Darryl Sittler

Lore & Background

Sittler grew up in St. Jacobs, Ontario, and played minor hockey in Elmira. He was drafted eighth overall by the Maple Leafs in the 1970 NHL Amateur Draft. He was named team captain on September 10, 1975, after Dave Keon left the team. In his first season as captain, Sittler became the first Leaf ever to reach the 100-point mark, finishing with 41 goals and 59 assists. That summer, in the inaugural Canada Cup, he scored in overtime to win the final series for Team Canada over Czechoslovakia. On February 7, 1976, at Maple Leaf Gardens, Sittler set an NHL record that still stands by tallying six goals and four assists for ten points against the Boston Bruins, all scored against rookie goalie Dave Reece in an 11–4 victory.

Sittler's relationship with Leafs owner Harold Ballard deteriorated, particularly after Punch Imlach became general manager in July 1979. Imlach believed Sittler had too much influence and tried to undermine his authority. After Imlach traded Sittler's best friend and linemate Lanny McDonald to the Colorado Rockies on December 29, 1979, Sittler ripped the captain's 'C' off his sweater. Ballard likened the action to burning the Canadian flag. Sittler eventually reassumed the captaincy after talks with Ballard, but the relationship worsened again. On January 5, 1982, Sittler walked out on the Leafs, saying he was 'mentally depressed' because a trade was taking so long. He was traded to the Philadelphia Flyers on January 20, 1982.

With the Flyers, Sittler earned his fourth All-Star game appearance in 1982–83. Before the 1984–85 season, he was told he would be named Flyers captain, but on the day of the announcement he was instead traded to the Detroit Red Wings. Sittler described this as the biggest disappointment of his life. He had an unproductive season with the Red Wings and retired after the season, declining a one-year offer from the Vancouver Canucks.

Reader's Guide

Sittler's most notable achievement is his NHL single-game points record of ten, set on February 7, 1976, which still stands. He also remains the most recent NHL player to score six goals in one game. His 117-point season in 1977–78 ranked third in the league and earned him a Second Team All-Star selection; that scoring total remained a Leafs record until surpassed by Doug Gilmour in 1992–93. Sittler was elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1989. In 1998, he was ranked number 93 on The Hockey News' list of the 100 Greatest Hockey Players. In 2017 he was named one of the '100 Greatest NHL Players' in history. After retirement, he rejoined the Maple Leafs organization as a consultant under general manager Cliff Fletcher in 1991. The Leafs honoured him by adding a banner with his number 27 to the Air Canada Centre on February 8, 2003. On October 15, 2016, number 27 was officially retired by the Maple Leafs as part of the team's 100th season celebration. Sittler was inducted into Canada's Walk of Fame on August 23, 2016.

Did You Know?

• Sittler set an NHL record with 10 points (6 goals, 4 assists) in a single game on February 7, 1976.
• He was the first Toronto Maple Leaf to reach 100 points in a season.
• Sittler tied the playoff record for most goals in one game, with five against the Philadelphia Flyers.
• His son Ryan Sittler was drafted by the Philadelphia Flyers in the first round of the 1992 NHL Entry Draft.