Top 100 Leafs ranked
One can quibble with where players are ranked in “Maple Leafs Top 100” but there’s no knocking the technique used by Mike Leonetti.
He assembled a jury of 14 and gave each a ballot consisting of 140 players in alphabetical order covering the years 1927 through 2007. Write-ins were allowed. Each panelist came up with his own rankings during the summer and autumn of 2006 and results were finalized earlier this year. Points were allotted to each player corresponding to his ranking on each list.
When it was all computed, Dave Keon landed in the No. 1 position. Rounding out the top-12 were Ted Kennedy, Syl Apps, Frank Mahovlich, Darryl Sittler, Charlie Conacher, Johnny Bower, Tim Horton, Turk Broda, Borje Salming, Red Kelly and Mats Sundin.
“I’m happy with the product,” says Leonetti. “A lot of work went into it.
“It took about a year to put it all together.”
Leonetti wrote the player profiles, John Iaboni applied his insightful touch to companion essays on selected players, and the 9.5×11.5-inch book is full of photographs.
“I’ve done quite a number of books and the ones that have sold the most are about the Leafs,” says Leonetti. “There seems to be no lack of appetite – same as tickets for their games.”
Doug Gilmour is 13th and Wendel Clark is 21st among the chosen 100.
No, Rocky Saganiuk didn’t make it.
Other current Leafs on the list are Bryan McCabe (47), Tomas Kaberle (54) and Darcy Tucker (85).
Sundin just passed Sittler for the all-time club goals and points records, but the jury did its work before that happened. Perhaps if a second edition is produced the current captain will jump higher in the rankings.
“Sundin’s chapter is not yet complete,” says Leonetti. “I don’t think Mats cracks into the top 10 just yet but with the passing of time we’ll appreciate his numbers more.
“Right now, I think he’s where he should be.”
Jury members were Leonetti, Iaboni, Mark Askin, Howard Berger, Joe Bowen, Milt Dunnell, Doug Farraway, Paul Hendrick, Lance Hornby, Harry Neale, Frank Orr, Paul Patskou, Frank Selke and Bill Watters.
Leonetti was thrilled to have Dunnell on the jury. The former sports writer was 100 when he filled out his ballot and turns 102 on Dec. 24.
“I sent him a letter and asked him to participate and three weeks later I got the list from him,” says Leonetti. “He’s the dean of sports writers in Canada.
“It boggles my mind to think he’d seen everybody on that list.”
As for the best player not among the 100, Leonetti goes with goaltender Bernie Parent. He didn’t make it because he played only 65 games in the blue and white in 1971 and 1972 before helping the Philadelphia Flyers win two NHL championships.
Todd Gill (84) even made it, and now Leafs fans will debate it.
Any Leafs fan will have a ball with this thoroughly researched, well written and handsomely produced history of Toronto’s greatest players.
(238 pages, Raincoast Books, $50)
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