If you have the Toronto Maple Leafs For a while you have heard the name Johnny Bower. Perhaps you have seen his statue outside the arena of the Maple Leafs or saw his number that hung on the trusses. But if you don’t know much about him, don’t worry – you’re not the only one. His story is not spoken that much these days, but it is one that every hockey fan should know.
Related: Today in Hockey History: July 30
Bower was not just a great keeper. He was one of the most difficult, most determined players ever to hold the pads – and he did it all with grit, humility and a calm kind of greatness.
Bower’s long way to the NHL
Bower was born in the mid -1920s in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan. At the time, the times were difficult and it was not easy to get the NHL. He served in the Canadian army during the Second World War at the age of 15 and was around his age to serve. After the war he returned to hockey and played almost a decade in the American Hockey League (AHL).
Most goalkeepers touch the NHL in the early twenties. Bower only came when he was 29. That would have been the end of the dream for most players, but Bower was not wired that way. He kept holding on, continued to work and never stopped believing that he could make it. In 1953 he finally got a chance at the New York Rangers. The team had a hard time, but Bower noticed. He was not flashy – no wild glove saves or great personality – but he was stable, intelligent and tough as nails.
Bower found his place in Toronto
The turning point in Bower’s career came in 1958, when the Maple Leafs claimed him of distance statements. That is where Bower became a household name. In the following decade, he helped the Maple Leafs in Leiden Up to four Stanley Cup victories – 1962, 1963, 1964 and 1967.
Related: Forgotten Ones from Maple Leafs: Dion Phaneuf
By that time, Bower was already in his late 1930s and early 40s, but you would not have known the way he played. Calm, focused, unwavering. If you came on the ice and saw him in the net, you knew you got nothing easy. Bower was not there on the show boating. His style was simple and efficient: he maintained perfect positioning, responded quickly and showed no panic: only rock-solid goal convening, night after night.
Bower played far beyond his prime (or so people thought)
Bower continued to play until he was 45 the oldest full-time keeper in the NHL history at that time. That is rare even now – and then it was almost unheard of. This was an era in which goalkeepers did not wear masks (at least when Bower started his career) and punished the game. But he has never been withdrawn.
He played 552 games in the regular season and won two Vezina trophies. What kept him going? Pure love for the game. He did not do it for the spotlight or the salary. He just loved competing.
When Bower finally retired in 1970, he did not drove away from sport. He stayed with the Maple Leafs as a coach and ambassador and helped young goalkeepers to learn the vessel. And he was not only respected – he was loved. He had time for everyone. Teammates, fans, rookies, employees – do not matter who you were. He treated people well, told great stories and let everyone around him feel like part of the team.
Bower created an inheritance that lasted
Bower was Complicated in the Hockey Hall of Fame In 1976 and in the AHL Hall of Fame in 2006 as a member of the inaugural class. The Maple Leafs Eerde Bower Eerde by withdrawing his number 1 sweater in 2016 and becoming a member of fellow Maple Leafs -goalkeeper Turk Broda in that rare company. For an organization with as much history as the Maple Leafs, you tell that you have everything you need to know.
Related: Removing the maple leaf from the cup – some personal thoughts
Bower’s legacy, however, extends beyond statistics and banners. He demonstrated what it means to give everything you have, to rise above setbacks and to set a good example. He was the kind of teammate who wants every team in their dressing room.
Why Bower is still important for hockey today
Modern goal convening has important changes in technology, training, equipment and preparation. But what made Bower great still stands. He was tough, innovative, reliable and deeply dedicated to his team and position.
If you are a younger fan and don’t know much about him, take the time to dig into Bower’s story. Because Bower was not only good for his era – he was the kind of keeper who defines what the game is all about. He didn’t have the biggest spotlights. He did not chase newspaper heads. He just showed up, played his heart and each deserved our respect that his way came.
Related: Flames & Maple Leafs Trade History Revisited
That is the kind of legend that is worth remembering – Johnny Bower.
[Note: I’d like to thank Brent Bradford (PhD) for his help co-authoring this post. His profile can be found at www.linkedin.com/in/brent-bradford-phd-3a10022a9]
#Johnny #Bower #goalkeeper #played #heart #guts #mid #40s #hockey #writers #Toronto #Maple #Leafs #Latest #News #Analysis