Gary Leeman

A speedy right-winger with soft hands, Gary Leeman played nearly 700 NHL games for five different clubs. He was best known as a gritty scoring machine on the Toronto Maple Leafs with a 50-goal season to his credit.

The Toronto native attended Notre Dame College in Wilcox, Saskatchewan and was a standout defenceman for two seasons with the WHL's Regina Pats. He was chosen 24th overall by the Toronto Maple Leafs in the 1982 Entry Draft and then returned to junior where he scored 86 points in 63 games. Leeman also represented Canada at the World Junior Championships in 1983 and joined the Maple Leafs for two playoff games that spring. Following the season the gifted youngster was placed on the WHL first all-star team.

Leeman scored 12 points as a rookie in 1983-84 and was loaned by Toronto to Team Canada for the World Junior Championships. By the 1985-86 season, Leeman started to use his speed and shot more effectively. He formed the "Hound Line" with Wendel Clark and Russ Courtnall while helping the Leafs come within a game of the semi-finals.

Beginning in 1986-87, Leeman was a top goal scorer for the club with four-straight 20-goal seasons. In 1988-89, he scored 32 goals and was picked to play in the NHL All-Star Game. In 1989-90, he formed the potent "GEM Line" with Ed Olczyk and Mark Osborne and became the second Toronto player after Rick Vaive to register a 50-goal season. He dropped to 17 goals the next season when his effectiveness was reduced by a shoulder separation.

By the 1991-92 season, Leeman needed a change of scenery and was the key player sent to Calgary in the blockbuster trade that brought Doug Gilmour to Toronto. Leeman never discovered his scoring touch in Calgary, Montreal, Vancouver, or St. Louis in the ensuing years. He spent the 1997-98 season with the Hannover Scorpions of the German League then spent time in Germany and Switzerland before retiring in 1999.