, it was hoped that it could be held on neutral ground at Beaver Stadium, on the campus of Pennsylvania State University in College Station, but it proved to be improperly equipped for such an event. So it was moved to Heinz Field (now Acrisure Stadium) in Pittsburgh, where the Pittsburgh Penguins beat the Philadelphia Flyers, 4-2. Attendance: A full house of 67,318.
UPDATE: Börje Salming died in 2022. Through the 2025-26 season, the Toronto Maple Leafs have still not reach the Stanley Cup Finals since they won the Cup in 1967.
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January 1, 2017 was a Sunday. There were 2 other games played in the NHL that day. The Washington Capitals beat the Ottawa Senators, 2-1 at the Verizon Center (now the Capital One Arena) in Washington. And the Anaheim Ducks beat the Philadelphia Flyers, 4-3 in a shootout at the Honda Center in Anaheim.
These NFL games were played that day:
* The New York Giants beat the Washington Redskins, 19-10 at FedEx Field (now Northwest Stadium) in the Washington suburb of Landover, Maryland.
* The New York Jets beat the Buffalo Bills, 30-10 at MetLife Stadium at the Meadowlands.
* The Philadelphia Eagles beat the Dallas Cowboys, 27-13 at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia.
* The Atlanta Falcons beat their arch-rivals, the New Orleans Saints, 38-32 at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta. This was the last regular-season game there. The Falcons won 2 Playoff games there that season, before losing Super Bowl LI, and moved into Mercedes-Benz Stadium the next season.
* The Tampa Bay Buccaneers beat the Carolina Panthers, 17-16 at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa.
* The New England Patriots beat the Miami Dolphins, 35-14 at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida.
* The Tennessee Titans, who used to be the Houston Oilers, beat their successors, the Houston Texans, 24-17 at Nissan Stadium in Nashville.
* The Pittsburgh Steelers beat their arch-rivals, the Cleveland Browns, 27-24 at Heinz Field (now Acrisure Stadium) in Pittsburgh.
* The Cincinnati Bengals beat the Baltimore Ravens, 27-10 at Paul Brown Stadium (now Paycor Stadium) in Cincinnati.
* The Green Bay Packers beat the Detroit Lions, 31-24 at Ford Field in Detroit.
* The Indianapolis Colts beat the Jacksonville Jaguars, 24-20 at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.
* The Minnesota Vikings beat the Chicago Bears, 38-10 at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis.
* The Denver Broncos beat the Oakland Raiders, 24-6 at Empower Field at Mile High in Denver.
* The Kansas City Chiefs beat the San Diego Chargers, 37-27 at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego. It is the last game for the Chargers, San Diego's 1st major league sports team. The team's operator, Dean Spanos, operating them on behalf of his ailing father, team owner Alex Spanos, has already announced that he is moving the team back to its original location from the 1960 season, Los Angeles. I have a separate entry for this event.
* The Arizona Cardinals beat the Los Angeles Rams, 44-6 at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.
* And the Seattle Seahawks beat the San Francisco 49ers, 25-23 at Levi's Stadium in the San Francisco suburb of Santa Clara, California.
There was no Monday Night Football game that final week of the regular season. If it had been scheduled, it would have competed with the college bowl games. The NCAA usually doesn't let games, even bowl games, be played on Sundays, so the major bowls that would have been played on New Year's Day were moved around:
* December 30, Orange Bowl, Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens, Florida: Number 11 Florida State 33, Number 6 Michigan 32.
* December 31, Peach Bowl, Georgia Dome, Atlanta, Playoff Semifinal: Number 1 Alabama 24, Number 4 Washington 7.
* December 31, Fiesta Bowl, University of Phoenix Stadium (now State Farm Stadium), Phoenix suburb of Glendale, Arizona, Playoff Semifinal: Number 2 Clemson 31, Number 3 Ohio State 0.
* January 2, Cotton Bowl, AT&T Stadium, Dallas suburb of Arlington, Texas: Number 8 Wisconsin 24, Number 15 Western Michigan 16. WMU became only the 2nd team from the Mid-American Conference in a traditional New Year's Day bowl game, following Northern Illinois in the 2013 Orange Bowl.
* January 2, Rose Bowl, Los Angeles suburb of Pasadena, California: Number 9 Southern California 52, Number 5 Penn State 49.
* January 2, Sugar Bowl, Superdome, New Orleans: Number 7 Oklahoma 35, Number 14 Auburn 19.
* January 9, National Championship, Raymond James Stadium, Tampa: Number 2 Clemson 35, Number 1 Alabama 31.
Baseball was out of season. There were 5 NBA games:
* The Atlanta Hawks beat the San Antonio Spurs, 114-112 in overtime at the Philips Arena (now the State Farm Arena) in Atlanta.
* The Detroit Pistons beat the Miami Heat, 107-98 at the American Airlines Arena (now the Kaseya Center) in Miami.
* The Indiana Pacers beat the Orlando Magic, 117-104 at the Bankers Life Fieldhouse (now the Gainbridge Fieldhouse) in Indianapolis.
* The Portland Trail Blazers beat the Minnesota Timberwolves, 95-89 at the Target Center in Minneapolis. CJ McCollum led all scorers on the day with 43 points.
* And the Toronto Raptors beat the Los Angeles Lakers, 123-114 at the Staples Center (now the Crypto.com Arena) in Los Angeles. Kyle Lowry scored 41.
And in English soccer, Arsenal beat South London team Crystal Palace, 2-0 at the Emirates Stadium in North London.
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