Mats Sundin chases Darryl Sittler

This weekend Mats Sundin will likely make history and become the all time leading goal scorer of the Toronto Maple Leafs. Sundin is within one goal of Darryl Sittler's record of 389 goals with the storied team.

For younger fans, I wanted to take this time share the story of the classic Maple Leaf player. Darryl Sittler is the classic example of the Canadian hero. A poor kid in small town Ontario who became one of the greatest hockey players of all time through hard work and perseverance.

Sittler, perhaps the most popular Leaf in modern times, was drafted by Toronto 8th overall in the 1970 Entry Draft.

By the beginning of the 1975-76 season, the hard working center was given the great honor of being named captain, replacing the incomparable Dave Keon who jumped to the World Hockey Association. The honor was one that Sittler greatly cherished, and he responded to the challenge. He took his game to the next level, notching 41 goals and 59 assists to become the first Maple Leafs player in history to crack the 100 point mark in one season!

No one game better symbolizes his great 1975-76 season than the night of February 7, 1976. That was the night that he scored 6 goals and set up 4 others to set the unthinkable record of 10 points in a single game. None of the games greats - including Gretzky, Lemieux, Orr, Howe - came close to touching this record!

Read the full Darryl Sittler biography at Maple Leafs Legends.


Of course no biography of Sittler is complete without looking at poor Dave Reece, the Bruins goalie who surrendered Sittler's 10 point night. Who can forget the great joke that has helped immortalize him in hockey lore:

"(Reece) was so distraught after that game he tried to commit suicide by stepping in front of the train. Fortunately it went through his legs."

Read Reece's bio and other former Bruins at Boston Bruins Legends.