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 for 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 when 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; 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 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.

Borje Salming was not just one of the first hockey players from Scandinavia to play in the NHL, but the Swedish Defenseman was the first from his region to emerge as a superstar on the NHL level.

Salming signed with Toronto in 1973, but not much was expected as the NHL and North America generally viewed Europeans as soft and unable to maintain the rigors of their league.  Salming immediately proved the naysayers wrong,  scoring 39 Points as a rookie and finishing fifth for the Norris.

In the six years that followed, Salming was either a Second Team or First All-Star, and while he was never a Norris Trophy winner, he was never lower than fourth in the voting.  From 1976-77 to 1979-80, Salming netted at least 70 Points, and he forever changed the perception of what Europeans could accomplish in the NHL.

Salming played with Toronto until the 1988-89 season, and he had one final year in the NHL as a Detroit Red Wing.  With the Leafs, Salming played 1,099 Games, scoring 787 Points. 

Salming’s overall play in the NHL laid the groundwork that other Swedish and European players followed.  He entered the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1996, and his name was honored at Air Canada Center in 2006.  Ten years later, his #21 was officially retired by the team. 

A strong argument can be made that the first true power forward in hockey was Charlie Conacher, and at the very least, he was one of the first to define the role.

Conacher was a dynamo in junior, leading the Toronto Marlboros to two Memorial Cup wins (1928 & 1929).  Conacher stayed in Toronto as a pro, signing with the Maple Leafs, and he rapidly became a star, scoring a goal in the opening game of the 1929-30 season.  

The Canadian earned the nickname of the “Big Bomber," using his strength and powerful shot to terrorize opposing netminders.  Taking Toronto to a Stanley Cup in 1932, Conacher became the first player to lead the NHL in Goals five times, and he was also a First Team All-Star three times and a Second Team All-Star twice.  Conacher was also the runner-up for the Hart Trophy in 1934-35 and was a two-time scoring champion.  Considered to be the top Right Wing in the first half of the 1930s, his bruising style caught up with him, and injuries piled up.

Conacher was traded to the Detroit Red Wings, and as a Maple Leaf, he scored nearly a Point per Game (324 Points in 328 Games).  

Conacher entered the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1961, and he was part of the group that had a banner honored by the Leafs in 1998.  His #9 (along with Ted Kennedy) was officially retired by Toronto in 2016.

Tim Horton played his first 20 Seasons in the NHL with the Toronto Maple Leafs, where his physical strength and toughness set him apart from the other Defenseman.

Horton debuted in 1950 and was a Second Team All-Star in 1952-53.  He could drop the gloves and intimidate when needed, though he was not a player who drew penalties, often considering his physical style of play.  Horton had a phenomenal decade in the 1960s, where he anchored Toronto to four Stanley Cups, was a First Team All-Star twice, and a Second Team All-Star three times.  Horton finished in the top-four in Norris voting six times and was the runner-up twice. 

In 13 different years in Toronto, Horton was in the top ten in Defensive Point Shares, and he led the league in that advanced metric twice (1953-54 & 1962-63).  As of this writing, he is seventh all-time in DPS.

Horton was traded to the New York Rangers in 1970, and he later played for Pittsburgh and Buffalo, where his career ended following his death from a car accident.  He was elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1977, with the Leafs honoring him in 1995.  His number #7, which he had sometime after fellow honoree, King Clancy, was officially retired in 2016