Toronto Maple Leafs: Johnny Bower #1 Greatest Leafs Goalie
Johnny Bower is the greatest goalie in the history of the Toronto Maple Leafs.
In the last article in this series, I talked about the second greatest goaltender in Toronto Maple Leafs history, Turk Broda. Today we will look at #1.
#1 Johnny Bower
Bower was initially signed by the New York Rangers. After failing to secure a roster spot with the team, the Leafs drafted him in the 1958 NHL Inter-League Draft. He made his debut with the Leafs during the 1958-59 NHL season.
Bower started his time with the Leafs with a record of 15-17-7. While not amazing, it was enough to help secure the team a spot in the playoffs. He finished the season with a GAA of 2.72 and 3 shutouts. They beat the Boston Bruins 4-3 in the Semi-Finals before losing 4-1 to the Montreal Canadiens in the Stanley Cup Finals.
Trophies/Awards
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Bower won the Vezina Trophy twice in his career. Once in 1960-61 (he was the runner-up for the Hart trophy that season) and once in 1964-65. With the Leafs, Bower won the Stanley Cup four times. He won it three years in a row from 1962-1964 and was apart of the 1967 team – the last team to win the Cup for the Leafs. He was nominated for the Hart trophy three times but never won the award. Overall, despite being in his mid-40s when he started his career with the Leafs, he was an elite goaltender.
Best Season
Bower’s best season was during the 1963-64 season. As a 39-year-old veteran, he led all goaltenders in GAA with 2.11. He had five shutouts as well. With a record of 24-16-11, Bower was able to lead the Leafs to the playoffs. In the postseason, he had a record of 8-6 with a GAA of 2.12. His strong performance led the Leafs to their third straight Stanley Cup championship. While he did not win any individual awards this season, his performance was outstanding and even better when you consider his age.
What Made Bower so Special?
Being an ageless wonder and having no fear is what made Bower so special. His first season in the NHL came when he was 29 years old. He did not join the Leafs until he was 34 years old and played with them until the age of 45. He played over a span of 12 seasons with the Leafs as well. With his lack of fear, Bower would dive across the net using any part of his body to keep the puck from getting into the net. Often referred to as “The China Wall”, getting the puck past Bower was not an easy task.
Overview
Bower had a final record of 219-160-79 in 475 games with the Leafs. He ranks second all-time in games played and wins and ranks third in shutouts with 32. Over his time with the Leafs, he had a GAA of 2.47 ranking seventh. Bower helped the Leafs to six Stanley Cup finals, winning four of them.
He retired from the NHL in 1970 at the age of 45. At the time, he was the oldest player to ever play in the NHL (later passed by Gordie Howe). To this day, Bower is showing his agelessness, at the age of 92 he is still as strong as ever.
Bower was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1976. In 2014, the Leafs added Bower into Legends Row alongside Darryl Sittler and Ted Kennedy. The Leafs also retired Bower’s number (1), never to be worn again by another Leafs player. Bower was named to the 100 Greatest NHL Players of All Time in 2017.
Bower will always be a fan favourite and was an outstanding goaltender. He has earned first place on the “Greatest Goaltenders in Leafs History” list.
*stats from quanthockey.com & hockey-reference.com
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