Toronto Mike'd: The Official Toronto Mike Podcast - Wendel Clark, Stephen Brunt, Steve Paikin and Mark Hebscher Remember Ron Ellis: Toronto Mike'd Podcast Episode 1488

Episode Date: May 14, 2024

In this 1488th episode of Toronto Mike'd, Mike shares memories of Ron Ellis collected from Wendel Clark, Stephen Brunt, Steve Paikin and Mark Hebscher. Toronto Mike'd is proudly brought to you by Great Lakes Brewery, Palma Pasta, Ridley Funeral Home, The Advantaged Investor podcast from Raymond James Canada, The Yes, We Are Open podcast from Moneris, The Toronto Maple Leafs Baseball Team and RecycleMyElectronics.ca. If you would like to support the show, we do have partner opportunities available. Please email Toronto Mike at [e-mail]

Music Keon is there. Keon at his own blue line. Passes to Darrell Sitner. Sitner coming up. He fakes a shot, lets it go, that's wider than that, Jimmy Watson clearing it, the puck is still in, Ellis is in! Yeah! I missed Ron Ellis' entire NHL career. His last season with the Toronto Maple Leafs was 1980-81, just before I discovered the team and became a Devout fan. I didn't have to see Ron Ellis play to appreciate his greatness.

He played 1,034 games for the Toronto Maple Leafs, scoring 332 goals and 308 assists for 640 points, making him one of five Toronto Maple Leafs to appear in more than 1,000 games for the club and placing him fifth on the team's list of goal scorers. He won the Stanley Cup with the Toronto Maple Leafs in 1967 and played for Canada against the Soviet Union in the Summit Series in 1972. I had an opportunity to talk about Ron's legacy with former Leafs captain Wendell Clark, Stephen Brunt, Steve Paikin and Mark Hebbscher at Christie Pitts on Sunday. Here's Wendell Clark and Stephen Brunt. Could we take a moment

gentlemen I think I have the ideal two people on the microphone for this. Wendell, I got Stephen Brunt on the mic. Ron Ellis passed away. Yeah. I got Steve Paken dropping by later in this recording. Ron Ellis's favorite maple leaf of all time. Wendell I'm giving you that honor for me my friend. I miss Ron Ellis's career but would you guys mind saying a word or two about the late great Ron Ellis? Well Ron, one of the first guys I had met and then Ron being with the Hall for when I retired and then when I basically retired from the game Ron was still playing the alumni game so I got to skate with Ron and I think when I started skating so I'd have been mid-30s skating I think Ron was a better skater when I went

on the ice and he was late 50s early 60 60s. Ron, other than being the nicest guy in the world, he was one of the best skaters. And a lot of people don't realize how good a skater Ron Ellis was back in the early days. Wow. Okay. We lost a great one there. Again, Paken later is going to pay some more respect. And as Wendell said, like nicest guy in the world. Man, you're going to hear that over and over again when I about ronnie ells and here's steve paken with mark hebscher

the respect to alleged i know uh... mister steve paken's favorite hockey player of all time was ron ellis is that right true that is you mind talking to the little bit i i'd texted you condolences i thought of you first when i read the news i was sad it you know it's funny how many people have actually texted me or sent me emails over the last couple of days since the news of Ron Ellis's death has become public because I guess, I guess there's some people out there who know that I

love this man. You said it on Toronto Mic. Well, I love this man. I have no embarrassment or hesitation in saying it. I loved Ron Ellis. I met him for the first time when I was 10 years old. Through a long story which we don't need to go into. My brother and I ended up in the leaf dressing room after the game. He was my favorite player. We got a picture taken together. As strange as this sounds, he was my hero and then I got to know him and we actually became friends. And you know

I email him on his birthday every year. We'd see each other once a year at January 8th, correct? 1945 in Lindsay, Ontario, correct same day as Dave Hodge Same day same year. Wow. Yeah, that's a good one Yeah and and and we stayed in touch over the years and we really I kept all his emails and we had a lovely lovely friendship and so I'm I'm thinking of him today, and I'm

I'm very I'm very sad. I tell you it's hit me harder than I thought it would but it was all very sudden Yeah, it was very sudden. Can I interject something here about anything? So my favorite player was Ron Ellis and the reason he was is because when I was eight years old, my aunt, my brother's sister-in-law, my aunt Christine Hepsher, who's passed away, was his teacher, his English teacher at Downsview Secondary School. Wow. And she told me about a young man who at the time was playing for the Marlies, who I loved, and would go every Sunday afternoon to watch Marlies, Neil McNeil, Kitchener Rangers, you know, Hamilton Redwings, I mean, I loved that. At the gardens, two bucks for blue seats, two bucks. Wow. And so Ron Ellis was one of my favorite players

with the Marlies, and now my aunt says to me, oh yes, Ron Ellis, he's in my class. And I was like, whoa, could you get me an autograph? The first autograph I ever got was, well, at first it was Foster Hewitt, but she got me an autograph of Ron Ellis. Wow, beautiful. I loved him, and then when I first met him too,

Steve, and he was so nice a lovely man so nice and same thing here's my number of the anything and just actually any reply for the lease at the time so he gave me his own phone number so like i could call ron ellis to get a clip from a more say ron can i meet you at the gardens tomorrow morning at 10 wonderful michael tell you another, please. 25 years ago or so, our friend Kevin Shea is writing a book about Ron Ellis. It's called Over the Boards. And in the writing of the book, he decides to call me because he knows I'm a big Ron Ellis fan and he gets a wants to get some stories from me. And in the course of talking to Kevin Shea, I mentioned

to him that I'm so upset because my car recently got broken into and my wallet got stolen and I don't care about the credit cards or the money but my Ron Ellis autographed hockey card which I kept in my wallet is now gone and I had that thing for years and years. Well wouldn't you know it Mark, a month later I'm opening the mail at home and I open an envelope and inside is a letter from Ron saying I hear my previous one went missing. Here's a new one for you. Oh my god, that's great.

What a great story. And okay, hang on. I'm gonna... I'm gonna... You guys... Okay, so you guys... Mark, do play by play for this here. Mr. Bacon is going into his pocket here now.

He's getting out his wallet. This is old school. So he's pulling out the wallet and there's the card. There is the Ron Ellis card Wow Wow and from someone who kept an L Rod Hendricks card in his wallet for 15 years from the Age of 14 to 20. I like you guys that is that it's close to your heart It's closer bum too, but it's like you keep that with you. You have your wallet. You've got that Identification that is luck right there always with me thank you for sharing those those memories again my condolences Ron Ellis great mate believe

in a great person it sounds like just sounds like a tremendous person you know he retired you know he retired for a full season two seasons always two seasons 75 76 and 76 77 he retired and he was like 30 years old he he had his depression was so severe Wow that he could not concentrate he was like 30 years old. He he had his depression was so severe That he could not concentrate. He was an excellent player I think he was coming off a 29 goal season and he just couldn't concentrate he and he so he quit He quit for two years for two seasons at his prime, but then he came back he came back He came back for it. Yep. And uh, I think he got three more seasons I think you're right 77 78 78 79 79 80. Yeah, and you know what i'll tell what? I tell you, oh boy, Mike, you got us going here. You got us going.

But I've got to mention this too. Yeah. I wrote two letters to Brendan Shanahan saying that we, you really need to do something nice for Ron Ellis. The guy at the time when I wrote the letters, Ron was the fourth all-time leading goal scorer in Maple Leaf history Austin Matthews had not yet passed him right so he was number four all-time He was number. I think five all-time in games played for the Leafs You know he's up there on the Pantheon yes Number never retired. He was never in legends under appreciated under appreciated. I agree number actually retired though Steve in a ground about way because

he took, I mean, Ace Bailey wanted Ron Ellis to have number six, so right there tells you something about the man. Yes. And then he was the only other player besides Ace Bailey that wore that. Once Ron retired, they re-retired that number. Exactly right, exactly right. But if you look up in the rafters at Scotiabank Arena, it says six for Bailey, not for Ellis, and it should be for both.

I agree. Scotiabank Arena it says six for Bailey not for Ellis and it should be for both. I agree. Ron Ellis was 79. So So You So You