Cup of Coffee

A full-colour compendium of Toronto’s “Brief Leafs”

Over the past 100 years, close to 1,000 players have suited up for at least one game with the legendary Toronto Maple Leafs, and more than 250 did in the most turbulent era in club history, 1978–1999. In that time span, the Leafs made more than 300 trades, signed 20 free agents, and claimed eight players on waivers while almost 100 draft selections changed hands in addition to dozens of Toronto’s own picks.

Unlike NHLers elsewhere, the names of Toronto players aren’t quickly forgotten by fans. A stint with the Leafs, no matter how short, carries a certain cachet; the names and sweater numbers, and the compelling stories behind them, live on as trivia talk for years. Featuring 256 players, Cup of Coffee tells those stories with full-colour action pictures shot by veteran Leafs photographer Graig Abel. Learn about these “Brief Leafs” — their backgrounds, statistics, and memorable tales — as detailed by veteran Leafs journalist Lance Hornby.