When folks chirp that no championship hockey clubs played out of Maple Leaf Gardens post-1967, they’re forgetting the Toronto Marlboros.
Of the Dukes’ two Memorial Cups in 1973 and ‘75, the former is revered as one of the most dominant junior squads of all time.
More than 50 years later, that ‘73 squad is walking together one more time into the Ontario Sports Hall of Fame. While a couple of members have passed, many were to be present Thursday night at the Airport Marriott as part of this year’s OSHF induction class.
“It’s amazing so much time has gone by, but we’re still remembered as such a really great team,” 70-year-old goalie Mike Palmateer said on the phone from Florida. “And about 10 of us were rookies, the Jr. B champs the year before.
“But we had great leaders when we got there, such as (behemoth defenceman) Bob Dailey, Glenn Goldup, Mark and Marty Howe. They really took care of us, even if they tried to cut our long hair (as initiation). Maybe Bruce Boudreau was the only guy they caught.”
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Palmateer and Boudreau eventually played for the Leafs, Mark Howe became a Hockey Hall of Famer after six years in the WHA and a long NHL career in Philadelphia and Detroit. Dailey was a Flyer after getting drafted by the Vancouver Canucks, 100-point top scorers Wayne Dillon and Peter Marrin stayed at home with the WHA Toros, Dillon later a New York Ranger. Goldup was the WHA’s second-overall pick in ‘73, but played for the Canadiens and Los Angeles Kings.
Representing individual, team, organizational deeds and media work for about 16 million people in the province, the OSHF nod is quite significant. The 2024 class includes lacrosse legend John Tavares, NBA star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, ice dancers Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir, CFL fullback Neil Lumsden and women’s hockey star Geraldine Heaney.
“This means a lot to me and everybody,” Palmateer said.
The Marlies’ regular-season record that year was an astonishing 47-7-9 under laid-back head coach George Armstrong and father-figure general manager Frank Bonello. Seven players had 30 or more goals.
“The more you look at our old newspaper clippings, you come to realize we were probably the best Marlies team of all time and one of the greatest junior teams,” Goldup said in a 2017 Sun interview. “Sure, that’s bold of us to say, but the numbers prove it. You’d look around the room at Mark Howe, Boudreau, Paulin Bordeleau, Palmateer and think: ‘Damn, this team is good,’ If we were down two or three goals entering the third period, we’d just be chuckling to ourselves. We knew we’d come back.”
The team got a huge boost when Gordie Howe put his sons on the team as he thought they’d benefit under Armstrong. ‘Chief’ cracked jokes, not the whip, and practice might be as simple as him dropping the puck for a pond hockey game.
“He wasn’t demanding, yet you wanted to play hard for a guy like that,” forward Jeff Woodyatt said in 2017. “He gave you input only if needed. I was 17 years old and in awe of the man, a captain of the Leafs, a legend.”
The Marlies were a hot ticket for kids unable to afford the increasingly expensive Leafs.
“As a player, you soaked it all in,” Woodyatt said. “You’d bump into the Leafs at the rink or at their hangout on Church St., the Golden Mug, though some of us were probably underage to drink.”
Ping-pong ball Palmateer and Kevin Neville were in goal.
“Palmy locked it all up for us,” Goldup said. “We only gave up 199 goals (the best by any Marlies team in a 60-plus game regular season).”
But the Peterborough Petes were a significant barrier in the OHA final, coached by future Leafs mentor Roger Neilson.
“In some of the games Gabby (Boudreau) started on a line with the rookies against the Petes, who had Bob Gainey up front and (bruising blueliners) Colin Campbell and Bob Neely,” Palmateer said. “One hell of a tough team.”
Needing a tie to clinch a hard-fought series, the Marlies packed the Gardens with 16,485, the most ever see a junior game in Canada at the time. Bordeleau earned the point on a late goal on a penalty shot.
In the Memorial Cup, Toronto beat the Quebec Remparts 5-2, lost to the Medicine Hat Tigers 3-2 and met Quebec in the final. The Marlies gave up the first goal, then romped 9-1.
The ’75 Marlies would repeat the City Hall celebration, Boudreau by then a veteran on another Armstrong-led team with Mark Napier, John Anderson and Mike Kitchen.
ONCE A LEAF
Featuring one of the more than 1,100 players, coaches and general managers who have played or worked in Toronto’s 107-year NHL history.
MIKE PALMATEER
Years: 1976-80, 1982-84
Born: Jan. 13, 1954 in Toronto, Ont.
Numbers worn: 29
Games played: 296, W-L-T: 129-112-41. 3.43 goals-against average, 15 shutouts
THEN
‘The Popcorn Kid’ got the 10 p.m. phone call late one October night in 1976 on the farm in Dallas from Leafs GM Jim Gregory. Confidence was the least of his worries.
“Yes, I really said ‘Mr. Gregory, your problems are over,’” Palmateer said with a laugh.
He nailed down the No. 1 job, bouncing around the crease with incredible reflexes to make up for a 5-foot-9 frame and smaller equipment of the day. The next year, under coach Neilson, the Leafs prevailed in a seven-game war with the New York Islanders — their first seven-game series win since 1967.
Prior to Lanny McDonald’s overtime winner, Palmateer saved the Leafs’ bacon, thwarting Billy Harris on a breakaway after a giveaway.
“Maybe I shouldn’t have been that far out of my net,” he concedes today.
Palmateer played four years, his game preparation wonderfully diverse than today’s NHL goalies. Teammates recall crunching popcorn kernels around his locker as he indulged his favourite snack. He’d arrive game night, grab the the opposing lineup and sit on the toilet with a cigarette and coffee studying the names.
He was traded to Washington when Punch Imlach broke up the Neilson Leafs, returning for two more years in 1982.
NOW
Upon retirement, Palmateer scouted for the Leafs for many years and occasionally played goal when a series of knee surgeries allowed, including Team Canada 72’s reunion in the 1980s.
In an outdoor game in 2013, nearing 60, he needed medical treatment after turning back the clock in a Leafs-Red Wings match. His family had never seen him play live.
He splits his time between the GTA and a winter home in Florida, and still has his original equipment.
FAVOURITE LEAFS MEMORY
Palmateer won his debut, 3-1 over Detroit, but the game that stands out for him was a few weeks later, a 39-save 1-0 shutout of the era’s great Montreal Canadiens at the Gardens.
“I remember dad’s face (John Palmateer was a pulp and paper salesman), so proud with tears in his eyes. I was the oldest of six kids and we’d always be after that last crust of bread at dinner.
“They put me on the bench for a TV interview next to Montreal’s Ken Dryden (who towered over Palmateer). He said ‘nice game kid, but don’t get too cocky.’”
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