33 Years Ago in Leafland; May 2, 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.
"I think there's a little more pressure on them than us. We'll go into this game with the same attitude we had in games one and two. We'll play well defensively and skate like we can. Let them put pressure on themselves." This was the thoughts of Leaf forward Greg Terrion prior to Game 7 of the Norris Divison Final. He concluded, "Let them worry about putting a show on for the crowd. Our feeling is that no one said it was going to be easy and it hasn't been. It's come down to one game."
Rick Vaive offered, "People say the momentum is on their side because they've won two in a row. I don't agree. This is a game we're capable of winning."
The Leafs took three Newmarket Saints 'Black Aces' with them to Detroit; defenceman Terry Johnson and forwards Miroslav Ihnacak and Wes Jarvis. John Brophy stated that Johnson would definitely draw into the lineup for the injured Chris Kotsopolous, and he would decide between Ihnacak and Jarvis at game time.
I distinctly remember the excitement at the time when Leafs General Manager Gerry McNamara was able to spring the younger Ihnacak from behind the Iron Curtain. Leaf fans were told that in 1984/85 he topped the Czech League in points with 66 in 43 games for VSZ Koscie. Plus, his older brother Peter had joined the Leafs a few seasons before and scored 66 points as a rookie (which stood as the team record until Auston Matthews came along). We expected big things form the younger Miro.
It just didn't happen. He played 21 games for the Leafs after being brought over in the 85/86 season (producing a mere 6 points). In this 86/87 campaign he split playing time between the big club and the AHL squad which was now in Newmarket, Ontario. That's where I met Miro at a season ticket holder "meet the team" event. In addition to being employed by the team as videographer (my cheques were actually from Maple Leaf Gardens Ltd, and came with a stamped Harold E. Ballard signature), my father held season tickets for the Saints. We sat at a large table with other ticket holders, and the player assigned to sit with our group was Miro Ihnacak. He seemed like a nice guy, quiet and to my young eyes, pretty slight for a professional hockey player. However, during his time in the AHL, he was a fun player to watch, he scored almost a point per game that year in his time with the Saints, but when he played with the Leafs, let's just say he wasn't a John Brophy type of player. He had only 11 points in 34 games with Toronto that year, and had yet to suit up for a playoff game. To think that Brophy was considering him for Game 7 showed just how desperate the Leafs injury woes had become.
Rick Vaive offered, "People say the momentum is on their side because they've won two in a row. I don't agree. This is a game we're capable of winning."
I distinctly remember the excitement at the time when Leafs General Manager Gerry McNamara was able to spring the younger Ihnacak from behind the Iron Curtain. Leaf fans were told that in 1984/85 he topped the Czech League in points with 66 in 43 games for VSZ Koscie. Plus, his older brother Peter had joined the Leafs a few seasons before and scored 66 points as a rookie (which stood as the team record until Auston Matthews came along). We expected big things form the younger Miro.
It just didn't happen. He played 21 games for the Leafs after being brought over in the 85/86 season (producing a mere 6 points). In this 86/87 campaign he split playing time between the big club and the AHL squad which was now in Newmarket, Ontario. That's where I met Miro at a season ticket holder "meet the team" event. In addition to being employed by the team as videographer (my cheques were actually from Maple Leaf Gardens Ltd, and came with a stamped Harold E. Ballard signature), my father held season tickets for the Saints. We sat at a large table with other ticket holders, and the player assigned to sit with our group was Miro Ihnacak. He seemed like a nice guy, quiet and to my young eyes, pretty slight for a professional hockey player. However, during his time in the AHL, he was a fun player to watch, he scored almost a point per game that year in his time with the Saints, but when he played with the Leafs, let's just say he wasn't a John Brophy type of player. He had only 11 points in 34 games with Toronto that year, and had yet to suit up for a playoff game. To think that Brophy was considering him for Game 7 showed just how desperate the Leafs injury woes had become.
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