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HONOURED PLAYERS<br />
BILL<br />
BARILKO defence<br />
BORN: MARCH 25, 1927 TIMMINS, ONTARIO<br />
DECEASED: AUGUST 26, 1951<br />
BANNER CEREMONY DATE: OCTOBER 17, 1992<br />
Bill Barilko is entrenched in the Toronto Maple Leafs long list of Stanley Cup<br />
playoff heroes. He, more than all of the rest, however, is best remembered for<br />
a singular individual effort that capped a string of four Stanley Cup titles in<br />
five years. His diving, backhand shot eluded Montreal goaltender Gerry McNeil<br />
in overtime and gave the Maple Leafs the Stanley Cup in the fifth game of the<br />
1951 Final series. All of the games during the tightly-contested Stanley Cup Final<br />
required overtime.<br />
The euphoria of the championship would not last long as Barilko was killed at the age of 24 in a plane<br />
crash while on a fishing trip in northern Ontario in the offseason of 1951. In spite of the greatest search in<br />
Canada’s northern history, the crash site was not discovered until 11 years later. Coincidently, the Maple<br />
Leafs won their next Stanley Cup that same year in 1962.<br />
Not known for his offensive prowess and without individual club records to his credit, Barilko was<br />
regarded as a hard-hitting, sturdy defender that was on the verge of stardom at the time of his death.<br />
Former teammate Howie Meeker was on the ice for Barilko’s monumental goal and held him in high<br />
regard. “He was a heck of a hockey player. He would have been a hall of famer. There’s no doubt in my<br />
mind. Every year he got better with the puck and he was a good defenceman–so tough. When he hit you,<br />
everything hurt.”<br />
As a 19-year old, he joined the Maple Leafs from their senior team, the Hollywood Wolves of the Pacific<br />
Coast Hockey League towards the end of the 1946-47 season and he never looked back. A devastating<br />
body-checker, “Bashin’ Bill” helped the team win the Stanley Cup in each of his first three seasons plus<br />
the memorable 1951 showdown on a Saturday evening at Maple Leaf Gardens.<br />
Prior to 2016, the Maple Leafs only historically retired numbers of<br />
distinguished players who died or had their career shortened due<br />
to tragic or catastrophic circumstances while playing for the<br />
team. Bill Barilko and Irvine (Ace) Bailey were the two players<br />
represented in this special category.<br />
ALL STAR GAMES<br />
1947 1948 1949<br />
BASHIN’<br />
BILL<br />
1947 1948 1949<br />
1951<br />
392<br />
REGULAR SEASON<br />
SEASONS CLUB GP G A PTS PIM<br />
1946-51 Maple Leafs 252 26 36 62 456<br />
* Entire NHL career spent with Maple Leafs<br />
PLAYOFFS<br />
GP G A PTS PIM<br />
47 5 7 12 104
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