1979–80 Toronto Maple Leafs season
| 1979–80 Toronto Maple Leafs | |
|---|---|
| Division | 4th Adams |
| Conference | 5th Wales |
| 1979–80 record | 35-40-5 |
| Goals for | 304 |
| Goals against | 327 |
| Team information | |
| General Manager | Punch Imlach |
| Coach |
Floyd Smith Dick Duff Punch Imlach |
| Captain |
Darryl Sittler (Oct-Dec) vacant (Dec-Apr) |
| Alternate captains | None |
| Team leaders | |
| Goals | Darryl Sittler (40) |
| Assists | Darryl Sittler (57) |
| Points | Darryl Sittler (97) |
| Penalties in minutes | Tiger Williams (197) |
| Wins | Mike Palmateer (16) |
| Goals against average | Jiri Crha (3.61) |
The 1979–80 Toronto Maple Leafs season was the 63rd season of the franchise, 53rd season as the Maple Leafs. In July 1979, Leafs owner Harold Ballard brought back Punch Imlach, a longtime friend, as general manager. Imlach traded Lanny McDonald to undermine team captain Darryl Sittler's influence on the team. The McDonald trade sent the Leafs into a downward spiral. They finished five games under .500 and only made the playoffs due to the presence of the Quebec Nordiques, a refugee from the WHA, in the Adams Division.
The 1979-80 season marked the dismantling of a promising hockey team. The Maple Leafs had stars such as Darryl Sittler, Mike Palmateer, Lanny McDonald, Tiger Williams, Borje Salming and Ian Turnbull. In previous years, the Leafs were always one of the top teams in the league but could not beat the Montreal Canadiens in the playoffs. Leafs' owner Harold Ballard fired General Manager Jim Gregory and Head Coach Roger Neilson. After unsuccessfully attempting to hire both former Boston Bruins head coach Don Cherry (who became head coach of the Colorado Rockies) and former Montreal Canadiens head coach Scotty Bowman (who became head coach and general manager of the Buffalo Sabres), Ballard brought back Punch Imlach, who had been the Leafs' coach and general manager when they last won the Stanley Cup in 1967, to be the team's new GM. Imlach subsequently hired Floyd Smith, a former Leaf player who had previously coached for Imlach when he was GM of the Sabres, to be the Leafs' new head coach.
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