Dave Keon made an immediate impact in the National Hockey League, making the Toronto Maple Leafs straight out of junior.  Keon scored 45 Points, winning the Calder Trophy, and his solid two-way play made him an instant celebrity in Toronto.

The Center had an effortless backhand and a booming shot.  As good as his offense was, Keon was one of the best offensive defensemen of the 1960s and a demon on the penalty kill.  A two-time Second Team All-Star, Keon twice led the NHL in Short-Handed Goals (1968-69 & 1970-71) and had 31 in total with the Leafs.  Incredibly, that number is not as impressive as the 75 total Penalty Minutes in the 1,062 Games he played in Toronto.  

Keon won the Lady Byng Trophy as the NHL’s most gentlemanly player twice (1962 & 1963) and was in the top four in voting seven other times.  The Maple Leafs won four Stanley Cups in the 1960s, with Keon playing a vital role in all of these wins, peaking with a Conn Smythe Trophy in the 1967 win.  

In the 1970s, Keon feuded with Toronto owner Harold Ballard, who held his rights after his contract expired in 1975.  Since Ballard set unreasonable terms for compensation, Keon had to continue his career in the WHA.  It would be decades before he would ever reenter the Leafs fold in any capacity.

Keon was chosen for the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1986.  Keon would not accept having his name honored by the team, but his number 14 was retired by the team in 2016.

When you are in the Hockey Hall of Fame, it is hard to call you underrated, but in the lore of the Toronto Maple Leafs, Harvey “Busher” Jackson does not nearly receive the due he is deserved.

Jackson was the top Left Wing in hockey, where he starred on the “Kid Line” along with Charlie Conacher and Joe Primeau.  Leading Toronto to a Stanley Cup in 1933, Jackson was four-time First Team All-Star, who finished in the top-six in Goals five times.  Jackson would lead the NHL in Points in 1931-32 and was the runner-up the year after.

Jackson was known for a blistering backhand, and at times, a cocky attitude.  It did not always serve him well, but he backed it up on the ice.  After his play slipped, he was traded to the New York Americans for Sweeney Schriner.

With the Leafs, Jackson scored 351 Points in 433 Games, and he entered the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1971.

There are so many former Maple Leafs whom fans and writers have dubbed the consummate representative of the team.  One that comes up often, and certainly did in his day, was Ted Kennedy.

Kennedy played his entire NHL career for Toronto, debuting as a teenager in 1943 and scoring 49 Points in 1943-44 and 54 Points in 1944-45, with the latter season earning Kennedy and the Maple Leafs win the Stanley Cup.  Kennedy had arrived, leading all skaters in Goals (7) in the playoffs, and his two-way skills and selfless play endeared him to his teammates and coaches alike.

Toronto would win three straight Cups (1947-49), with Kennedy being a key performer in all of them.   It was as though he saved his best performances when it mattered the most, and he lit the lamp twice in the Cup-winning game in 1948. Kennedy and the Leafs were considered one of the first dynasties in the NHL, and while he was not the top star, he was the glue.

In 1949-50, Kennedy again had a decent year, but the playoff semi-final against Detroit saw the Center injure the Red Wings’ up-and-coming star, Gordie Howe, on a botched check.  Some believed (including the Red Wings) that Kennedy did this on purpose, and it invigorated Detroit, which upset the Leafs.  Kennedy would, however, lead Toronto to a Stanley Cup win the following season, his fifth overall.

In the 1950s, Kennedy's production remained the same, but his individual trophy case gained accolades.  Kennedy was a Second Team All-Star in 1950, 1951, and 1954. Even though he was not a post-season All-Star in 1954-55, he was named the Hart Trophy winner.  With all due respect to Kennedy, he likely should not have won the award, as it was more of a lifetime achievement honor than actual recognition of what he accomplished that season.  Kennedy retired after that year but did return a year later for 30 Games before retiring for good.

He had 560 Points in 696 Games with another 60 in 78 Playoff Games.

Kennedy was elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1966, and in 1993, he was part of the prestigious group that was honored by the Leafs with a banner.  His number 9 was retired (along with Charlie Conacher) in 2016.

Mats Sundin played four seasons with the Quebec Nordiques before he was traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs in the transaction that sent Wendel Clark the other way.  It was a tough start for Sundin in Toronto, as Clark’s popularity in Toronto was astronomical, but Sundin proved quickly that Toronto won the trade.

Sundin could not match the 114 Points he scored in the 1992-93 season as a Nordique, but the rules changed that favored a more defensive game, and he was still a Point-per-Game player with Toronto.  From 1995-96 to his final year in Toronto, 2007-08, Sundin scored at least 70 Points and would lead the Leafs in scoring eight times.  The Swedish Center would be a two-time Second Team All-Star and was arguably the face of the franchise for a decade.  Toronto might not have won or even made a Stanley Cup when Sundin was their leader, but any player at the top of their food chain for an Original Six team is a legendary figure.

Sundin entered the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2012, the same year his name was added to the list of honored players at the ACC.  The Maple Leafs retired his number #13 in 2016.