Oldest living Maple Leaf Ron Hurst has passed away

The Toronto Maple Leafs lost their oldest living former player as it was revealed Ron Hurst had tragically passed away at the age of 95.

On Thursday afternoon, The Toronto Sun's Lance Hornby revealed the sad news that former Maple Leafs forward Ron Hurst had passed away at the age of 95:

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Hurst spent two seasons with the Toronto Maple Leafs from 1955-57 and registered 16 points in 64 games. His best season came in his first year with the team, where he appeared in 50 games, had 12 points, and 62 PIM. After leaving the Maple Leafs, Hurst spent the rest of his career in the AHL with Rochester and Hershey.

Remembering Ron Hurst's time in Toronto

Retiring in 1960, Hurst quietly stepped away from the game, though he never lost his passion or love of the sport. Always ready to regale friends and family with tales from his playing days, Hurst actually had quite the memorable debut.

In his first game with the Maple Leafs, he was unable to duck out of the way of an incoming puck and managed to get cut open, exclaiming that teammate and friend George Armstrong was just a little quicker on the draw:

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.

Despite his short stature, there was an aggressiveness and edge to Hurst's style of play, as New York Rangers head coach Phil Watson revealed the Maple Leafs forward 'kicked the devil out of three of my left wingers,' as Hurst would recall.

Also, just as a way to show how incredible the gap between salaries are from 70 years ago - Hurst was paid $10 per game, and $27 for a back-to-back. Adjusted for 2026 that would be $117.10 per game, or $316.18 for the back-to-back meanwhile the league minimum of $775,000 in 2026 would see players earning over $9,000 per game.

We here at HockeyPatrol would like to offer our sincere condolences to the family, friends, and colleagues of Ron Hurst during this difficult time.

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