43 Years of Maple Leaf Frustration: 1985-86 Season

Another bad season (25-48-7) for the Maple Leafs finishing 19th overall yet making the playoffs because the pathetic Red Wings (or Dead Wings as they were referred to in the 1980s) were also in the Norris Division. In the first round of the playoffs the Leafs swept the best of 5 series with Chicago in 3 straight games and extended St. Louis in the next round to a 7th game in their best of 7 series.

Wendel Clark had an immediate impact on the team and lead the team in goals scored with 34 (a Leaf rookie record) as well as penalty minutes with 225. The 5’11", 194 pound combative left-winger became an instant crowd favourite with his quick and accurate wrist shots and punches. He took on all comers, including heavyweights Behn Wilson and Bob Probert. He was a breath of fresh air to a team that was unable to properly develop the early first-round draft picks that should have turned the franchise around.  Rick Vaive became another Leaf captain to be humiliated and driven from the team when he was stripped of his captaincy for missing a morning practice.  The position is left open.

GM  Gerry McNamara continued to look to Europe for talent although team owner, Harold Ballard, was not so keen to sign foreign players. McNamara has discovered Borje Salming and Inge Hammarstrom in the 1970s. McNamara began to look at Czechoslovakia where Vaclav Nedomansky and the Statsny brothers had been able to jump to the NHL.  McNamara beleived he could geta a number of stars on their national team to defect. He had drafted Peter Ihnacak in the 2nd round in 1982 and picked up Miroslav Frycer in a trade.  In fact, by 1985-86 Frycer was leading the Leafs in scoring.

But back in 1982, McNamara was so intent on drafting Czech players that he also drafted Peter Ihnacak's brother Miroslav although no Leaf scout had ever seen him play.  The Leafs were able to sneak Miro out of Czechoslovakia during Christmas 1985 and paid almost $1 million  to get him  out of the country and sign him to a contact - remember Ballard was not supportive of bloated payrolls.  As it turns out, Miro wasn't as big, fast or good as his brother Peter. He played just 55 games for the Leafs and scored 8 goals before being bought out of his contract. Just another set back for the Maple Leafs.