One game. That’s all it takes for a player to be considered a former member of a franchise. But rarely are those player remembered when it comes to historical conversations surrounding the club.
In this series, we look back on former players that donned the blue and white of the Toronto Maple Leafs. Some played 100 games. Others play just a handful for the franchise. Or some, like Phil Housley, only play one game for the team.
While their totals may vary, one thing all of the players included in this series have in common is that they tend to be forgotten when the Maple Leafs are being discussed. Unlike a number of these players, Housley played his final NHL game as a Maple Leafs in 2002-03 before retiring from the NHL. Here’s how he got to that point.
Housley Becoming a Maple Leaf
Drafted in the first round, sixth overall, by the Buffalo Sabres in 1982, Housley played 77 games for the Sabres during the 1982-83 season and finished second in Calder Trophy voting behind Steve Larmer.
He went on to play eight seasons with the Sabres before stops in Winnipeg, St. Louis, Calgary, New Jersey, Washington and Chicago over 20 seasons. His 21st season, however, the Blackhawks traded the aging defenceman to the Maple Leafs.
On March 11, 2003, Housley had 29 points in 57 games for the Blackhawks when Chicago traded him to the Maple Leafs for a ninth-round pick in 2003 and a fourth-round pick in 2004.
The 2003 pick ended up being Chris Porter from the USHL’s Lincoln Stars at 282nd overall. He went on to play 234 regular season games in the NHL, while the 2004 pick turned into Karel Hromas at 123rd overall, who never saw any NHL action in his career.
Housley would go on to have a short stint with the Maple Leafs, but did see some playoff action in the blue and white before ultimately retiring from the game in 2004.
Donning the Blue Maple Leaf
Housley may have finished with one of the shortest Maple Leafs’ careers amongst the franchise’s alumni. He played just one regular season game for the Maple Leafs, finishing with 16:04 of ice-time and a minus-one rating as the 38-year-old closed out his regular season NHL career.
He added three playoff games for the team, averaging just under 14 minutes per game with a minus-three rating before the team was ousted by the Philadelphia Flyers in the 2003 NHL playoffs.
Housley didn’t sign anywhere following the season and officially announced his retirement from the NHL on Jan. 16, 2004. It officially made him one of the shortest serving Maple Leafs in franchise history to have actually suited up for a game.
The Rest of Housley’s Career
Housley played 21 seasons in the NHL, first debuting as an 18-year-old with the Sabres. He spent the majority of his career with the Sabres and while he played with the Flames in 1994-95, he returned to the Flames for a second stint with the team in 1998-99, playing three more seasons.
Overall, he finished his career with 1,495 career regular season games, tallying 338 goals and 1,232 points over that span. He added another 56 points in 85 career playoff games, but never hoisted the Stanley Cup.
He’s fourth all-time in NHL history when it comes to games played by American-born players, behind only Chris Chelios, Matt Cullen and Mike Modano. He also ranks first all-time in assists by an American-born player and fourth all-time in points by an American-born player.
Those numbers led to his induction into the United States Hockey Hall of Fame in 2004 and the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2015.
While he wasn’t a Maple Leaf for long, he did in fact suit up for the franchise making him part of the team’s alumni forever.
All-Time Maple Leafs’ Ranks (Among Defensemen)
Games Played: 1 (T-296th)
Goals: 0 (T-679th)
Assists: 0 (T-258th)
Points: 0 (T-261st)
Points-Per-Game: 0.00 (T-296th)
Other ‘Forgotten Maple Leafs’