Craig Berube and the best, worst first-year Leafs coaches

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A new coach should mean a fresh start. 

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But there have been some sour results among 107 their seasons when the Maple Leafs have begun with a new face behind the bench. 

Craig Berube, the 32nd to hold office in club history and the fourth this century to begin his tenure on Day 1 of the schedule, hopes not only to push for another 45 to 50 wins, but get deep in playoffs to enhance his impact.  

Here are the best and worst seasons for incoming Toronto coaches (not including early or mid-year replacements).

THE TOP SIX 

Dick Carroll, 1917-18 Blueshirts/Arenas 

Record: 13-9-0 Playoffs: 4-3 (Won Stanley Cup) 

At 33, the Guelph native had the ideal start for the new NHL franchise in a tumultuous first season for the league. From losing the first game in league history 10-9 to the Montreal Wanderers, Carroll’s team of 14 players beat the Montreal Canadiens in a two-game, total-goal league final and, in the deciding five-game Cup series match against the PCWHL champion Vancouver Millionaires, prevailed 2-1. 

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Carroll’s next two NHL years were a bust, though his varied coaching life later included the 1920 Memorial Cup with the Toronto Canoe Club, a senior team of dental school grads in the OHA, boxing, football and a stint managing the Guelph Maple Leafs baseball team. 

George O’Donoghue, 1921-22 St. Patricks 

Record: 13-10-1 Playoffs 4-2-1 (won Stanley Cup) 

Part of the local Irish Mafia who had bought the Arenas and stamped them with a shamrock to lure the city’s large Eire immigrant population, O’Donoghue benefitted greatly from the scoring prowess of Cecil (Babe) Dye, who dominated the regular season (31 goals in 24 games) and playoffs. But O’Donoghue also got credit for a sound defensive strategy.

From a two-game total goal set versus the Ottawa Senators, including the only 0-0 tie in team playoff history, Toronto drew the Millionaires in the Cup final again, once more winning in five games. The Pats and goalie John Ross Roach allowed just 12 goals in seven playoff tilts.

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Joe Primeau, 1950-51 Maple Leafs 

Record: 41-16-13 Playoffs: 8-2 (Won Stanley Cup) 

‘Gentleman’ Joe had a tough act to follow after Hap Day won five Cups between 1942-49. But as a Leafs lifer, the first player patriarch Conn Smythe signed when he started running the team in 1927, the Lindsay-born Primeau had the right touch with a team boasting Max Bentley and Teeder Kennedy at centre.

From Jan. 18 through defeating Montreal in the Cup final, his Leafs lost only eight games. But there were dicey moments in the last round, with all five games going to overtime. Primeau needed Bill Barilko’s iconic goal to secure the Cup. 

Roger Neilson, 1977-78 Maple Leafs 

Record: 41-29-10 Playoffs: 7-7 

Captain Video was unlike any coach before him. The cerebral teacher drew lots of quizzical looks when he first brought the team into a small room to show them nascent TV scouting technology. But that level of prep work and in-your-face defence led Toronto to its first best-of-seven series triumph since winning the Cup 11 years earlier. 

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But Neilson’s quirks grated on meddling owner Harold Ballard, who dumped him after a second playoff loss to Montreal.

Pat Burns, 1992-93 Maple Leafs

Record: 44-29-11, Playoffs 11-10

One of four cornerstones of an on-the-fly rebuild — with GM Cliff Fletcher, centre Doug Gilmour and new goalie Felix Potvin — Burns criticized or cajoled as situations dictated and made the Leafs bigger and better. They jumped a remarkable 32 points in the standings.

Hardened by his past career as a beat cop and quite familiar with deflecting intense media heat from his years with the Canadiens, Burns’ team played an unprecedented 21 post-season games in 42 days and was the closest of any coach to reaching the final since Punch Imlach.

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Pat Quinn, 1998-99 Maple Leafs 

Record: 45-30-7 Playoffs 9-8 

Like Burns, Quinn took a team that had missed the playoffs its two previous springs to the third round and re-lit passions in Leafs Nation.

He had a commanding presence from his Leafs/NHL days, helped by the timely arrival of a great goalie in Curtis Joseph and franchise scoring leader Mats Sundin. Allowed to concentrate solely on coaching before management duties began conflicting with his lineup, he set the table for playoff success into the early 2000s. 

THE BOTTOM SIX

Conn Smythe 1927-28  

Record: 18-18-8, missed playoffs

Smythe led the business group that bought the St. Pats the year before, had changed the sweater colours from base green and white to today’s blue and white, and built the Gardens. 

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Yet astute as he was behind the scenes and successful as a college coach at the University of Toronto, he didn’t have much luck running the Leafs. Many players he could’ve used he already had signed for the New York Rangers before being fired as their GM and landing back in his hometown. 

Howie Meeker 1956-57  

Record: 21-34-15, missed playoffs 

Meeker found this role far more daunting than playing. During a dry spell when the stars and hockey office personnel such as Day clashed with the demanding Smythe, the growing influence of Conn’s son Stafford also didn’t bode well for Meeker, either.

The Leafs won just a few games before Christmas and, though the future Hockey Night in Canada analyst was bumped up to GM the next year, a fist fight with Stafford quickly terminated his employment. 

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John McLellan, 1969-70 

Record: 29-34-1, missed playoffs 

GM/coach Imlach had won four Cups in the 1960s, but McLellan unfortunately inherited a team that had suffered in latter years from unpreparedness for the modern, expanded NHL.

There was a loss of valued farm team resources, the ‘68 trade of star winger Frank Mahovlich, lack of experience in goal and a difficult adjustment period for new captain Dave Keon as George Armstrong stayed around to play. A seven-game winless streak ended the schedule. 

Dan Maloney, 1984-85 

Record 20-52-8, missed playoffs 

Not since ‘57-58 had the Leafs been last in the standings. Taking over for the fired Mike Nykoluk, former team bruiser Maloney broiled as he dealt with the neglect of the Harold Ballard era. There was little depth, underlined in net where youngsters Ken Wregget and Allan Bester won a combined five of 38 games. 

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The scoring line of Rick Vaive, Bill Derlago and John Anderson couldn’t overcome GM Gerry McNamara’s decision to push many other draft picks in over their heads. At least the Leafs got first-overall pick Wendel Clark out of the mess.

Ron Wilson 2008-09  

Record: 34-35-13, missed playoffs

Starting with this disjointed campaign, Wilson became the third coach who proved unable to stop a club-record slide of seven years without a playoff appearance. 

While the former Leaf had much NHL experience coming in, he didn’t have Sundin, who had drifted away with no compensation, leaving Jason Blake’s 25 goals as best of a bad lot. Those 13 losses in overtime and shootouts would’ve squeezed Toronto in the playoffs had even half been reversed. Wilson’s next season began with seven straight October setbacks. 

Mike Babcock, 2015-16 

Record: 29-42-11, missed playoffs

Quite a comedown for the $50-million coach who wasn’t far removed from a Stanley Cup with Detroit. From a ravaged roster, P.A. Parenteau emerged as top scorer with 20 goals. But in this instance, few inside or outside Bay Street complained about him winning just 15 games after New Year’s Day as the controlled burn brought things full circle to last-place lottery reward Auston Matthews. 

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X: @sunhornby 

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