Leaf of the Day - Oct 14, 2008 - Ken Baumgartner

Editor's Note: A refreshing look back to a Leafs' tough guy that could play the role without turning the stomachs of Leaf fans.

Oct 14, 2008 - Ken Baumgartner (1991-96)

Just a note to our esteemed Mr. Hollweg.  It is possible to play a tough game contributing almost no offense WITHOUT being a complete lunkhead.

Exhibit A - Ken Baumgartner.

Now, I'm sure there must have been an occasion over the years where Ken did something ill-advised.  All players do.  But the fact that I can't think of one despite Ken's accumulation of 520 minutes in the Leaf box speaks volumes about his play, and makes the fact that Hollweg has been suspended twice as a Leaf despite playing a grand total of one game look particularly asinine.

Ken, of course, could drop the gloves and do something with his hands, but that's another story.

1982-83      Swift Current Broncos      SJHL                                                       
1983-84     Prince Albert Raiders     WHL     57     1     6     7     203         4     0     0     0     23
1984-85     Prince Albert Raiders     WHL     60     3     9     12     252         13     1     3     4     89
1984-85     Prince Albert Raiders     M-Cup     4     0     0     0     80                        
1985-86     Prince Albert Raiders     WHL     70     4     23     27     277         20     3     9     12     112
1986-87     EHC Chur     Swiss     36     2     3     5     85                        
1986-87     New Haven Nighthawks     AHL     13     0     3     3     99         6     0     0     0     60
1987-88     Los Angeles Kings     NHL     30     2     3     5     189     +5     5     0     1     1     28
1987-88     New Haven Nighthawks     AHL     48     1     5     6     181                        
1988-89     Los Angeles Kings     NHL     49     1     3     4     288     -9     5     0     0     0     8
1988-89     New Haven Nighthawks     AHL     10     1     3     4     26                        
1989-90     Los Angeles Kings     NHL     12     1     0     1     28     -10                    
1989-90     New York Islanders     NHL     53     0     5     5     194     +6     4     0     0     0     27
1990-91     New York Islanders     NHL     78     1     6     7     282     -14                    
1991-92     New York Islanders     NHL     44     0     1     1     202     -10                    
1991-92     Toronto Maple Leafs     NHL     11     0     0     0     23     +1                    
1992-93     Toronto Maple Leafs     NHL     63     1     0     1     155     -11     7     1     0     1     0
1993-94     Toronto Maple Leafs     NHL     64     4     4     8     185     -6     10     0     0     0     18
1994-95     Toronto Maple Leafs     NHL     2     0     0     0     5     0                    
1995-96     Toronto Maple Leafs     NHL     60     2     3     5     152     -5                    
1995-96     Mighty Ducks of Anaheim     NHL     12     0     1     1     41     0                    
1996-97     Mighty Ducks of Anaheim     NHL     67     0     11     11     182     0     11     0     1     1     11
1997-98     Boston Bruins     NHL     82     0     1     1     199     -14     6     0     0     0     14
1998-99     Boston Bruins     NHL     69     1     3     4     119     -6     3     0     0     0     0
1999-00     Boston Bruins     NHLMGNT                                            
Leaf Totals     200    7    7    14    520    -21    17    1    0    1    18
NHL Totals     696     13     41     54     2244     -73    51     1     2     3     106

- Traded to Los Angeles by Buffalo with Sean McKenna and Larry Playfair for Brian Engblom and Doug Smith, January 30, 1986.
- Traded to NY Islanders by Los Angeles with Hubie McDonough for Mikko Makela, November 29, 1989.
- Traded to Toronto by NY Islanders with Dave McLlwain for Daniel Marois and Claude Loiselle, March 10, 1992.
- Traded to Anaheim by Toronto for Winnipeg's 4th round choice (previously acquired, later traded to Montreal - Montreal selected Kim Staal) in 1996 Entry Draft, March 20, 1996.
- Signed as a free agent by Boston, July 14, 1997.

Ken shows what he can do against Nick Kypreos.  I chose this one because when was the last time you saw a Hartford video?

the HHOF take on Ken:

The Bomber was a brawler with a brain. Known mainly for his pugilistic skills on the ice and in the penalty box, Baumgartner was in fact a man of varied pursuits. During many off-seasons he attended Hofstra University on Long Island, earning a degree in business and finance. In his WHL years, besides hitting helmets and heads, he hit the books, making the leagueÕs all-scholastic team in 1984, the year before his Prince Albert Raiders won the Memorial Cup.

His longtime involvement in the NHL Players Association resulted in his election as its vice-president in 1994. He had plenty of time to work on the collective bargaining agreement in 1994-95 after he badly injured his shoulder two games into the season, wiping out the rest of the year. Though he never went too long without discussing the finer points of finance with penalty-box assistants, Baumgartner did play in 94 games without registering a point, a streak that stretched from November of 1991 to April of 1993.

His entry into the NHL was amazing given that he was drafted a lowly 245th overall by Buffalo in 1985, thus making him one of the lowest selections to play in the league. In a career that spanned 12 seasons and some 696 games, Baumgartner was universally respected in the dressing room and on the ice, an enforcer who was never dirty and who did his job compliantly. Over the course of his five teams, he came closest to the Stanley Cup with the Maple Leafs in 1993 when the team was a win away from an appearance in the finals. Baumgartner retired at the end of the 99-2000 season and became an Assistant Coach with the Bruins before attending Harvard University to continue his studies in business.