Frank Mahovlich

Lore & Background

Mahovlich is the son of Croatian immigrants. He was scouted by several NHL teams while playing for the Schumacher Lions of the Northern Ontario Hockey Association. He signed with the Toronto Maple Leafs, who sent him to the Toronto St. Michael's Majors. He played there while attending St. Michael's College School from 1954 to 1957. He received the Red Tilson Trophy as the top player in the OHA for the 1956–57 season. He joined the Leafs in 1957 and won the Calder Memorial Trophy as rookie of the year. In the 1960–61 season, he scored 48 goals—a Leaf record that would stand for 21 years. He won the Stanley Cup with the Leafs in 1962, 1963, 1964, and 1967. He was traded to the Detroit Red Wings on March 4, 1968, and later to the Montreal Canadiens on January 13, 1971. He won the Stanley Cup with the Canadiens in 1971 and 1973. He left the NHL for the WHA in 1974, playing for the Toronto Toros and Birmingham Bulls until his retirement in 1979. He never played for the Los Angeles Kings.

In Their Own Story

The Forum lights hummed overhead, casting long shadows across the ice. The crowd was a restless sea of blue and gold, most of them still learning the rhythms of a hockey season in a city that had only recently discovered the sport. Down on the ice, Mahovlich crouched at the faceoff circle, stick head flat against the white surface, eyes locked on the drop. The referee let the puck fall. He won it clean, flicked it to the left, and was already accelerating before the opposing winger had even lifted his head. Three strides, a quick pivot, and the defenceman was watching his back. The Forum erupted—not a roar, but that particular Inglewood cheer, half-laugh, half-belief, the sound of a fan base that had decided, one shift at a time, that this was their team. Mahovlich skated back to his own blue line, caught his breath, and smiled. Another night, another small victory for a franchise still writing its story.

Reader's Guide

Mahovlich played his entire NHL career for the Toronto Maple Leafs, Detroit Red Wings, and Montreal Canadiens. He never played for the Los Angeles Kings. He played in the WHA for the Toronto Toros and Birmingham Bulls from 1974 to 1979.

Did You Know?

• Mahovlich was a 20-goal scorer in his first NHL season and won the Calder Memorial Trophy as rookie of the year.
• He scored 48 goals in the 1960–61 season, a Leaf record that stood for 21 years.
• Mahovlich was part of a six-player blockbuster trade from the Maple Leafs to the Detroit Red Wings on March 4, 1968.
• He set an all-time post-season goal scoring record in 1971 while with the Montreal Canadiens.
• Mahovlich claimed credit for being the first player to hoist the Stanley Cup above his head after the Leafs' 1962 victory.