Brian Glennie, a defenseman who played 554 of his 572 NHL games for the Toronto Maple Leafs from 1969-78, has died at age 73.

Tweet from @MapleLeafs: The Maple Leafs are deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Brian Glennie. Glennie was named one of the 100 Greatest Maple Leafs of all time and played over 500 games on the blue line in Toronto. Our thoughts are with his family during this difficult time. pic.twitter.com/9ze3Lt1uO1

Glennie, born in Toronto on Aug. 29, 1946, helped the Toronto of the Ontario Hockey Association win the Memorial Cup in 1967. He was a member of the Maple Leafs two years later.

Though Glennie never finished with more than four goals or 22 points in a season, he was known as one of the NHL's best hip checkers, and he provided a physical presence that enabled offensive-minded defensemen such as Borje Salming to pile up points.

The Maple Leafs traded Glennie to the Los Angeles Kings on June 14, 1978, and he played 18 games with Los Angeles before retiring with 114 points (14 goals, 100 assists) and 621 penalty minutes. He had one assist in 32 Stanley Cup Playoff games, all with Toronto. He was named one of the 100 greatest players in Maple Leafs history in October 2016 during the team's centennial anniversary.

Glennie won a bronze medal with Canada at the 1968 Grenoble Olympics, and he was inducted into Canada's Sports Hall of Fame in 2005.