1994–95 Toronto Maple Leafs season


The 1994–95 Toronto Maple Leafs season was Toronto's 78th season in the National Hockey League.
Prior to the 1994–95 season, franchise player and fan favourite Wendel Clark was sent to the Quebec Nordiques in a blockbuster trade. Clark, along with defenceman Sylvain Lefebvre and Toronto's second pick in the 1993 NHL Entry Draft, Landon Wilson, were traded to the Nordiques on June 28, 1994, in exchange for forward Mats Sundin, defenceman Garth Butcher and Quebec's first pick in the 1992 NHL Entry Draft, Todd Warriner. In Clark's absence, the gritty and dependable veteran forward Doug Gilmour was named team captain.
After finishing fourth in 1992–93 and third in 1993–94, the Maple Leafs fell to fifth place in the Western Conference in 1994–95 and, for the first time in three seasons, they allowed more goals than they scored. Throughout the regular season, Toronto never won more than two games in a row, and finished just two games above.500. In addition, no Toronto player recorded a hat trick. To toughen up their lineup, the Leafs signed Warren Rychel from the Los Angeles Kings midway through the regular season, and on April 7, 1995, they traded center Mike Eastwood and a third-round pick in the 1995 NHL Entry Draft to the Winnipeg Jets in exchange for right wing Tie Domi.
Toronto was the only Western Conference team to score at least one goal in all 48 of its regular-season games in 1994–95. The Maple Leafs finished sixth in the league in penalty-killing and allowed the most empty-net goals of any team in the league.

Offseason

NHL draft

Regular season

The Maple Leafs tied the Dallas Stars and the Hartford Whalers for the lowest shooting percentage during the regular season with just 135 goals on 1,520 shots

Season standings

Schedule and results

Player statistics

Regular season

;Scoring
PlayerGPGAPtsPIM+/-PPGSHGGWG
4723244714-5904
4822163834-7802
48102737141221
4410233326-5301
477253264-8312
48131124347112
381282060211
3351217286200
335101526-6301
37551012-21101
36551032-12000
46281075-6100
3927916-8001
4517859-5000
261671011000
3251626-11002
1233600101
1932521102
1905503000
1803310-7000
2203331-4000
121126-6000
2502215-10000
100227-6000
9011311000
801140000
3601122-2000
200050000
300090000
10000-1000
15000132000
100020000
3600040000
1300040000
50000-3000

;Goaltending
PlayerMINGPWLTGAGAASOSASVSV%
214436151371042.91011201016.907
76013661342.680404370.916
Team:290448211981382.85015241386.909

Playoffs

;Scoring
PlayerGPGAPtsPIMPPGSHGGWG
75494201
70666000
732525200
73142101
52242000
62132100
71238000
70336000
72026101
71120000
70220000
71010000
70114000
20112000
70008000
70006000
40000000
40000000
70006000
70000000
30000000
40002000

;Goaltending
PlayerMINGPWLGAGAASOSASVSV%
424734202.831253233.921
Team:424734202.831253233.921

Transactions

The Maple Leafs have been involved in the following transactions during the 1994–95 season.

Trades

Waivers

Free agents

Playoffs

Although the Maple Leafs were the underdogs against the fourth-place Chicago Blackhawks in the opening round of the 1995 Stanley Cup playoffs, they won the first two games of the series at the United Center and went home to Maple Leaf Gardens for game three with two-games-to-none series lead. However, the Blackhawks played determinedly and won Games 3 and 4 in Toronto to regain home-ice advantage in the series. Chicago then won Game 5, 4–2, and looked to clinch the series in Game 6 back in Toronto. The Maple Leafs played a spirited game, going up 4–1 in the third period. The Blackhawks fought back with three consecutive goals to tie the game. At 10:00 of the first overtime period, Randy Wood scored his second goal of the game to give the Maple Leafs a 5–4 win. The victory tied the series at three games apiece and forced game seven back in Chicago. In Game 7, Joe Murphy scored twice and Ed Belfour made 22 saves as Chicago advanced to the second round for the first time in three years with a 5–2 win.

Awards and records