33 Years Ago in Leafland; March 22, 1987


Spring of 1987. The Maple Leafs went on an improbable playoff run. They got to within a game of meeting the mighty Edmonton Oilers in the Campbell Conference Finals. I was a 15 year-old hockey mad kid enjoying the fortunes of my favourite team. What better time than now to look back at this memorable time of my youth and Leafs history.
Getting out to a fast start was certainly not the problem on March 21at the Montreal Forum. Toronto carried a 4-1 lead until almost the halfway point of the game. However, the Habs would reel off EIGHT consecutive goals for a 9-4 victory. All the while, the Minnesota North Stars were in the process of losing 5-1 in Hartford. The Leafs remained five points behind, with seven games remaining.
Gary Leeman was quoted after, "I don't understand it. Each of these games is important. Why we don't  realize that I don't know. Maybe we saw that the North Stars were losing and felt we could ease up. As long as they keep losing, I suppose we have a chance."
In his fourth full season, 23-year old Gary Leeman potted his 20th goal to open the scoring. He was certainly one of the young talents upon which the franchise's future was to be built. Leeman would develop quite nicely, scoring 30, 32 then 51 goals each of the next three seasons. 
Coach John Brophy relied heavily on his youthful players, really he had no choice. Taking over for Dan Maloney to begin the 1986/87 campaign, Brophy brought with him a reputation as a hard-nosed, scrapper of a leader. His entire 18-year professional career as a player was spent as a defenceman in the Eastern Hockey League where he led the circuit in Penalties on four separate occasions. He topped 200 PIM's 11 different times, all the while scoring only 35 goals. Brophy knew what kept him in professional hockey, and it wasn't scoring. After a few seasons as Leafs Assistant coach, and a stint as head coach of their AHL team, Brophy was the man in 86/87.
The team Brophy took over was definitely a young one, eight of his top ten point producers were 24 or under, two of which were defenders Todd Gill (21 years old) and Al Iafrate (20 years old) who each hit the 30 point mark. Trophy stated, ''I won't change anything more right now, except that (Newmarket right winger) Derek Laxdal will stay with the team and play regularly in Buffalo (tomorrow). We'll go back to using Ken Wregget in net."
19 year old rookie Vincent Damphousse, who scored his 18th goal of the year this day against Montreal said after the game, "We started playing physical and going for the net in the second period...That's the type of hockey you've got to play in the playoffs." "We have, absolutely and essentially, to go into Buffalo and win, and to win back here against Minnesota," said Brophy.
At the rate the Leafs were going, they likely wouldn't have to worry about those pesky "playoffs".





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