On Friday I mentioned that I was a big fan of the Toronto Maple Leafs – so I just had to post this. It’s the October/November 1967 issue of Maple Leaf Gardens Hockey Magazine. This issue includes the program for the Saturday, October 21, 1967 game between the Leafs and the New York Rangers.
The magazine is a lot of fun to look at. It’s from a historic time period too, since the Leafs had just won the Stanley Cup in 1967.
To make it even more interesting, the 1967-68 season was the one in which the National Hockey League had just expanded from the “Original Six” (Toronto Maple Leafs, New York Rangers, Chicago Blackhawks, Detroit Red Wings, Boston Bruins and Montreal Canadiens) to include the six new expansion teams: Minnesota North Stars, Pittsburgh Penguins, Philadelphia Flyers, St. Louis Blues, Los Angeles Kings and Oakland Seals.
Anyway, here’s the cover and Table of Contents. The cover features Ron Ellis, one of the Leafs from that era who, happily, is still with us.
I mentioned that the Leafs had just won the Stanley Cup the previous season (unfortunately it’s the last time they won it.) Well, here’s a spread celebrating that victory, with a great illustration of some of the team members holding the Cup. That’s the “Chief,” team captain George Armstrong, second from left holding the trophy; donut king and Hockey Hall of Famer Tim Horton is at far right.
There are plenty of ads featuring Leafs as shills for various companies. Here’s an ad with Hockey Hall of Fame goaltender (and former Cleveland Baron) Johnny Bower.
And here are the team lineups for the game that night.
Other ads in the program feature well-known Toronto and Canadian institutions, like radio station 1050 CHUM (and well-remembered DJ Jay Nelson), Mac’s Milk convenience stores, and Le Coq d’Or Tavern.
I love this full-page ad for Shopsy hot dogs, with its great caricature of Sam Shopsowitz. Today, in addition to Shopsy hot dogs distributed through grocery stores, there's still a small chain of Shopsy deli restaurants in the Toronto area.
My favorite ad in the whole program is for the Canadian division of Post Cereals, featuring Sugar Bear and other mascots all suited up as Maple Leafs. Hey, that’s Linus the Lionhearted right next to the Honeycomb Kid.
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Although I began making regular trips to Canada back in the late 1980s, I didn’t make it to a Maple Leaf game there until October 1998. Unfortunately, that was the season that the Leafs moved to the Air Canada Centre from Maple Leaf Gardens, their longtime home of 50 years. I still took a photo of the Gardens anyway.
Today, the lower levels of Maple Leaf Gardens are home to a shopping center and a Loblaws grocery store. However, there is still an ice rink on the third level, which is used by Ryerson University.
On that same 1998 trip, I took a photo of the CHUM radio station sign at the station’s home at 1331 Yonge Street. Since then, the station moved to a new location and is now known as sports radio station TSN Radio 1050. The old building has been demolished and replaced by condos.
7 comments:
Is it just me or does Johnny Bower in the shaver ad look 60 year's old?
Well, he was in his early 40s by then. But he did always look older than he was. He retired in 1970. One of the NHL greats and well-remembered by Cleveland Baron fans too!
"Post Crispy Numbers"? Must be a Canadian thing.
Post Crispy Numbers is part of an accountant's balanced breakfast along with juice, toast and milk.
I was going to make fun of you by pointing out that 1967 was the last time the Leafs won a cup, but I see you preemptively mentioned it.
How did you ever become a fan of the Leafs? I have had the grace to confine myself to more geographically proximate teams - the Barons, Crusaders, Penguins and now the Blue Jackets. That said, I have toured Maple Leaf Gardens (twice) and one of my sons is a Leafs fan, even though I took him to Penguins games when he was young.
Hi Buster,
As to why I like the Maple Leafs, I guess repeated trips to Toronto (sometimes twice a year to take in a show or go to Second City) and Canada just sort of drummed it into me because the city is so Leaf-crazy. Plus I’ve read a lot about the history of the team and its heritage of great players and I just started rooting for them. I really think that the Stanley Cup drought will be over one of these years (hopefully soon).
I did try to root for the Columbus Blue Jackets when they first arrived on the scene but just couldn’t muster any support for them.
Yeah, the Jackets weren't good at all, but then I am used to following the Cleveland teams, so that isn't a necessity for me.
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