Lewicki spent the next three seasons mainly with the Leafs' Pittsburgh Hornets. Smythe was mad at Lewicki for getting married during the 1951 off-season. In Smythe's memoirs, he later regretted demoting a player to the minors for getting married, without naming the player. Lewicki may be the player, but he is not the only player to be demoted for that reason. Lewicki and another Leaf player John McCormack were both demoted following marriages. Despite a 36-goal, 45-assist and 81-point season in Pittsburgh, in 1954, the Maple Leafs sold Lewicki to the New York Rangers. Back in the NHL, Lewicki would respond with the best NHL season of his career, scoring 29 goals and 24 assists in 70 games and was named to the NHL Second All-Star team.