Toronto Maple Leafs: Diary of a Dynasty, 1957--1967

by Kevin Shea, Paul Patskou, Roly Harris (Contributor)

Toronto Maple Leafs: Diary of a Dynasty, 1957-1967 chronicles those wonderful seasons when the Toronto Maple Leafs skyrocketed from last place in the NHL to become the powerhouse team of the decade. During the 1950s and 60s the Leafs were always a contender and won the Stanley Cup in three consecutive years (1962-1964), along with an improbable Stanley Cup victory over their archrival, the Montreal Canadiens, in 1967 to close out the era of the original six NHL teams.

Of the many books written on the Leafs, this one is unique: Kevin Shea and his writing partners revisit all the important games and moments from each season with astonishing detail based on the broadcasts of Hockey Night in Canada from that decade. There are authentic calls from the broadcast booth, Hot Stove Lounge conversations and detailed descriptions of game-changing goals and late-game heroics that
have been obscured by the passage of time -- and the performance of the weaker teams that have followed.

Along with unearthed, never-before released interviews from dynasty players, such as Johnny Bower, Dave Keon and George Armstrong to name only a few, the authors reconstruct Toronto's dynasty years with professional accuracy, authenticity and care.

This big book will be dear to the heart of every Maple Leaf fan -- a nostalgic journey through hockey history and thus into the history of modern Canada itself.

Genres: Hockey, Sports

418 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 1, 2010

About the author

Windsor-born, music-industry man turned hockey historian, Kevin Shea is the real deal. He has the heart of the game, mind of a librarian and the memory of a goal judge.

From his experience working at the Hockey Hall of Fame to his 100 Grades of Shea series on Substack, he chronicles the sport like a man documenting a living myth.

His books, Barilko: Without a Trace, Lord Stanley: The Man Behind The Cup and The Toronto Maple Leaf Hockey Club: Official Centennial Publication are titles that belong on every shelf beside a puck and a program stub. He reminds us that hockey isn’t just a pastime — it’s an archive of character and country.

Kevin's 22nd book, out in time for Christmas 2025, Barclay Bear and the Forest Rangers Hockey Club, is his second foray into hockey books targeted, but not limited, to children.

Kevin lives in Ajax Ontario with his partner and his cat, Skye.

Reviews

[Ron · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a great book, sad that there are so few ratings! Shea uses contemporary newspaper accounts and more recent interviews to highlight the glory years of the Toronto Maple Leafs. All the highs and lows of that era are fully told.

There are many stories and quotes cited, and one could read the brilliant sportswriting during an era of great newspaper competition. The names Bower, Keon, Armstrong, Kelly and Tim Horton bring images of glory, but there are also features about the lesser known; Orland Kurtenbach, Bert Olmstead, Gerry Ehman, Don Simmons, and so on.

A must read for the old time hockey fan. Too bad that boys don't read sports books anymore, or that they stopped writing good ones (which came first?)

[Umair Sial · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book does a good job of explaining how each Leafs team did what they did each year.
The format is consistent and you can see that there is detail in many of the aspects outlined in the book.

It doesn’t go on about things you wouldn’t care about but highlights specific games and what happened that it was notable.

In terms of their last cup in 1967, there are many other books that go into better detail. However, this book talks about what happened after they won and touches a bit on why they haven’t won the cup again.

*cough*harold ballard*cough

[Curtis]

good