They started off their career as the Toronto Arenas when the NHL was founded in 1917. They were the first ever winners of the Stanley Cup. They faced financial problems that year and the team was sold to a group formed by general manager Charlie Querrie in 1919. They took on the new name the Toronto Patricks. The St. Pats, as they were also known, won the Stanley Cup in 1922.

The team was sold yet again in 1927 due to Querrie losing a lawsuit. Conn Smythe bought the team and changed the name to the Maple Leafs. After four poor seasons, the team moved to their new arena, the Maple Leaf Gardens in 1931. That season they beat the New York Rangers to win the Stanley Cup. The next seven seasons saw them in the finals five times but they did not win any of them. In 1942, they won their fourth Stanley Cup against the Detroit Red Wings. Their success continued as they won again in 1945 beating the Red Wings again.

In 1947, the Maple Leafs defeated the Montreal Canadiens to win the first of their three consecutive Stanley Cups. They were the first NHL team to achieve that distinction. In 1948 and 1949 they defeated the Detroit Red Wings in the Finals. They faced the Canadiens again in the 1951 Finals and went on to win their ninth Stanley Cup. Their star defenseman Bill Barilko went missing in a plane crash after a few months and they did not win any more cups that decade.

The Maple Leafs repeated their stint of three Stanley Cups in a row in starting in 1962. They beat the Chicago Blackhawks in 1962, the Detroit Red Wings in 1963 and 1964. In 1967, they beat the Montreal Canadiens to win their last Stanley Cup till date. With that win, the Maple Leafs has a total of thirteen Cup victories.

After the team was bought by Harold Ballard, their performance began to deteriorate and they had unsuccessful years through the 1970’s and 1980’s. In 1990, Steve Stavro bought the team after Ballard’s death. The team moved to their new arena the Maple Leaf Gardens in 1990.

The Maple Leafs has retired two jersey numbers so far. They are Bill Barilko 5 and Ace Bailey 6. They have honored several numbers rather than retiring them. These include Leonard Kelly 4, Ted Kennedy 9, Tim Norton 7 and Darryl Sittler 27.