Frank Mahovlich CM
Hockey Hall of Fame, 1981
Mahovlich with theToronto Maple Leafs in the 1960s
Born	(1938-01-10)January 10, 1938 (age 87) Timmins, Ontario, Canada
Height	6 ft 1 in (185 cm)
Weight	205 lb (93 kg; 14 st 9 lb)
Position	Left wing
Shot	Left
Played for	Toronto Maple Leafs Detroit Red Wings Montreal Canadiens Toronto Toros Birmingham Bulls
National team	Canada
Playing career	1957–1978
Senator for Toronto, Ontario
In office June 11, 1998 – January 10, 2013
Nominated by	Jean Chrétien
Appointed by	Roméo LeBlanc
Personal details
Political party	Liberal

Francis William MahovlichCM (born January 10, 1938) is aCanadian former professionalice hockey player and a formerLiberal Senator in theCanadian Senate. He played on sixStanley Cup-winning teams and is an inductee of theHockey Hall of Fame. In 2017 Mahovlich was named one of the '100 Greatest NHL Players' in history.^[1] Mahovlich was inducted into theOntario Sports Hall of Fame in 1999.^[2] His brotherPeter also played in the NHL. His nickname is "The Big M".

Mahovlich is the son ofCroatianimmigrants. He was scouted by severalNational Hockey League teams while playing for the Schumacher Lions of theNorthern Ontario Hockey Association. He signed with theToronto Maple Leafs, who sent him to one of theirOntario Hockey Association affiliates, theToronto St. Michael's Majors. Mahovlich played there while attendingSt. Michael's College School from 1954 to 1957. While at St. Michael's, he received instruction fromJoe Primeau, who Mahovlich would later call the best coach he ever had. Mahovlich received theRed Tilson Trophy as the top player in the OHA for the 1956–57 season, in which he scored 52 goals in 49 games.

He joined the Leafs in 1957 and was a 20-goal scorer in his first season, winning theCalder Memorial Trophy as rookie of the year in what was otherwise a rough season with the last-place Leafs. During the off-season, he took courses atAssumption University inWindsor, Ontario. At the same time,Punch Imlach was hired to run the Leafs and soon became head coach and general manager.

In the 1960–61 season, Imlach put Mahovlich on a line withRed Kelly andBob Nevin. The three immediately clicked and were the team's top three scorers that year, led by Mahovlich's 48 goals—a Leaf record that would stand for 21 years. The following season, the Leafs won the Stanley Cup, and repeated as champions in 1963 and 1964. Mahovlich led the team in goals scored in all three seasons.

Initially, Mahovlich and Imlach got along well, but their relationship deteriorated after winning the 1962 Stanley Cup, particularly when Mahovlich's contract was up for renewal at the end of the 1962 season. He felt the Leafs gave him a low-ball offer and walked out on the team during training camp in September. Red Burnett at theToronto Star described the situation as a "cold war" between Imlach and Mahovlich.

At that time, theNational Hockey League All-Star Game was played at the beginning of the season, and during a reception in Toronto attended by team executives in the days before the 1962 game,Chicago Black Hawks ownerJames D. Norris offered the Leafs $1 million for Mahovlich. He believed he had an agreement with Leafs co-ownerHarold Ballard and paid $1,000 as a deposit with the balance to be delivered by cheque the next morning. The next day, the Leafs gave Mahovlich the money he had been asking for and told the Black Hawks that their apparent agreement the night before had been a misunderstanding. The Leafs returned the $1,000 deposit. The Black Hawks accused the Leafs of reneging on a deal.Conn Smythe, at this point a minority shareholder in the Leafs, was adamant that the deal should be rejected. Mahovlich eventually spoke out publicly and reaffirmed his commitment to the Leafs.

Mahovlich also had a rocky relationship with fans atMaple Leaf Gardens and was often booed at home games. Imlach—who mispronounced Mahovlich's name for years—became a constant critic and, under pressure from fans and management, Mahovlich was admitted toToronto General Hospital in November 1964, suffering from what was publicly described as "constant fatigue" but diagnosed as acutedepression. Mahovlich was flooded with well-wishes from fans during his time off. He returned to the lineup a month later and was still able to lead the Leafs in scoring in the 1964–65 season, despite missing 11 games. Mahovlich led the Leafs in scoring again in the 1965–66 season.

The Leafs won the Stanley Cup in the 1966–67 season, with Mahovlich having his lowest-scoring year in seven seasons. Early into the next season, Mahovlich was again admitted to hospital, although this time it was acknowledged publicly as depression and tension. "Mahovlich is a sensitive, easily-bruised individual," wroteMilt Dunnell in a page-one story in theToronto Star.

Mahovlich was part of a six-player blockbuster transaction in which he was traded along withPete Stemkowski andGarry Unger from theMaple Leafs to theDetroit Red Wings forNorm Ullman,Paul Henderson andFloyd Smith on March 4, 1968. The Maple Leafs and Red Wings were in fifth and sixth place respectively at the bottom of theEast Division standings. He had 19 goals and 17 assists in 50 games that season and was the leading goalscorer in Maple Leafs franchise history with 296 at the time of the deal.^[3] He joined a Red Wings team that also featured his younger brotherPete. He said in apress conference announcing the trade, "Business is business and if I can't please them here, maybe I'll be able to please them there."^[4]

Mahovlich had a strong finish to the season with the Red Wings, and the following year put up his best point totals in eight seasons, playing on a line withGordie Howe andAlex Delvecchio, and setting his record for goals in a season with 49. Initially, one of his teammates on the Red Wings was his younger brother,Peter Mahovlich, who split his time between the Wings and their minor league affiliate.

In 1970–71, Red Wings general managerSid Abel wanted to get rid of coachNed Harkness and was overruled by team ownerBruce Norris. Once Harkness took over as general manager, he got rid of players he deemed a threat to him. On January 13, 1971, Mahovlich was traded to theMontreal Canadiens forMickey Redmond,Guy Charron, and Bill Collins. He was reunited with his brother, who had become a star player himself with the Canadiens. Mahovlich spent three-and-a-half seasons in Montreal, playing on the Stanley Cup-winning teams of 1971 and 1973. During the 1971–72 season, Mahovlich scored a career-high 96 points, which he nearly matched the following season with 93 points.

He also was a member ofTeam Canada for the 1972Summit Series against theSoviet Union. In 1974, he left the NHL for theWorld Hockey Association and represented Canada again at the1974 Summit Series. The Dayton Aeros which subsequently became theHouston Aeros (WHA) had drafted Mahovlich in the regular round of theWHA general player draft on February 12, 1972, and they traded his rights away to the Toronto Toros in June of 1974 in return for future considerations. Frank signed a four year contract with the Toronto Toros on June 19, 1974, an the WHA, he played for theToronto Toros and theBirmingham Bulls until his retirement in 1979 at the age of 41. While with the Bulls, Mahovlich was placed on an unproductive line with enforcersFrank Beaton andDave Hanson, one of theHanson Brothers who had been in the movieSlap Shot. According toJohn Brophy, when a reporter asked Mahovlich what was wrong, he replied, "I don't know, but I seem to play a lot better with Howe and Delvecchio."^[5]

He attempted an NHL comeback with the Detroit Red Wings in 1979, but it was unsuccessful, and he formally retired on October 7, 1979.

In an NHL documentary about the Stanley Cup, Mahovlich claimed credit for being the first player to hoist the Stanley Cup above his head. After the Leafs' victory in the 1962 Cup Finals, in the team locker room, Mahovlich said he held the Cup, felt how light it was, and hoisted it above his head, which was then photographed.^[6]

• Calder Memorial Trophy winner in1958.
• Played in1959,1960,1961,1962,1963,1964,1965,1967,1968,1969,1970,1971,1972,1973, and1974NHL All-Star Games.
• Selected to theNHL First All-Star Team in1961,1963, and1973.
• Selected to theNHL Second All-Star Team in1962,1964,1965,1966,1969, and1970.
• Stanley Cup champion in1962,1963,1964,1967,1971 and1973.
• Inducted into theHockey Hall of Fame in 1981.
• Inducted intoCanada's Sports Hall of Fame in 1990.
• In 1997, he was ranked number 26 onThe Hockey News' list of the100 Greatest Hockey Players.
• Inaugural inductee into theWorld Hockey Association Hall of Fame as a "Legends of the Game" in 2010^[7]
• Number (27) Retired by the Toronto Maple Leafs (shared with Darryl Sittler)
• In January 2017, Mahovlich was part of the first group of players to be named one of the '100 Greatest NHL Players' in history.^[8]

Mahovlich was inducted into theHockey Hall of Fame in 1981 andCanada's Sports Hall of Fame in 1990. In 1994, he was made a Member of theOrder of Canada.

In 1997, Mahovlich was ranked number 26 onThe Hockey News's list of the100 Greatest Hockey Players, the highest-ranking player who had spent at least a majority of his career with the Maple Leafs.

In 1998, Mahovlich was appointed to theSenate of Canada by Prime MinisterJean Chrétien. He retired from the senate on January 10, 2013,^[9] at the mandatory retirement age of 75.

• Lists of Canadian senators
• List of Ontario senators
• List of NHL statistical leaders
• List of NHL players with 1000 points
• Notable families in the NHL
• List of NHL players with 500 goals

Wikimedia Commons has media related toFrank Mahovlich.

• Biographical information and career statistics fromNHL.com, or Eliteprospects.com, or Hockey-Reference.com, or Legends of Hockey, or The Internet Hockey Database
• Frank Mahovlich – Parliament of Canada biography

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