Toronto Maple Leafs: Top 5 General Managers in Franchise History
1. Conn Smythe
Better known as Conn Smythe, Constantine Falkland Cary Smythe is by far the most important figure in the team’s 100 years of existence. He became the principal owner in 1927, changing the team’s name from the Toronto St. Pats to the Maple Leafs.
Smythe’s most important contribution to the Leafs came in 1927, when he convinced Charlie Querrie – the majority owner of the St. Pats – to keep the team in Toronto, rather than selling it to Philadelphia. Smythe would put together a group that bought the team and changed the name and logo the following season.
The Toronto native’s time as Leafs GM was the most successful in franchise history, with the team winning six Stanley Cups between 1942 to 1951. He, along with Hap Day, was a vital part of the Leafs success in the playoffs, as he cared less about regular season performance because, in his own words, “winning sells tickets”.
Smythe’s commitment to fighting World War II took him away from the Leafs and the team would only win one Cup during that time. His name appears on the Stanley Cup eight times; 1932, 1942, 1945, 1947, 1948, 1949, 1951 and 1962.
The ongoing transformation of the Leafs with President Brendan Shanahan was inspired by Smythe, especially the way he wants the Leafs to conduct themselves as an organization. His most famous quote about the Leafs logo signifies the identity of the Leafs and Leafs Nation.
"“The Maple Leaf to us, was the badge of courage, the badge that meant home. It was the badge that reminded us all of our exploits and the different difficulties we got into and the different accomplishments we made. It was a badge that meant more to us than any other badge that we could think of… so we chose it… hoping that the possession of this badge would mean something to the team that wore it and when they skated out on the ice with this badge on their chest… they would wear it with honour and pride and courage, the way it had been worn by the soldiers of the first Great War in the Canadian Army.”"
Smythe would build strong Leafs teams with players like Ace Bailey, Charlie ‘Big Bomber’ Conacher Harvey ‘Busher’ Jackson, and Joe Primeau, but it was the acquisition of Clancy that gave the Leafs the spark that they needed. Smythe would use the winnings from a horse race bet ($35,000) and traded Eric Pettinger and Art Smith to the Ottawa Senators for Clancy, which was a big price to pay at the time.
The 1958 Hockey Hall of Fame inductees contributions to the NHL would lead to the creation of the Conn Smythe trophy, which is awarded to the most valuable player in the Stanley Cup playoffs. The first player to receive the trophy was Béliveau, while Bobby Orr was the first defenceman to win it and Patrick Roy still holdding the record with three Conn Smythe Trophies.
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Smythe will always be a vital figure in Leafs history, especially for his contribution as the team’s principal owner. Leafs Nation continues to pay tribute to the great tradition that is Leafs hockey and it is easy to say this would not be the case without Smythe.