The Beantown Bruins are proud to select our
#3 Center, Darryl Sittler.
Born in 1950 in Kitchener, Ontario, one of eight children in the Sittler family, Darryl first played his way to prominence with the London Knights of the Ontario Hockey Association. Sittler played a determined game and the Leafs made him the eighth pick overall in the 1970 Entry Draft. He saw limited action in his first pro season in 1970-71 and had an unremarkable sophomore year. In 1972-73, he began to establish himself as an offensive star, finishing with 77 points - a total he would better in all but three of his subsequent 12 seasons in the NHL. The Leafs were in a rebuilding phase early in his career and many veterans either retired or were traded. When Dave Keon moved to the World Hockey Association, the 24-year-old Sittler took over the captain's duties, becoming the second-youngest captain in Leafs history after Teeder Kennedy
On February 7, 1976, Sittler set an NHL record that still stands, for most points scored in one game when he recorded ten points (six goals, four assists)
The big night helped Sittler become the first Leaf to reach the 100 mark in scoring in a season, collecting 41 goals and 59 assists. But he wasn't finished. During the playoffs in April against the Philadelphia Flyers, Sittler scored five goals in one game, tying the playoff record. In September, during the Canada Cup in Montreal, Sittler would make headlines again with his scoring ways. This time it wasn't the quantity but the quality and the timeliness that made the impression. In overtime of the second game of the best-of-three finals versus Czechoslovakia, Sittler held onto the puck on a partial breakaway until Czech goalie Vladimir Dzurilla committed himself and an opening presented itself. The goal secured the championship and made Sittler an overnight hero in Canada.
GP G A Pts PIM
1096 484 637 1121 948