Dave Keon

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Lore & Background

Keon's career was defined by his defensive prowess and gentlemanly conduct. He usually played against the opposing team's top centre, developing a reputation for neutralizing some of the league's best scorers. His leadership extended beyond his on-ice performance; he was named to the second All-Star team in his second NHL year. In the 1967 Cup Final, he shut down Jean Béliveau, the star centreman of the Montreal Canadiens, in the last two games of the series and was voted the most valuable player of the playoffs, winning the Conn Smythe Trophy. His eight points are the fewest ever by a non-goalie Conn Smythe winner, and he remains the only Leaf to have won the trophy named for the former owner of the club. On October 16, 2016, as part of the Toronto Maple Leafs centennial celebrations, Keon was named the greatest player in the team's history. In 2017, he was named one of the 100 Greatest NHL Players in NHL history. In 2018, he was awarded the Order of Sport, marking his induction into Canada's Sports Hall of Fame.

In Their Own Story

The tension surrounding Keon's departure from Toronto began early into the 1974–75 season when owner Harold Ballard publicly blasted him for a lack of leadership. When Keon's contract expired, Ballard made it clear there was no place for him on the Leafs. Although Keon could make his own deal with another NHL team, any club signing him would have been required to provide compensation to the Leafs. Ballard set the price so high that other teams shied away, effectively blocking Keon from going to another NHL team. In August 1975, Keon reluctantly jumped to the World Hockey Association, signing a deal with the Minnesota Fighting Saints reportedly worth $300,000 over two seasons. He chose them for their no-trade clause and because head coach Harry Neale was an old friend. The team folded with 21 games left in the season. Keon refused to waive his no-trade clause since he had planned to return to the NHL, so he was not included in the dispersal sale. A disappointed Keon signed with the WHA's Indianapolis Racers in March 1976 after the New York Islanders could not negotiate a deal for his rights with the Leafs.

Reader's Guide

Keon's journey through the World Hockey Association offers a unique chapter in hockey history. After the Minnesota Fighting Saints folded, he was briefly claimed by the Edmonton Oilers but immediately traded to the New England Whalers, reuniting him with Harry Neale. In the 1977–78 season, he played alongside Gordie Howe, who at age 50 was the team's leading scorer. Keon returned to the NHL in 1979 when the renamed Hartford Whalers joined the league as one of four WHA teams. The merger agreement allowed existing NHL teams to reclaim most WHA players whose rights they held, yet even though Keon was not protected from reclamation by the Whalers in the reclamation draft, the Maple Leafs declined to reclaim their former captain, allowing him to remain in Hartford. Bobby Hull joined the Whalers that season, with Keon, Howe, and Hull sometimes playing as a forward line. Following the retirement of Terry Harper in 1981, Keon became the oldest active player in the NHL. He played two more seasons before announcing his retirement on June 30, 1982, at age 42.

Did You Know?

• Keon scored seven goals in one game on December 20, 1956, while playing for the St. Michael's Buzzers.
• He set an NHL record with eight shorthanded goals in the 1970–71 season, a mark later broken by Marcel Dionne, Wayne Gretzky, and Mario Lemieux.
• Keon was the only Leaf to win the Conn Smythe Trophy named for former owner Conn Smythe.
• He remained with the New England Whalers after the NHL-WHA merger because the Maple Leafs declined to reclaim him in the reclamation draft.
• On October 16, 2016, Keon was officially named the greatest player in Toronto Maple Leafs history during the team's centennial celebrations.