Maple Leaf artifacts auction could be fun

Earlier this week I received a note about an upcoming auction that looks like it could be kind of fun for Maple Leaf enthusiasts.  I had assumed most of the old Maple Leaf Gardens stuff had already been sold via various earlier auctions, but apparently some pretty neat items are still available from the golden years of Maple Leaf hockey.

According to the list I saw there are some original (I don't quite understand how "original" Cup banners would be available, but hey, that's what the advertisement said...) Stanley Cup banners and also a number of those wonderful old photos that used to grace the hallways at Maple Leaf Gardens.  (Apparently more information is available—though I couldn’t quite locate it—at Frozen Pond, the popular collectibles store just north of Toronto and located on the web at  http://www.frozenpond.com/xcart/customer/home.php   Some of the pieces are kind of quirky but check it out if you’re interested.)

A side note...in visiting the Frozen Pond site, I noted that they have some autograph signing sessions scheduled with two legendary former Leafs, Johnny Bower and "Senator" Frank Mahovlich over the next while.  The "Big M" (seen at right, in action against the Blackhawks in the early 1960s, sandwiched between "Moose" Vasko and fellow future Hall-of-Famers Pierre Pilote and Glenn Hall) might have been the most under-appreciated star in Leaf history until Phil Kessel arrived. 

I used to spend a fair bit of time as a young man—when I was attending university in Toronto in the early and mid-1970s—standing in those Maple Leaf Garden hallways and just looking at the great old game-action (and "posed") photos of various Leafs.  In those days, the building was pretty much wide-open and security-free.  (I told the story here some time back about the day I walked into the old Maple Leaf executive offices on the second floor at the Gardens.  I wanted to chat with former Leaf star - and at the time still team executive - King Clancy.  I had decided that wanted to work for the Maple Leafs.  I went up the escalator, walked into the offices and within minutes, I was in Clancy’s office, listening to stories like only Clancy could tell them.  Click here for the full story…)

The hallways at the Gardens were treasure trove of memories.  There weren't just pictures of all-time greats, there were shots of lesser-known individuals who had played over the years for the blue and white.  All the images captured what it was to be a Maple Leaf in the ‘40s, ‘50s and ‘60s - and even later than that.

Normally I don’t promote these things but given that we are without NHL hockey and will be for some time, I thought this might be a unique opportunity for those who love Maple Leaf history.  I have so many fond memories about the old Gardens, including the fact that I was, for a brief period of time, a "season-ticket" holder (although probably the one with the least amount of money ever) and also a member of the Hot Stove League, despite the fact that I was a poor university student. Those are warm  memories for me.

In any event, there is a “preview” of the articles that will be available at the old Gardens (now the Mattamy Athletic Center) at Church and Carlton in Toronto.  The exhibit will evidently be on display on October 11 at one o'clock in the afternoon.

The online auction itself begins that same day and runs until November 14.

Let me know if you win anything!