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| St. John's Maple Leafs | |
|---|---|
 | |
| City | St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador |
| League | American Hockey League |
| Operated | 1991–2005 |
| Home arena | Mile One Centre andMemorial Stadium |
| Colours | Blue, white |
| Owner | Maple Leaf Gardens Limited |
| Media | CJYQ |
| Affiliates | Toronto Maple Leafs (NHL) |
| Franchise history | |
| 1978–1982 | New Brunswick Hawks |
| 1982–1986 | St. Catharines Saints |
| 1986–1991 | Newmarket Saints |
| 1991–2005 | St. John's Maple Leafs |
| 2005–present | Toronto Marlies |
| Championships | |
| Regular season titles | 1 (1993–94) |
| Division titles | 3 (1992–93,1993–94,1996–97) |
| Conference titles | 1 (1991–92) |
| Calder Cups | 0 |
TheSt. John's Maple Leafs were a minor ice hockey team in theAmerican Hockey League. They played inSt. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada, atMemorial Stadium from 1991 to 2001, and atMile One Stadium from 2001 to 2005. The team was also colloquially known as the "Baby Leafs" after their parent NHL team, theToronto Maple Leafs.
While the AHL had a strong presence in Atlantic Canada in the 1980s and 1990s, largely due to the desire of severalNational Hockey League Canadian franchises to continue to pay players sent down to the minors in Canadian dollars, by 2004, St. John's was the last remaining team in the region prior to its relocation to Ontario.[1]
The Leafs' AHL franchise was established inMoncton,New Brunswick, in 1978 as theNew Brunswick Hawks, where they played until 1982. The franchise had stops inSt. Catharines, Ontario, as theSt. Catharines Saints (1982–1986) andNewmarket, Ontario, as theNewmarket Saints (1986–1991).[2] The St. John's Maple Leafs were established in 1991 when theToronto Maple Leafs moved its AHL farm team to St. John's, becoming the first professional ice hockey team in Newfoundland and Labrador.
The team initially played their home games atMemorial Stadium. The St. John's Maple Leafs played their inaugural game on May 8, 1991, in front of a sold-out crowd, where they defeated theFredericton Canadiens 5–3.[3] The team made it to theCalder Cup finals in their inaugural season, losing a seven game series to theAdirondack Red Wings four-games-to-three. The Leafs were crowned division champions for the 1992–93 and 1996–97 seasons, and won the regular season title during the 1993–94 AHL season.
In 1993, municipal workers for the City of St. John's voted to strike including the city staff operating the St. John's Memorial Stadium. Prior a game in February, the Maple Leafs team arrived at the stadium on a bus, where they were met by a picket line of strikers who then surrounded the bus and began rocking it with the team and personnel on board. Local police were able to intervene, allowing the bus and Maple Leafs to escape unharmed. Following the incident, the Leafs took an extended road trip and the Toronto Maple Leafs threatened to pull the team out of the province.[4] They remained at Memorial Stadium for ten seasons until moving to the newly builtMile One Centre in downtown St. John's in 2001.
The Maple Leafs were a successful team throughout their time in St. John's and made multiple appearances in the AHLCalder Cup playoffs (missing the playoffs in 2000, 2003, and 2004). On April 29, 2005, the Maple Leafs played their final game, losing 4–0 to theManitoba Moose in game five of the division semifinal round of theplayoffs at theMTS Centre inWinnipeg, Manitoba. The Leafs' final home game was a 6–1 victory in game two of the semifinals.
Their 2005 playoff loss marked the end of 34 consecutive seasons of AHL presence in Atlantic Canada, which began in 1971 with theNova Scotia Voyageurs inHalifax, Nova Scotia. By 2005, the AHL's gradual withdrawal from the Atlantic left the Maple Leafs' nearest opponent as thePortland Pirates, 1,781 km (1,107 mi) away. In an effort to reduce travel costs, the parent club ultimately decided to relocate the team to Toronto for the 2005–06 season, where it became known as theToronto Marlies.[5][6]
Shannon (Shaq) Coady was the original stick boy for the St. John's Maple Leafs, after winning a local contest at the age of 14.[7] Coady became the team's equipment manager, and he remained in that role until the team's relocation to Toronto. Coady went on to work for theSt. John's Fog Devils of theQuebec Major Junior Hockey League, and the American Hockey League'sSt. John's IceCaps. Coady was a well-known figure in NL, due to his work with the province's professional sports teams. Coady died on March 24, 2021, prompting tributes from NHL players and personnel, who had worked with Coady.[8]
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The St. John's Maple Leafs' team mascot was a puffin named "Buddy." Buddy wore a Maple Leafs home sweater with the number 92 to commemorate the year he was introduced. The puffin design was selected from a fan contest to create a mascot for the Leafs' second season. Buddy remained the mascot until the team's departure in 2005. Buddy was reintroduced as the mascot for theSt. John's IceCaps wearing an IceCaps home sweater with his familiar number of 92. Buddy also served as the mascot for theNewfoundland Growlers of theECHL.[9] Chris Abbott, the man in the costume, died in St. John's on February 1, 2022.[10]
St. John's Maple Leafs games were broadcast byVOCM news radio, (and byCJYQ in later seasons) and on local television byCable Atlantic, which was acquired byRogers Communications in 2001. Brian Rogers was the long-time voice of the St. John's Maple Leafs,[11] after taking over the role from George MacClaren[12] in 1994.
| Season | Games | Won | Lost | Tied | OTL | SOL | Points | Goals for | Goals against | Standing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1991–92 | 80 | 39 | 29 | 12 | — | — | 90 | 325 | 285 | 2nd, Atlantic |
| 1992–93 | 80 | 41 | 26 | 13 | — | — | 95 | 351 | 308 | 1st, Atlantic |
| 1993–94 | 80 | 45 | 23 | 12 | — | — | 102 | 360 | 287 | 1st, Atlantic |
| 1994–95 | 80 | 33 | 37 | 10 | — | — | 76 | 263 | 263 | 2nd, Atlantic |
| 1995–96 | 80 | 31 | 31 | 14 | 4 | — | 80 | 248 | 274 | 3rd, Atlantic |
| 1996–97 | 80 | 36 | 28 | 10 | 6 | — | 88 | 265 | 264 | 1st, Canadian |
| 1997–98 | 80 | 25 | 32 | 18 | 5 | — | 73 | 233 | 254 | 4th, Atlantic |
| 1998–99 | 80 | 34 | 35 | 7 | 4 | — | 79 | 246 | 270 | 2nd, Atlantic |
| 1999–00 | 80 | 23 | 45 | 8 | 4 | — | 58 | 202 | 277 | 5th, Atlantic |
| 2000–01 | 80 | 35 | 35 | 8 | 2 | — | 80 | 247 | 244 | 3rd, Canadian |
| 2001–02 | 80 | 34 | 27 | 17 | 2 | — | 87 | 256 | 240 | 3rd, Canadian |
| 2002–03 | 80 | 32 | 40 | 6 | 2 | — | 72 | 236 | 285 | 3rd, Canadian |
| 2003–04 | 80 | 32 | 36 | 8 | 4 | — | 76 | 225 | 265 | 7th, North |
| 2004–05 | 80 | 46 | 28 | 5 | 1 | — | 98 | 244 | 232 | 2nd, North |
| Season | Prelim | 1st round | 2nd round | 3rd round | Finals |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1991–92 | — | W, 4–1,CB | W, 4–0,MON | bye | L, 3–4,ADK |
| 1992–93 | — | W, 4–1,MON | L, 0–4,CB | — | — |
| 1993–94 | — | W, 4–1,CB | L, 2–4,MON | — | — |
| 1994–95 | — | L, 1–4,FRE | — | — | — |
| 1995–96 | — | L, 1–3,SJNB | — | — | — |
| 1996–97 | — | W, 3–1,BNG | L, 3–4,HAM | — | — |
| 1997–98 | — | L, 1–3,SJNB | — | — | — |
| 1998–99 | — | L, 2–4,FRE | — | — | — |
| 1999–00 | Did not qualify | ||||
| 2000–01 | — | L, 1–3,QUE | — | — | — |
| 2001–02 | W, 2–0,PRO | W, 3–2,LOW | L, 0–4,BRI | — | — |
| 2002–03 | Did not qualify | ||||
| 2003–04 | Did not qualify | ||||
| 2004–05 | — | L, 1–4,MTB | — | — | — |