Not every player that has donned the Toronto Maple Leafs’ blue and white is recognized for their time with the team. Some are remembered for their tenure with other NHL franchises while others are barely even remembered.
With this series, we look back at some of the players who’ve suited up for the Maple Leafs over the years, how they became a member of the storied franchise and what they did during their tenure in Toronto as well as the remainder of their respective careers.
Related: Maple Leafs’ Forgotten Ones: Vincent Damphousse
While they might not necessarily be forgotten, the are considered ‘the forgotten ones’ in large part because their tenure with the Maple Leafs isn’t what stands out when you hear their name.
Remembered for his days with the Edmonton Oilers of the 1980s, Glenn Anderson spent parts of three seasons with the Maple Leafs, and while it’s not the first team he’s remembered for during his Hall of Fame career, his stint with the Maple Leafs is still worth talking about.
Anderson Becoming a Maple Leaf
Drafted in the fourth round, 69th overall, by the Edmonton Oilers in the 1979 NHL Draft, Anderson played 11 seasons for the Oilers and played a big role for the team during their runs in the 1980s. But at 31, the Oilers saw a chance to move Anderson and jumped on it.
Prior to the 1991-92 season, on Sept. 19, 1991, the Oilers moved Anderson to the Maple Leafs in a seven-player deal. The trade saw Anderson head to Toronto, along with Craig Berube and Grant Fuhr in exchange for Vincent Damphousse, Peter Ing, Luke Richardson and Scott Thornton. The Oilers also acquired some cash and future considerations from the Maple Leafs in the deal.
He debuted the following season for the Maple Leafs and played 72 games for his new club in his first year with the blue and white.
Donning the Blue Maple Leaf
Anderson played parts of three seasons with the Maple Leafs from 1991 to 1994. Over that span, he collected 63 goals and 157 points in 221 regular season games. His best season with the Maple Leafs came in 1992-93 when he tallied 22 goals and 65 points in 76 games.
Anderson also racked up 267 penalty minutes over that span playing a physical role for the team to go along with his offensive capabilities.
He finished first on the team in scoring in 1991-92 with 57 points and third on the team in scoring in 1992-93 with 65 points. That was also the only season that he saw the playoffs while donning the Maple Leafs jersey, scoring seven goals and 18 points in 21 games before the Maple Leafs were knocked out by the infamous Kerry Fraser non-call.
Late in the 1993-94 season, the Maple Leafs decided to move on from the 33-year-old and traded Anderson to the New York Rangers along with the rights to Scott Malone and their fourth-round pick in the 1994 draft (which was used to take Alexander Korobolin with the 100th overall pick). In return, the Maple Leafs acquired 34-year-old Mike Gartner.
Regardless of how short his Maple Leafs’ tenure was, Anderson’s career was one worthy of a Hall of Fame nod.
The Rest of Anderson’s Career
Following his stint in Toronto, Anderson had stops with the Rangers, the Blues and a mini-reuniting with the Oilers for 17 games during the 1995-96 season. He finished his career following the 1995-96 season as a member of the Blues.
Anderson finished his career with six Stanley Cups – including five as a member of the 1980s Oilers and one with the Rangers (a trade that ended up working out in his favour). He was a four-time all-star and closed out his NHL career with 498 goals and 1,099 points in 1,129 regular season games – the majority of that coming with the Oilers.
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He sits 46th on the NHL’s all-time list for goals with Sidney Crosby creeping up behind him as the closest active player and is 63rd all-time in points. As for where he sits on the Oilers all-time lists, he’s fourth all-time in games played (845), third all-time in goals (417), fourth all-time in assists (489) and fourth all-time in points (906).
Whether he’s remembered for his time with the Maple Leafs or not, Anderson finished with a point-per-game average of 0.71 while wearing the blue and white. Short-lived or not, Anderson will always be a part of the Maple Leafs’ alumni.
All-Time Maple Leafs’ Ranks
Games Played: 221 GP (T153rd)
Goals: 63 G (97th)
Assists: 94 A (T97th)
Points: 157 P (T101st)
Points-Per-Game: 0.71 P/G (T74th)