Darryl Sittler was not only the top sniper for the Toronto Maple Leafs throughout the 1970s, but he was among the best in goal-scoring prowess in the entire league.
Sittler was a First Round Pick in 1970, and two years later, the Center had his breakout year with a 77-Point campaign. Sittler had arrived, and the Leafs faithful had a new favorite. After surpassing the 80-Point mark the next two years, Sittler was anointed the Maple Leafs’ captain, and he rewarded that choice by becoming the first Maple Leaf to crack 100 Points in a season. This was also the year where Sittler scored ten Points in a Game, a record that remains intact today.
After scoring 90 Points in 1976-77, Sittler had his best season in the NHL, scoring 117 Points, with a Second Team All-Star nod and a third-place finish for the Hart Trophy. Sittler had at least 87 points over the next three seasons. Still, around this time, his relationship with Maple Leafs owner, Harold Ballard, deteriorated, mostly over Sittler’s support of the ousted Head Coach, Roger Neilson. It got so bad that Toronto traded Sittler’s close friend and linemate, Lanny McDonald, to Colorado out of spite, and Sittler stepped down as captain.
Sittler was eventually traded to the Philadelphia Flyers in 1982, and the Leafs fans knew that Sittler was wronged, and he remained an icon in Toronto. Overall with the Leafs, Sittler scored 916 Points in 844 Games for a sparkling 1.09 PPG.
Sittler entered the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1989, and he was welcomed back with warm fanfare in 2003, when his name was added to the rafters as an honored member. In 2016, his #27 (along with Frank Mahovlich) was retired by the team.
Comments powered by CComment