Leafs Forever

Sarah Nurse was the first Black woman to ever play in an Olympic hockey final. Now, as part of the PWHPA, Nurse, who recently inspired an official Barbie doll in her image, has become a role model for the game’s next generation.

Scarborough-born Leaf Wayne Simmonds is a potent force on the ice for the Leafs. But he’s working to bring change in the wider hockey community as well, through the Hockey Diversity Alliance.

He could have been the Jackie Robinson of Hockey. Born too soon, Herb Carnegie still inspired generations—and left a Marvel-ous legacy.

From being the only Black kid in town to surviving life on the street, Leafs alumn John Craighead’s road to The Show was an epic of courage and persistence.

Renee Hess and hockey were never supposed to meet. But when they did, Renee’s nascent fandom inspired game changing community action, as the Black Girl Hockey Club was born.

The story of the fastest 180 degree turn-around in franchise history; of how Cliff Fletcher re-built the Leafs in a year and brought the team within a missed call of a Stanley Cup Final.

If you blinked during the 1986/7 season, you might have missed Val James' stint as a Maple Leaf. But those four games broke the colour barrier for the Blue and White, and marked the culmination of an amazing story of perseverance.

He scored among the most iconic goals in Stanley Cup history, then disappeared without a trace. You may know Bill Barilko from the Tragically Hip’s ’50 Mission Cap.' But prepare to meet the man behind the myth.

The Hockey Sweater is among the most beloved children’s books in Canadian history. Author Roch Carrier and journalist Shireen Ahmed discuss how the story was written, and what it still has to teach us about our world, and our game.

In 1976, no one picked the Toronto Maple Leafs to beat the back-to-back Stanley Cup-winning Philadelphia Flyers in the 2nd round of the playoffs. Leafs coach Red Kelly knew that, to best the 'Broad Street Bullies,' he'd need more than superior strategy. He'd need an ace in the hole: a twelve foot pyramid in the middle of his locker room. Whether he truly believed in the power of pyramids of not, he was willing to do anything. And in the mysticism-friendly 1970s, the power of pyramids almost inspired his troops to greatness.