5 Players to Play 1,000 Games With the NHL's Toronto Maple Leafs

Throughout the long and storied National Hockey League history of the Toronto Maple Leafs, five players have appeared in over 1,000 regular season games with the club. The team has existed in the NHL since 1917. However, four of the five players played during generally the same era.

George Armstrong leads the way with 1,187 regular season games played in a Toronto Maple Leafs jersey. Armstrong played from 1949-50 to 1970-71, always with Toronto. In that time, he totaled 713 points and appeared on four Stanley Cup winning teams (1961-62, 1962-63, 1963-64 and 1966-67). His number 10 is honoured by the Maple Leafs and George was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame 1975.

Tim Horton fell just two games shy of Armstrong with 1,185 games played with Toronto. However, Horton did play more NHL games, totaling 1,446 in a career that spanned from 1949-50 to 1973-74. Horton finished his career, playing with the New York Rangers, Pittsburgh Penguins and Buffalo Sabres. Horton was part of the same four Stanley Cup winning teams as George Armstong. His number 7 is honoured by the team and he posthumously entered the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1977.

Borje Salming played 1,099 games with Toronto from 1973-74 to 1988-89. He played one more NHL season with the Detroit Red Wings and retired with 1,148 regular season games. He totalled 768 points from the Toronto blue line and his 620 assists are a Toronto Maple Leafs record for most career assists. Borje’s number 21 has been honoured by the Maple Leafs. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1996 and two years later he became a member of the IIHF Hall of Fame.

Dave Keon played 1,062 of his 1,296 NHL games with the Toronto Maple Leafs between 1960-61 and 1974-75. Keon played an additional 301 games in the World Hockey Association with the Minnesota Fighting Saints, Indianapolis Racers and New England Whalers. He returned to the NHL to play three years with the Hartford Whalers before retiring. Dave was part of the four Stanley Cup teams in the 1960’s. He won the Calder Trophy as NHL rookie of the year in 1960-61, the Conn Smythe Trohy as playoff MVP in 1966-67 and two Lady Byng Trophies. Keon was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1986.

Ron Ellis played 1,034 games with Toronto in an NHL career that spanned from 1963-64 (1 game) to 1980-81. In that time, he scored 332 goals and accumulated 640 points. He was a big part of the 1966-67 Stanley Cup winning team. Ellis is the only one of the five not in the Hockey Hall of Fame. If there were an honourable mention category, Ron would be there.