Within the historical past of the Toronto Maple Leafs, there have been many actually powerful gamers. Maybe the primary three that come to thoughts are Wendel Clark, Tie Domi, and Doug Gilmour.
Wendel Clark is taken into account one of many hardest Maple Leafs gamers in historical past. He was identified for his bodily type of play and his willingness to face up for his teammates. He was broadly liked by the followers for his toughness and management on the ice.
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Tie Domi was identified for his combating skill, and he, too, was keen to face up and defend his teammates. He performed for the Maple Leafs for 11 seasons and likewise turned a fan favourite.
Gilmour wasn’t essentially identified for his combating skill; nevertheless, he was one of many hardest gamers in Maple Leafs’ historical past in different methods. Particularly, he was identified for his tenacity and his skill to play via ache. Gilmour turned a key participant in Maple Leafs’ success within the Nineties and was beloved by Maple Leafs followers.
However maybe the hardest participant in franchise historical past was Jim Dorey.
Who Was Jim Dorey?
Dorey performed for the Maple Leafs from 1968 to 1972. He was a member of the group after they had been massively widespread, and he preempted among the workforce’s most iconic gamers as the sport turned extra trendy. Darryl Sittler, Borje Salming, and Lanny McDonald had been simply starting their time with the Maple Leafs when Dorey was ending his. Throughout that point, Dorey was a dependable defenseman famend for giving his all on the ice. He was acknowledged for his physicality and his willingness to dam photographs and sacrifice his physique for the workforce.
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Dorey was a key a part of the groups that reached the playoffs in each 1970 and 1971.
Dorey’s First Sport as a Maple Leaf
Dorey was drafted by the Maple Leafs within the fourth spherical (twenty third total) within the 1964 NHL Novice Draft. In his first sport, he set the NHL single-game penalty document with 48 minutes within the penalty field. That debut got here on Oct. 16, 1968, in opposition to the Pittsburgh Penguins on the Maple Leaf Gardens.
He was 21 years previous on the time. Like most younger hockey gamers, skating in his first NHL sport was a dream. However his debut changed into a gong present. He took two minor penalties within the first interval and added 4 extra penalties within the second. Earlier than the sport was over, he had been in altercations with nearly each Penguins participant on the ice. The consequence was two combating majors, two misconducts, a sport misconduct, and a high-sticking minor for a document 9 penalties.
Dorey’s document has since been surpassed, however his 48 penalty minutes in a single sport stay a franchise document.
What Occurred After the Sport Stunned Dorey
After his record-breaking penalty-filled debut, Dorey assumed he can be despatched right down to the AHL. Nonetheless, he was shocked when King Clancy and Punch Imlach entered the dressing room, and as an alternative of punishing him for his aggressive play, Imlach pulled out his pockets and handed him $100. The instructions had been clear: “Get misplaced for the weekend.” Dorey was shocked, particularly by Imlach, who was often known as a penny-pincher.
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Clancy was leaping up and down in delight at Dorey’s efficiency. Imlach instructed Dorey that his type of play was what he needed to see from his gamers, and the gesture wasn’t misplaced on him. Dorey took the incident to coronary heart. If his coaches had been going to reward him for enjoying aggressively, he was going to proceed taking part in aggressively.
Dorey Grew to become a Goal for Different Gamers
Imlach, because the Maple Leafs’ head coach, might need had some foresight by rewarding Dorey. The media lined the incident broadly, and Dorey turned a goal for different gamers because of this – the quickest gun within the West type of factor.
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Dorey’s aggressive debut set the tone for his profession, but it surely additionally gave him the arrogance to play “his” type. It additionally cemented his place in Maple Leafs’ historical past and into the hearts of Leafs Nation.
Throughout his time in Toronto, Dorey was a stable contributor. Within the 1968-69 season, he scored eight objectives and 22 assists (for 30 factors) whereas accumulating 200 penalty minutes. The next season, he performed 46 video games, scoring six objectives and including 11 assists (for 17 factors).
In 1970-71, Dorey had one in all his finest seasons with the membership, scoring seven objectives, 22 assists (for 29 factors), and accumulating 198 penalty minutes. In his last Maple Leafs season (1971-72), he performed 50 video games with 4 objectives and 19 assists (for 23 factors). He additionally “solely” collected 56 penalty minutes that season.
Dorey Traded to the Rangers
After being traded to the New York Rangers late within the 1971-72 season, Dorey acquired an opportunity to play within the Stanley Cup Last for the primary time in his profession. Sadly, he solely performed one sport in opposition to the Boston Bruins earlier than being sidelined by an damage because the Bruins went on to win Lord Stanley’s Cup in six video games.
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Dorey jumped to the brand new World Hockey Affiliation (WHA) the subsequent season. He performed for a number of WHA groups, together with the New England Whalers and the Quebec Nordiques. With the Whalers, he gained the inaugural Avco Cup in 1973. Dorey additionally got here again to play for the WHA’s Toronto Toros. He completed his profession within the American Hockey League (AHL), taking part in with the Philadelphia Firebirds and New Haven Nighthawks.
Dorey Retires to Kingston
Dorey retired from taking part in in 1981 and settled in his hometown of Kingston, Ontario, the place he coached the Ontario Hockey League’s (OHL) Kingston Canadians for seven years. He helped set up hockey faculties abroad and gave his assist to many charities.
Dorey has remained energetic within the Maple Leafs Alumni Affiliation and has been concerned within the native chapters of the Boys and Ladies Rotary golf equipment. He had a profitable profession as an expert hockey participant, each within the NHL and the WHA, and continues to contribute to his neighborhood.
It Was an Honor to Play for the Maple Leafs
Dorey has usually famous that he has nothing however nice recollections of his time with the Maple Leafs. He was drafted by the workforce in 1964 and spent 4 seasons patrolling their blue line. For him, it was an honor to play for Toronto. In a single article, he talked about that he realizes how particular his time was with the workforce extra now than when he was really taking part in. His story is a good a part of Maple Leafs’ historical past.
