1967 Leafs Look Forward To Emotional Tribute At A.C.C.

It was 1967.

Egypt and Israel were locked in what would be a six day war.

Three astronauts were killed in a tragic pre-launch fire at Cape Canaveral.

The Beatles had just released Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Heart’s Club Band

“A Man for All Seasons” was named Best Picture at the Oscars.

Canada celebrated its Centennial year with a world Expo in Montreal.

And oh yeah, the Leafs won the Stanley Cup, beginning a very long and very painful drought for fans of the Blue & White.

Last time they looked, it was still going on.

Which is why nostalgia and heartache will both be in evidence as survivors of the 1967 team regroup this weekend, reliving old glories and hopefully showing the current guys how it’s done.

Some of the old gang has gotten together before, of course, but this one comes with a first. The man many consider one of the greatest Leafs in history, Dave Keon, will actually be there this time.

Keon, the ’67 playoff MVP, turned against his old team during the Harold Ballard regime. And despite a few changes in ownership in all those years, he maintained a long and healthy hate.

Because of his lengthy seclusion, you can expect him to be the focus of much of the attention at ceremonies marking the last Cup winning team at the ACC on Saturday night.

“I hope they realize they should introduce Davey Keon last,” teammate Ron Ellis advises, expecting the applause to be long and loud.

He’s one of 16 Leafs who’ll be on the ice for what promises to be an emotional reunion, even for fans who weren’t born during the milestone.

Johnny Bower can hardly believe so much time has gone by or that he got to play with the team he loved as a kid.

“I never dreamed at my age that I’d even be playing for Toronto so winning the Stanley Cup was just unbelievable,” he recalls. “A lot of guys on that team were way over 30, and a lot of them had never had their name engraved on the Stanley Cup.”

In fact, four players were over 40, making the ’67 Buds the oldest team in history to ever win it all.

“They gave the best effort they possibly could. We played with a lot of injuries, too. Nobody said anything about it at the time. If we had to play one more game against Montreal, we would have lost because of all the injuries we had.”

In the end, the Leafs defeated the Habs in one of sports greatest rivalries, taking the series 4-2.

“They said we weren’t going to win because of all the old guys on the team, but we had the experience it took to win it all,” Bower relates. “We said to the young guys: ‘We’ll carry you to a certain point but you’ll have to take over,’ and guys like Keon made the difference in the end.”

But those playing that final round knew they were heading into history, regardless of the outcome. And that made it even more special.

“It was a very unique team,” Ellis concludes. “It was the last year of the Original Six. Whoever won the Stanley Cup in ’67 was going to have a place in hockey history because it was the last year of an era. That’s what we’ll be celebrating.”

It’s a feeling fans would like to experience again. It’s just a question of how many more years have to go by until they do.

• Most of the ’67 Leafs will also be in town March 22 for a special charity dinner for the Make-A-Wish Foundation at the Metro Convention Centre. For more information on that event, click here.

Here’s a look at the roster from that now legendary team.

Goal: Johnny Bower, Terry Sawchuk, Bruce Gamble

Defence: Larry Hillman, Marcel Pronovost, Tim Horton, Bob Baun, Aut Erickson, Allan Stanley, Red Kelly

Wingers: Ron Ellis, George Armstrong (C), Frank Mahovlich, Milan Marcetta, Larry Jeffrey

Centres: Peter Stemkowski, Dave Keon, Mike Walton

Forwards: Jim Pappin, Bob Pulford, Brian Conacher, Eddie Shack

Coach: Punch Imlach

Also with the Leafs in 66-67:

John Brenneman
Wayne Carleton
Kent Douglas
Dick Gamble
Brent Imlach
Jim McKenny
Duane Rupp
Brit Selby
Al Smith
Gary Smith