Posted this in the Nhl thread but some of you might be interested to know and might not have seen
Just found out Johnny Bower passed away last night
A true man's man, dude gave fake ID at 15 years old so he could join the army
After getting out of the army he played in the AHL where he proved himself as one of the best goaltenders in the league
After this he went to the Nhl for one season but didn't make too much noise so he went down to the ahl again for 4 or 5 seasons and was happy staying there until Punch Imlach talked him into coming to Toronto, where he would become a true Maple Leafs Legend and prove himself as one of the greatest goaltenders of all time
He won 4 Stanley cups with the Leafs and 2 Vezina awards (1 shared) and also has his number 1 retired by the team
This isn't just a legend guys, this is a man that changed the way the position was played and in doing so, revolitionized the fucking game
He might not have created the poke check, but he easily became the first to use the move effectively while not leaving himself out of position and remember this is at a time when he played without a fucking mask
He retired at 45 years old due to injuries and became even more of a fan favorite through his charity work and numerous fan meet and greet
Dude was always in a good mood and always more than happy to stop and take a picture with fans or just shake hands
He was in demand for appearances up until he passed at 93 years old, 47 fucking years after he retired
If you can not only stay relevant but stay in demand for nearly 50 years after you retire, you did something right
I'm man enough to admit I'm sheding a couple tears writing this out but he was a truly selfless man and that is something we do not see enough of in this day and age
RIP
The China Wall!
Just found out Johnny Bower passed away last night
A true man's man, dude gave fake ID at 15 years old so he could join the army
After getting out of the army he played in the AHL where he proved himself as one of the best goaltenders in the league
After this he went to the Nhl for one season but didn't make too much noise so he went down to the ahl again for 4 or 5 seasons and was happy staying there until Punch Imlach talked him into coming to Toronto, where he would become a true Maple Leafs Legend and prove himself as one of the greatest goaltenders of all time
He won 4 Stanley cups with the Leafs and 2 Vezina awards (1 shared) and also has his number 1 retired by the team
This isn't just a legend guys, this is a man that changed the way the position was played and in doing so, revolitionized the fucking game
He might not have created the poke check, but he easily became the first to use the move effectively while not leaving himself out of position and remember this is at a time when he played without a fucking mask
He retired at 45 years old due to injuries and became even more of a fan favorite through his charity work and numerous fan meet and greet
Dude was always in a good mood and always more than happy to stop and take a picture with fans or just shake hands
He was in demand for appearances up until he passed at 93 years old, 47 fucking years after he retired
If you can not only stay relevant but stay in demand for nearly 50 years after you retire, you did something right
I'm man enough to admit I'm sheding a couple tears writing this out but he was a truly selfless man and that is something we do not see enough of in this day and age
RIP
The China Wall!
