What Maple Leafs games used to look like in Toronto

The Toronto Maple Leafs have been an integral part of the city's identity for generations, with more than 100 years of packed arenas, tense rivalries, championship celebrations, and heart-wrenching seasons.

The franchise's history dates all the way back to the inaugural NHL season in 1917-18, when the club was founded as the Toronto Arenas, before becoming the Toronto St. Patricks (or St. Pats, for short) in 1919. Fast forward a few years, and the team was once again renamed the Toronto Maple Leafs when Canadian businessman Conn Smythe took control of the franchise in 1927.

During the early years, the team played at Arena Gardens (later known as the Mutual Street Arena) before moving into the newly built Maple Leaf Gardens in 1931. The arena would remain the Leafs' home for the next 68 years, until they moved to what was then called the Air Canada Centre in 1999 (now Scotiabank Arena).

Over the decades, the Leafs have won 13 Stanley Cup championships, with their most recent victory coming in 1967. Nearly six devastating decades later (or 21,653 days to be exact), Toronto is still patiently holding out hope for its next championship.

With the 2026-27 NHL season just around the corner, here's a look back at what Maple Leafs games used to look like in Toronto.

Photos

Three Toronto St. Pats players (Corb Denneny, John Ross Roach, and Bert McCaffrey) pictured in December 1926.

Maple Leaf Gardens in November 1931. 

Maple Leafs game against New York Rangers in 1932. 

Maple Leafs game against New York Rangers in 1932 after the former's second goal.

Players shaking hands after Maple Leafs and New York Rangers game in 1932. 

Maple Leafs and Boston Bruins game in 1933. 

Maple Leafs and Boston Bruins game in 1933. 

Maple Leafs score against Boston Bruins in 1933. 

Hockey game between Toronto Maple Leafs and Chicago Black Hawks at Maple Leaf Gardens, sometime after 1940. 

Hockey game between Maple Leafs and Chicago Black Hawks at Maple Leaf Gardens, sometime after 1940. 

Toronto Maple Leafs hockey players at Maple Leaf Gardens, sometime after 1940. 

Hockey game at Maple Leaf Gardens, sometime after 1940. 

Toronto Maple Leafs and Montreal Canadiens game, after the latter's first goal in March 1945. 

A scrum between Canadiens and Maple Leafs players during the fourth game of the Stanley Cup semi-final playoff match held at Maple Leaf Gardens on March 27, 1945. 

Maple Leaf Gardens game in 1946. 

Maple Leafs hockey players Ted "Teeder" Kennedy and Sid Smith pictured with Margaret Marshall, Miss Canada 1947. 

Maple Leaf Gardens in the 1950s. 

Maple Leaf Gardens refreshment stand in 1955. 

Maple Leafs players in their dressing room at Maple Leaf Gardens in 1959. 

Maple Leafs and Boston Bruins game at Maple Leaf Gardens, taken sometime in the early 1960s. 

Maple Leafs win the Stanley Cup in 1962. Photo: NHL.com

Maple Leafs win the 1967 Stanley Cup. Photo: NHL.com

Maple Leaf Gardens in 1980. Photo: Boris Spremo.