When Auston Matthews scored his 421st goal last weekend, he became the greatest goal scorer in Toronto Maple Leafs history, at age 28. As much as the facts support his status, in the world of Distant Replays has there ever been a greater goal scorer in the hearts of long-time Leafs fans than Frank Mahovlich?
On Saturday, Mahovlich will celebrate his 88th birthday. With this week’s passing of Bob Pulford, he is the most senior survivor of the five players left from Toronto’s last Stanley Cup champions: Dave Keon (85), Brian Conacher (84), Pete Stemkowski (82) and Mike Walton (81).
Starting with Matthews, there are six names ahead of Mahovlich on Toronto’s all-time goal-scoring list, mostly because they stayed longer than he did. Only five Leafs have more goals in one season than Mahovlich, who scored 48 in his fourth year.
It could have been so much more. He was destined to be a career Leaf, signed in the days of pro sponsorship, then nurtured at St, Michael’s College, Toronto’s “real” farm team. He was Rookie-of-the-Year, outperforming Bobby Hull, who nearly became his teammate.
Mahovlich’s exit from Leaf-dom began when Hull’s boss in Chicago, James Norris, offered Toronto a million dollars for him. That’s almost $11 million today. It was initially accepted by Harold Ballard, then rejected the next morning when cooler heads prevailed. Mahovlich was holding out for a new contract, which was signed — on his terms — that day.
The story is that was the beginning of the end of his Toronto career. It soured GM and Coach Punch Imlach, who was already sour on his prized winger. It raised fans’ expectations. It led to a massive trade with Detroit where, free from Imlach’s tyranny, Mahovlich was even better. Then the Red Wings dealt him to Montreal, where he won two Stanley Cups with the Canadiens to go with his four from Toronto.
All this is part of the reason Frank Mahovlich was unique.
Among his linemates were Gordie Howe and Jean Beliveau, who had even better seasons with Mahovlich on their left. Only two other players represented the country in both the Canada-Russia series and the World Hockey Association’s Summit Series two years later. One is Paul Henderson, whose last-minute goal beat Russia and who was in the eight-player trade with Detroit. The 27 points Mahovlich scored in the 1971 playoffs is still a Canadiens’ record , and the three times that Montreal’s Yvan Cournoyer scored more than 40 goals were when they played on the same line.
Long after retiring, he accepted Prime Minister Chretien’s invitation to join The Senate, where he served for more years than he player with the Leafs — 15. As pro hockey players go, that’s one reason Frank Mahovlich is so special.
There’s another one.
When he was a big name on the verge of being superstardom, Mahovlich responded to fan mail by signing photo cards “Best Wishes, Frank Mahovlich” and mailing them to kids everywhere. Auston Matthews is unlikely to do that because, frankly, today’s hockey heroes just don’t.
Incidentally, Mahovlich finished his career with 533 NHL goals. When Matthews passes that number, as he surely will, maybe Leafs historians will give him the nod over Frank Mahovlich.
