Steadiness and longevity were hallmarks of Toronto Maple Leafs forward George Armstrong's storied NHL career.

By the time he finally retired in 1971, the seven-time All-Star played more seasons, more regular season and playoff games and served as captain longer than any player in Maple Leafs history.

Armstrong was captain on four Toronto Stanley Cup championship teams - 1962, 1963, 1964 and 1967 - another Maple Leafs record.

He scored the last goal of the Original Six era, into an empty net, that secured Toronto's 3-1 win against the Montreal Canadiens in the Cup-clinching Game 6 of the 1967 Final.

Born July 6, 1930, in Bowland's Bay, Ontario, to an Irish father and Algonquin mother, Armstrong was one of the first players of aboriginal descent to play in the NHL.

The 1975 Hockey Hall of Fame inductee began his path toward the NHL in 1946-47, playing for Cooper Cliff, Stratford and Toronto junior teams in the Ontario Hockey Association, where he had 146 points (68 goals, 78 assists) in 84 games over three seasons.

He moved up to Toronto's senior team in 1948-49 and had 115 points (64 goals, 51 assists) in 48 games over two seasons.

After brief stints with the Maple Leafs in 1949-50 and 1951-52, the steady two-way forward was put on the Toronto roster to stay the following season. As a measure of his importance to the Maple Leafs, Armstrong was given No. 10, previously worn by Hall of Famers Syl Apps and Joe Primeau.

The 6-foot-1, 184-pound right wing lived up to the weighty number. Over an NHL career that spanned 21 seasons from 1949-71, he had 713 points (296 goals, 417 assists) in 1,188 games, all with the Maple Leafs. He added 60 points (26 goals, 34 assists) in 110 Stanley Cup Playoff games.

Armstrong was Toronto captain for 12 seasons from 1957-69, surpassing the tenures of Hap Day (10 seasons), Ted Kennedy (eight seasons) and Apps (six seasons).

After retiring and changing his mind several times, Armstrong finally hung up his skates at age 40 in 1971. But he wasn't finished with hockey.

He was an assistant general manager, coach and scout for the Maple Leafs and a scout for the Quebec Nordiques in the NHL and WHA from 1978-2015.