Leafs use "sledgehammer" strategy to take Game One in 1976

Penguin Pierre Larouche looks for an open puck
to put behind Toronto goalie Wayne Thomas.

With talented scorers such as Pierre Larouche, Jean Pronovost and Rick Kehoe in their lineup, the Penguins had garnered a well-deserved reputation around the NHL as a team that could put the puck in the net and do it with a lot of flair.

In Game One of their 1976 Preliminary Round playoff series against the Pens, the Toronto Maple Leafs tried to counter this firepower by employing a game plan that was "as simple as a sledgehammer," according to Pittsburgh Post writer Dan Donovan in this game report. The strategy involved hitting every Penguin who put his stick on the puck, and it worked perfectly for the Leafs, who came away with a 1-0 series lead.

"We hit them the whole game, and that's how we stopped them," observed Toronto netminder Wayne Thomas, whose spectacular pad save on a Pierre Larouche shot that was headed for a half-empty net lifted his team late in the first period.

Wayne Thomas's game was as sharp as his mask
in Game One against the Pens.

"Pittsburgh usually makes the pretty play," said Leafs centre Darryl Sittler. "So we had to check them closely to take that away from them. If we don't, they have the passers and shooters to blow us out."