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One of the temples of hockey, it was home to the Toronto Maple Leafs of the National Hockey League from 1931 � 1999. The Leafs won 11 Stanley Cups from 1932 � 1967 while playing at the Gardens. A Benefit All-Star Game was held at the Gardens in 1934 as a benefit for Leafs forward Ace Bailey, who had suffered a career-ending head injury. The first annual National Hockey League All-Star Game was also held at Maple Leaf Gardens in 1947. It was home to the Toronto Huskies (1946 � 1947) in their single season in the Basketball Association of America (a forerunner of the National Basketball Association), the Toronto Marlboros of the Ontario Hockey League, the Toronto Toros of the World Hockey Association (1974 � 1976), the Toronto Blizzard of the North American Soccer League (1980 � 1982 indoor seasons), the Toronto Shooting Stars of the National Professional Soccer League (1996 � 1997), and the Toronto Rock of the National Lacrosse League (1999 � 2000). The NBA's Buffalo Braves played 16 home games at the Gardens in four seasons from 1971 � 1975. The NBA's Toronto Raptors played six games at the Gardens from 1997 � 99, mostly when SkyDome was unavailable. It was also one of the few venues outside of the United States where Elvis Presley performed in concert (April 2, 1957). In 1972, Maple Leaf Gardens hosted game 2 of the famous Summit Series between Team Canada and the USSR. Team Canada won the game 4 � 1. |