This early Maple Leaf Gardens program cover features Bill Ezinicki. William “Wild Bill” Ezinicki played for the Toronto Maple Leafs from 1944–1950. He was best known as a gritty hard-hitting player. He won three Stanley Cups with the Toronto Maple Leafs in 1947, 1948 and 1949.
In the early days, long before cell phones and social media, hockey fans would arrive at their arena anxious to buy the latest game program giving them the latest info they needed to follow their favourite team. The advent of digital design and sophisticated photography has dramatically transformed the look and feel of the classic game-night program that captured the attention of fans. As early as the 1920’s, portraits and caricatures captured the scope of what fans would find at the rink.