Former Toronto Maple Leafs forward Ron Ellis has passed away at the age of 79, the team has shared (Twitter link). Ellis spent the entirety of his 16-year career in the NHL with the Maple Leafs, joining as an undrafted free agent in 1964. He is one of just five players to play 1,000 games with the Leafs and ranks seventh on the club’s all-time scoring list, recently being passed up by Auston Matthews.
Ellis is most well known for his role on Toronto’s 1967 Stanley Cup team. At just 22, Ellis tallied 22 goals and 45 points in 67 games, ranking him third on the Leafs in scoring. He slowed down a bit in the postseason, with just three points in 12 games, though he still recorded 36 shots en route to the Cup.
That season was just the beginning of Ellis’ successful career. He’d top the 45-point mark in each of the next nine seasons, including two years reaching the 50-point mark and a career-high 61 points in 1974-75. Ellis and Dave Keon were pillars of the Maple Leafs’ offense throughout the 1970s, offering consistent scoring as Toronto brought in their next generation through the likes of Lanny McDonald, Darryl Sittler, and Borje Salming. Ellis was also a member of the infamous 1972 Summit Series, where Soviet Russia took on a Canadian lineup full of NHL talent. The Canadians would win the series 4-3, with Ellis recording three assists.
Ellis was the runner-up to Roger Crozier’s Calder Trophy win in 1965, following a year where Crozier played 70 games and posted a .913 save percentage. His rookie season was his only time in the race for an award, though he did receive Lady Byng Trophy votes in 1979. Ellis was one of seven members of the 1967-Cup winners to be recognized with the 2024 NHL Alumni Association ’Keith Magnuson Man of the Year’ Award in February.
Ellis is survived by his wife Jan, son RJ, daughter-in-law Renata, and their families. PHR sends our condolences to Ellis’ family, friends, and the entire Maple Leafs fanbase.
Ellis was a good player. Sorry to hear he passed away. I always use him in Hockey Reference Immaculate Grid. Sadly, most don’t know of him anymore.
I remember Ellis well. I was always intrigued by the fact that he missed 2 full years in the middle of his career. But I never knew why. Anyone on here know?
Retired due to burnout but came back. Played in over 1,000 NHL games and has his name etched on the Stanley Cup. Quite a career. Always remember his crewcut back in the 60’s. A Ron Ellis prototype player today would be signing one of the 6-year, $36 million US contracts. He didn’t make that kind of money playing for Harold Ballard.
Thanks for the info.
Just plain old burnout huh?
And then decided to play a few more years? That’s interesting.
It was more than just standard burnout. He suffered from depression and eventually needed hospitalization. His doctors suspected that concussions were a cause.
It must have taken a lot of courage to open up about depression and anxiety in that era. He went on to become a mental health advocate and established foundations for children’s charities and cancer research.
RIP to a good man.
Pretty much. He walked away after the best year he’d ever had, and he was only something like 30 at the time. (Just like today, playing in the glass bowl that is Toronto hockey, especially in an era where the GTO fans were mad that the Leafs weren’t perennial Cup Finalists, wasn’t a lot of fun.)
Classy player, classy guy. And a mark of that was that the legend Ace Bailey, the first player in pro sports history to have his number retired, liked Ellis so much he insisted the Leafs unretire his number to give to Ellis.
Condolences to Mr. Ellis’ family and friends. It’s a shame that doctors couldn’t have been more aggressive in researching concussion damage to players back then.