The last goalie to win the Stanley Cup with the Maple Leafs has passed away at the age of 93.
A four-time Cup Champ, 2 time Vezina winner, hockey hall of famer, named one of the 100 greatest NHL players last year. He played until he was 45 years-old, and I believe never wore a mask.
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Turn up the good, turn down the suck!
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I met Johnny as a kid. I wish I had appreciated more.
One thing that always comes to mind when I hear his name is Brent Butt talking about him stretching out to make another "face save". It's funny and also so emblematic of the competitive spirit he had. People talk about blocking shots as a tough act nowadays. Imagine playing in net without a mask.
Legend.
Last edited by P-DAZZLE; 12-26-2017 at 07:36 PM.
Reason: Pic wasn't Bower. Feels disrespectful.
Just as an aside, that Terry Sawchuk photo was for Life Magazine. The scars were achieved by use of makeup artist to recreate the sum total of his injuries over his career.
The pic pops up every once in a while and is erroneously represented. No doubt though, that maskless goaltenders of that era had some gruesome facial injures.
Last edited by Reggie Dunlop; 12-26-2017 at 07:51 PM.
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I met Johnny as a kid. I wish I had appreciated more.
One thing that always comes to mind when I hear his name is Brent Butt talking about him stretching out to make another "face save". It's funny and also so emblematic of the competitive spirit he had. People talk about blocking shots as a tough act nowadays. Imagine playing in net without a mask.
Just as an aside, that Terry Sawchuk photo was for Life Magazine. The scars where achieved by use of makeup artist to recreate the sum total of his injuries over his career.
The pic pops up every once in a while and is erroneously represented. No doubt though, that maskless goaltenders of that era had some gruesome facial injures.
Thanks for this. I had no idea. I guess the point stands regarding the toll it took to be a goalie back then. Happy to be corrected on both who it is and the nature of the picture.
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1) Lied about his age to get into the war at age 15
2) Was discharged from the army (1943) because he couldn't hold his rifle over his head (arthritis)
3) Toiled in the minor leagues for 14 seasons before being claimed by the Toronto Maple Leafs in the 1958 Inter-League Draft.
4) Was small (5'9)
5) Had bad eye-sight
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On the day the world said goodbye to her husband, Elise Beliveau paid Johnny Bower the ultimate tribute.
On Dec. 10, 2014, mourners battled through driving snow and ice pellets of a nasty blizzard to attend the funeral of Jean Beliveau at the majestic Mary Queen of the World Cathedral in downtown Montreal.
Beliveau, 83, had died eight days earlier. With sporting legends and political icons having congregated to pay their respects, Beliveau's coffin, draped in a Montreal Canadiens logo, entered the cathedral with Serge Savard, Guy Lafleur, Yvan Cournoyer, Phil Goyette, Bobby Rousseau and Jean-Guy Talbot.
Those six men were Beliveau's former teammates with the Canadiens. All wore red boutonnieres on their lapels signifying their roles as pallbearers.
At the request of Elise Beliveau, Jean's widow, one other person in the cathedral was given a red boutonniere to wear instead of the white ones everybody else had.
It went to Johnny Bower, the former Toronto Maple Leafs goalie who spent a chunk of his career trying to beat Beliveau and the Habs.
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Location: A simple man leading a complicated life....
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Not everyone knows it, but Johnny Bower fancied himself as quite the singer. In his most famous recording, Johnny teamed up with his own son John and some other children, known as the Rinky Dinks, to release Honky The Christmas Goose (click on link to listen to the entire song). They also sang "Banjo the mule," but to no great success
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Few years ago, I saw Johnny Bower bend down to pick up a golf ball while in a moving golf cart. To our horror, he fell out, went into a summersault, and popped right back up. He was in his 80’s. Greatest thing I ever saw. #onetweetaday2017
RIP Johnny Bower
