Frank Mahovlich

Verified Timeline

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. He was part of Stanley Cup wins in 1962, 1963, 1964, 1967, 1971, and 1973. He was traded to the Detroit Red Wings in 1968, then to the Montreal Canadiens in 1971. He left the NHL for the WHA in 1974, playing for the Toronto Toros and Birmingham Bulls until retirement in 1979.

In Their Own Story

The trade on March 4, 1968, marked a violent end to his Leafs era. In a six-player blockbuster, Mahovlich was sent to the Detroit Red Wings alongside Pete Stemkowski and Garry Unger for Norm Ullman, Paul Henderson, and Floyd Smith. At the time of the deal, Mahovlich held the franchise record with 296 goals. He joined a Red Wings team featuring his younger brother Peter, stating in a press conference: "Business is business and if I can't please them here, maybe I'll be able to please them there." Mahovlich found immediate success in Detroit, playing on a line with Gordie Howe and Alex Delvecchio, where he set a new personal record of 49 goals. The following year, he was traded again, this time to the Montreal Canadiens for Mickey Redmond, Guy Charron, and Bill Collins, reuniting him with his brother Peter. In Montreal, Mahovlich won Stanley Cups in 1971 and 1973, setting an all-time postseason goal scoring record in 1971 and posting career-highs of 96 points in 1971–72.

Reader's Guide

Mahovlich's career highlights include winning the Calder Memorial Trophy in 1958, being selected to 15 NHL All-Star Games, and being named to the NHL First All-Star Team in 1961, 1963, and 1973. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1981 and Canada's Sports Hall of Fame in 1990. His #27 sweater was retired by the Toronto Maple Leafs on October 15, 2016.

Did You Know?

• Mahovlich set a Leaf record with 48 goals in 1960–61, a record that stood for 21 years.
• He was part of a six-player trade from the Maple Leafs to the Red Wings in 1968.
• Mahovlich claimed to be the first player to hoist the Stanley Cup above his head after the 1962 Cup Final.
• He scored 533 goals in his NHL career, second only to Bobby Hull during that time.