The Washington Capitals bucked a long-standing Stanley Cup trend last spring. They managed to hoist aloft Lord Stanley’s mug without garnerning a single contribution from a former member of the Toronto Maple Leafs.
The Leafs haven’t won the Stanley Cup since 1966-67, and while Toronto may no longer win the Cup, ex-Leafs most certainly do. Just two teams have managed to win the Cup since the 1967-68 NHL season without the help of a former Leaf.
Carl Gunnarsson’s Game 2 overtime goal not only pulled the St. Louis Blues even with the Boston Bruins two games into the 2018-19 Stanley Cup final, it added another chapter to the lore of ex-Leafs in the Cup final. Gunnarsson played his first 273 NHL games with the Leafs from 2009-14. His St. Louis teammates include former Leafs Tyler Bozak and Alexander Steen.
On the Boston side of the ledger, Bruins goalie Tuukka Rask was a first-round draft pick of the Leafs in 2005. Then Leafs GM John Ferguson took a lot of heat after trading Rask to Boston. But Ferguson is having the last laugh. Today, he’s executive director of player personnel for the Bruins. that deal just might earn Fergie a Stanley Cup inscription.
Ex-Leaf Stanley Cup Champions Since 1968
| Team | Ex-Leafs |
|---|---|
| 1967-68 Montreal Canadiens | Dick Duff |
| 1968-69 Montreal Canadiens | Dick Duff, Larry Hillman |
| 1969-70 Boston Bruins | Wayne Carleton, Gerry Cheevers |
| 1970-71 Montreal Canadiens | Frank Mahovlich |
| 1971-72 Boston Bruins | Gerry Cheevers, Mike Walton |
| 1972-73 Montreal Canadiens | Frank Mahovlich |
| 1973-74 Philadelphia Flyers | Bernie Parent |
| 1974-75 Philadelphia Flyers | Bernie Parent |
| 1975-76 Montreal Canadiens | Doug Jarvis* |
| 1976-77 Montreal Canadiens | Doug Jarvis* |
| 1977-78 Montreal Canadiens | Doug Jarvis* |
| 1978-79 Montreal Canadiens | Doug Jarvis* |
| 1979-80 New York Islanders | Al Arbour** |
| 1980-81 New York Islanders | Al Arbour** |
| 1981-82 New York Islanders | Al Arbour** |
| 1982-83 New York Islanders | Al Arbour** |
| 1983-84 Edmonton Oilers | Ed Chadwick*** |
| 1984-85 Edmonton Oilers | Ed Chadwick*** |
| 1985-86 Montreal Canadiens | Serge Boisvert, Gaston Gingras |
| 1986-87 Edmonton Oilers | Craig Muni |
| 1987-88 Edmonton Oilers | Craig Muni |
| 1988-89 Calgary Flames | Lanny McDonald |
| 1989-90 Edmonton Oilers | Craig Muni |
| 1990-91 Pittsburgh Penguins | Rick Kehoe**** |
| 1991-92 Pittsburgh Penguins | Rick Kehoe**** |
| 1992-93 Montreal Canadiens | Vincent Damphousse, Paul DiPietro, Gary Leeman, Rob Ramage |
| 1993-94 New York Rangers | Glenn Anderson, Ed Olczyk |
| 1994-95 New Jersey Devils | Marcel Pronovost** |
| 1995-96 Colorado Avalanche | Dave Hannan, Sylvain Lefebvre, Warren Rychel |
| 1996-97 Detroit Red Wings | Larry Murphy, Bob Rouse |
| 1997-98 Detroit Red Wings | Jamie Macoun, Dmitri Mironov, Larry Murphy, Bob Rouse |
| 1998-99 Dallas Stars | Benoit Hogue, Dave Reid |
| 1999-2000 New Jersey Devils | Marcel Pronovost** |
| 2000-01 Colorado Avalanche | Dave Reid |
| 2001-02 Detroit Red Wings | Ken Holland* |
| 2002-03 New Jersey Devils | Corey Schwab |
| 2003-04 Tampa Bay Lightning | Dave Andreychuk, Fredrik Modin |
| 2005-06 Carolina Hurricanes | Kevyn Adams, Glen Wesley |
| 2006-07 Anaheim Ducks | Ric Jackman |
| 2007-08 Detroit Red Wings | Ken Holland* |
| 2008-09 Pittsburgh Penguins | Hal Gill |
| 2009-10 Chicago Blackhawks | Joel Quenneville** |
| 2010-11 Boston Bruins | Tomas Kaberle |
| 2011-12 Los Angeles Kings | None |
| 2012-13 Chicago Blackhawks | Joel Quenneville** |
| 2013-14 Los Angeles Kings | Alyn McAuley*** |
| 2014-15 Chicago Blackhawks | Kris Versteeg, Joel Quenneville** |
| 2015-16 Pittsburgh Penguins | Phil Kessel |
| 2016-17 Pittsburgh Penguins | Phil Kessel |
| 2017-18 Washington Capitals | None |
| 2018-19 St. Louis Blues | Tyler Bozak, Carl Gunnarsson, Alex Steen |
*Draft Pick
**Coach
***Scout
****Assistant Coach
