The Toronto Maple Leafs signed former Montreal Canadiens captain Max Pacioretty to a PTO on Wednesday with the expectation he’ll sign a contract.
Pacioretty joins a noticeable list of players who have played for two historic Original Six rivals, the Maple Leafs and Canadiens. A total of 103 skaters and nine goaltenders have played for both squads in NHL history, according to hockey-reference.com.
Related: The Maple Leafs Finished Summer Moves By Adding Pacioretty And Hakanpaa – Or Did They?
Here are five players who stand out the most since 1990.
Tomas Kaberle
Tomas Kaberle played 12 seasons with the Maple Leafs from 1998 to 2011 after being drafted by the organization in the eighth round of the 1996 NHL draft. He posted 83 goals and 437 assists for 520 points in 878 games for the Blue and White.
The Maple Leafs traded Kaberle to the Boston Bruins in the 2010-11 season, and he also played one season for the Carolina Hurricanes before joining the Canadiens. He played 53 games for Montreal between the 2011-12 and 2012-13 seasons before being bought out and heading home to play in Czechia.
Tomas Plekanec
Tomas Plekanec was what most considered a “lifer,” spending parts of 14 seasons with the Canadiens from 2003 to 2018 after being a third-round pick in 2001.
But Montreal traded Plekanec to the Maple Leafs before the 2018 NHL trade deadline. He joined the Toronto organization for a push down the stretch and into the playoffs.
He only appeared in 17 regular-season games and seven playoff games with the Maple Leafs. While he only had two assists before the playoffs, he had two goals and four points in the Leafs’ first-round loss.
After the season ended, he returned to Montreal, played three games in 2018-19 and had his contract terminated to play the next six seasons in Czechia.
Shayne Corson
Known for being a tough guy on the ice, Corson also spent more time with the Canadiens than he did with the Maple Leafs. He actually had two separate stints with Montreal before joining Toronto.
After Montreal drafted Corson in the first round of the 1984 NHL draft, he played seven seasons for them from 1985 to 1992. Corson split the following five seasons between the Edmonton Oilers and St. Louis Blues before playing for the Canadiens again between 1996-97 and 1999-2000.
After that, Corson spent the next three seasons with Toronto during some of their best years in the early 2000s. In total, Corson had 168 goals, 423 points and 1,341 penalty minutes in 662 games for Montreal and 27 goals, 74 points and 358 penalty minutes in 197 matches for the Leafs.
Darcy Tucker
Darcy Tucker grew to be a real fan favorite for the Maple Leafs. If it wasn’t him helping the team offensively, it was him trying to fight the entire Ottawa Senators’ bench. But like Corson, Tucker was also drafted by the Canadiens. He was a sixth-round selection in 1993.
Tucker spent three seasons with Montreal from 1995 to 1998 before being moved to the Tampa Bay Lightning. After a brief stint in Tampa, Tucker joined the Maple Leafs and spent eight seasons with the team from 2000 to 2008.
Tucker had 319 points and 756 penalty minutes in 531 games for the Maple Leafs, compared to 26 points and 167 penalty minutes in 115 contests with the Canadiens.
Doug Gilmour
Gilmour is arguably the most significant player on this list and one of the most beloved Maple Leafs of all-time, even if he only played 393 games for them.
He led the organization to Game 7 of the conference final in the 1993 NHL playoffs, and if they had beaten Wayne Gretzky and the Los Angeles Kings, they would have played the Canadiens in the Stanley Cup final.
That’s as far as the Maple Leafs would get during Gilmour’s initial six seasons with the club from 1992 to 1997. He joined the Canadiens in 2001, and a year-and-a-half later, he was traded back to the Maple Leafs to end his career. But his Stanley Cup win came before playing for either team, when the Hockey Hall of Famer won it all in 1988-89 with the Calgary Flames.
Honorable mentions since 1990: Max Domi, Joel Edmundson, Ron Hainsey, Mikhail Grabovski, Mike Komisarek, Alex Galchenyuk and Ben Scrivens. Pacioretty will join the list when he signs a contract and appears in a regular-season game with the Maple Leafs.
Get the latest news and trending stories right to your inbox by subscribing to The Hockey News newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or by visiting our forum.
Related: NHL’s Top Issues Facing the Montreal Canadiens: Laine’s Impact, Dach’s Health and Long Rebuild
Related: ‘He’s Unbelievable’: Why Anthony Stolarz — Not Joseph Woll — Could Have the Inside Track To Being the Leafs’ No. 1 Goalie
Related: Every Stanley Cup Final Game 7 in NHL History
News Summary:
- Five Standout NHL Skaters Who Played On The Canadiens and Maple Leafs Since 1990
- Check all news and articles from the latest NHL updates.