Mike Palmateer Michael Scott Palmateer ( born 13 January , 1954 , in Toronto , Ontario ) is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey goalie . He played in the NHL from 1976 to 1984 for the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Washington Capitals . Career . Palmateer was drafted 85th overall by the Leafs in the 1974 NHL Amateur Draft . Palmateer played 356 games in the NHL , posting 149 wins against 138 losses and 52 ties while compiling a 3 . 53 Goals Against Average . Palmateer was the Leafs ' starting goalie from 1976 – 1980 , making him the only Leafs ' goalie between Johnny Bower and Félix Potvin to hold on to the starting job for more than 2 years . In 1980 , while with the Washington Capitals , Palmateer was the player whose hit led to the end of Rick Martin ' s career with the Buffalo Sabres . From early on in his career , Mike Palmateer tended goal from the pee - wees to the Toronto Marlboros . He won the Memorial Cup in 1972 - 73 . The Leafs did finally bring Palmateer into the chain in 1974 . He was promptly dispatched to the minors where he tended goal for the Saginaw Gears of the IHL and the Oklahoma City Blazers of the CHL . It wasn ' t until early in the 1976 - 77 campaign that he was brought to Maple Leaf Gardens for an extended stay . Suddenly , fans , analysts , and the club ' s management were all struck by the little fireball between the Leafs ' pipes . Some described him as a leprechaun in goal pads while others claimed he was brash and overrated and carried a chip on his shoulder . But whether people liked him or not , they couldn ' t help but be entertained by his dynamic exploits in the crease . He could make saves like a vaudeville dancer falling to the ice and then in an instant , be right back on his feet , ready for the next attack . He was colourful , cantankerous , and cocky while playing his daring game close to the edge . From 1977 to 1979 , with Palmateer in goal , the Leafs fortunes began to rise up from the depths of ineptitude . During the playoffs of 1978 , he was a standout as the Leafs ousted the up - and - coming Islanders from the playoffs . But in 1980 , Palmateer engaged in a contract dispute with the Leafs . He wanted a three - year deal while the club would offer only two . As a result , he was traded to the Washington Capitals in exchange for defenceman Robert Picard . In his first season in Washington , Palmateer was slowed by a series of nagging injuries that included a pulled hamstring , ankle ligament damage , and bone chips in his wrist . Year two got even worse as his action - worn knees began to give way . He was put on the shelf to have arthroscopic surgery at a local hospital . He was already dressed in hospital linen , on his way into the operating room when an urgent call came through from the Caps . Their other goalie , Wayne Stephenson , had just gone down with an injury . They needed Palmateer , bad knee and all , for the evening ' s game . So , he was packed back into the ambulance and delivered the rink in time for the game . His surgery was completed several days later . In 1982 , with his legs in decline , Palmateer was sold back to the Leafs where he gave his career one last try . But a plethora of operations on his knee failed to give the backstopper the mobility he needed to be effective . He got to the point where he couldn ' t even cover the right side of the net . As a result , he was forced to hang up his pads at age 30 in 1984 .