43 Years of Maple Leaf Frustration: 1984-85 Season

The Maple Leafs finally hit rock bottom in the 1984-85 season finishing in last place overall.  The Leafs lost an incredible 52 games under new coach Dan Maloney. The worst season in the history of the franchise. Their 48 points were 14 points fewer than the record of the lowest ranked playoff team.

Even Rick Vaive had an off year.  After scoring 50 or more for three straight season he dropped down to a 35 goal season. The Leafs had struggled to develop draft picks over the past few seasons. Jim Benning (6th, 1981), Gary Nylund (3rd, 1982), Russ Courtnall (7th, 1983) and Al Iafrate (4th, 1984) just never lived up to their high rankings. For the first time since the NHL Entry Draft was introduced, the Maple Leafs had the first overall pick in 1985 and the opportunity to select a potential franchise player. Unfortunately, there was no clear overall #1 pick that season.  Hockey people were split between Wendel Clark, Dana Murzyn and Craig Simpson. The Leafs actually made the right decision for once taking the hardnose winger from Saskatoon.