The Hockey News: Headlines: Maple Leafs to raise banners for former captains Clark, Gilmour

Maple Leafs to raise banners for former captains Clark, Gilmour

Toronto Maple Leafs Wendel Clark celebrates his playoff goal, April 24, 2000. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jonathan Hayward

2008-07-21 17:30:00

TORONTO - Wendel Clark and Doug Gilmour will soon take their place among the Toronto Maple Leafs' all-time greats.

The popular former Leafs captains will have banners raised at the Air Canada Centre in separate pre-game ceremonies this season to honour their achievements with the NHL club.

Clark's No. 17 banner will go up on Nov. 22 before a game against the Chicago Blackhawks while Gilmour's No. 93 will be raised Jan. 31 when the Pittsburgh Penguins visit.

The Leafs have only two retired jersey numbers - Ace Bailey's No. 6 and Bill Barilko's No. 5.

Clark and Gilmour's will be added to 12 others whose numbers are "honoured" with banners, but still available for current players to wear. The others are Syl Apps, Ted Kennedy, Turk Broda, Johnny Bower, Tim Horton, George Armstrong, Charlie Conacher, Frank Mahovlich, Darryl Sittler, Hap Day, Red Kelly and Borje Salming.

Clark, 41, was drafted first overall by Toronto in 1985 and quickly established himself a gritty left-winger equally able to lift fans from their seats by scoring a goal or taking on an opponent with his fists. He scored 260 goals and had 1,535 penalty minutes in three stints with Toronto before he retired in 2000. Clark holds the team record for playoff goals with 34.

Gilmour, 45, was acquired from Calgary on Jan. 2, 1992 in a 10-player blockbuster. In 1992-93, he set club records with 95 assists and 127 points and won the Selke Trophy as the league's top defensive forward. He had 452 points in 392 games for the Leafs from 1992 to 1997 and set team playoff records with 60 assists and 77 points in only 52 games.

Both players still work for the Leafs - Gilmour as player development adviser and Clark as a community relations ambassador.

COMMENTS (12)

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Whit Posted
(2009-04-30 06:38:49)

Well said Mr Ian Anderson.wipe that snot running down your nose. Seriously the Leafs are just a joke. Its just a shame what has happened to such a hallowed franchise. I say F Mats go to f-in Vancouver already so the Leafs can move on christ almighty already! I like him as aplayer but just make a friggin decision already!!!!

Jethro Tull Posted
(2009-04-30 06:38:44)

Let us close our eyes; outside their lives go on much faster. Oh, we won't give in, we'll keep living in the past.

Lamar Posted
(2009-04-30 06:38:44)

What about Dave Keon? How do these guys rate above a 4 time cup champion? Again Toronto gets it wrong. This guy was my hero when we only had the Bisons in Buffalo and had to play with the rabbit ears to get the games on the tube down here. Besides the fact that they only honor numbers is kind of a slap in the face to the guys on the current list. But thinking about it a little more, maybe that is a harbinger of the future of the NHL where guys play with four or five teams before they hang 'em up and never get a chance to have a jersey retired with any club.

JayR Posted
(2009-04-30 06:38:40)

Every year the MLSE Circus parades out a bunch of drooling geezers and tries to create interest by living in the past.Leafs Suck!!

NoRetirement Posted
(2009-04-30 06:38:40)

I totally disagree with Leafman, and I'm not a leafs fan. I think the Leafs are the only team that gets it right with honouring numbers rather than retiring them. I think it's great that Mahovlich and Sittler wore the same number, and that you don't have all 74s, 62s, and 56s running around like the Habs do. There are always great players in an organization (in Buffalo Gare, Hawerchuck, LaFontaine) that should be honored and remembered, but may not warrant having their numbers put away forever.

James Jinkgo Posted
(2009-04-30 06:38:39)

Good recognition for 2 players who played w/ alot of determination...back when the leafs were just good...sad, this is the best the Leafs can celebrate in the recent past. They stink.

Little Zuri Posted
(2009-04-30 06:38:36)

Will the Leafs ever get around to "honouring" Davey Keon or has there been too much water go over the dam for Keon to bury the hatchet? His 1,062-game Leaf career, accumulating only 75 penalty minutes over that time along with four Stanley Cup rings, a Calder Trophy, a Conn Smythe Trophy and two Lady Byng Trophies certainly qualify. His feelings on "honouring" Leafs' players versus retiring their numbers is the issue as I understand things. Too bad because he was one of the best.

ArikBarna Posted
(2009-04-30 06:38:36)

The Rangers are getting the same flack this year for retiring Adam Graves' number - a good player who does arguably more charity/community work than any player in the history of the NHL, but still just a "good" player. As much as I loved watching Gilmour play, I associate him just as much with the Flames, Blues, and Devils as I do with the Leafs. The fact that he spent his last two years running for the Habs makes this decision all the more strange.

Leafman Posted
(2009-04-30 06:38:09)

The Maple Leafs have always been notorious for putting the need for making headlines above winning and respectability. The fact that they incompetently "honour numbers" for their best players instead of putting them out of circulation and retiring them is no exception. It's a shame that dumdums were running this team for the last 40 years. It used to be one that had pride and a tradition of winning. But a fat,old, stupid man (you all know who I'm talking about), had to ruin that. The men who followed haven't done much better. Anyway, congrats to both Killer and Captain Crunch.