Ron Hurst, the oldest living former Maple Leaf, has died at the age of 95.
The news was first revealed Thursday afternoon by The Toronto Sun’s Lance Hornby, marking the loss of a player who spent two seasons in Toronto from 1955-57. Hurst appeared in 64 games for the Maple Leafs and finished with 16 points. His strongest stretch came in his first season with the club, when he skated in 50 games, posted 12 points and piled up 62 PIM.
After his time with Toronto, Hurst played out the rest of his career in the AHL with Rochester and Hershey. He retired in 1960 and stepped away from the game quietly, but he never seemed to lose the affection he had for hockey.
That love came through in the stories he told about his playing days, including a memorable first game with the Maple Leafs. Hurst said he got caught by a puck while sitting on the bench in New York and ended up cut open.
“But my first game, I got hit in the eyebrow by a puck, just sitting on the bench in New York. George Armstrong saw it coming and ducked. He had better reflexes than me.”
Hurst also had a rugged edge to his game despite his size. New York Rangers head coach Phil Watson once said the Maple Leafs forward “kicked the devil out of three of my left wingers,” a line Hurst later repeated with obvious pride.
One detail that also stood out from Hurst’s era: the pay. He was making $10 per game and $27 for a back-to-back, a far cry from today’s NHL money.
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