Barilko

It was as though fate singled out Bill Barilko for immortality.A poor boy from Northern Ontario who laboured at skating, Barilko, miraculously found himself playing defence on the hockey team of his dreams—the Toronto Maple Leafs. Through five National Hockey League seasons, Barilko emerged as the toast of Toronto, winning four Stanley Cup championships. On April 21, 1951, playing their rivals, the loathed Montreal Canadiens, Bill Barilko scored the overtime goal, winning the Toronto Maple Leafs their seventh Stanley Cup. It was the last game he ever played.Four months later, preparing to return to Toronto for training camp, Barilko made a fateful decision and planned one final fishing trip to a favoured spot on the east side of James Bay. Neither Barilko nor his friend, pilot Dr. Henry Hudson, were heard from again, prompting a massive aerial search. Eleven years later, the remains of both men were discovered in the remnants of their small aircraft, a few miles outside of Cochrane, Ontario.It wasn’t until Barilko’s body was found, that the Leafs again hoisted the Stanley Cup. They won the Cup that same year—1962.Bill Barilko’s life has been celebrated for more than fifty years. The impeccable shot taken by Nat Turofsky is the most requested photograph in the archives of the Hockey Hall of Fame. The Toronto Star selected Barilko’s Stanley Cup-winning goal as one of the top three sporting moments in Toronto history in December 2003, the National Post called Barilko’s 1950-51 Leaf team the best Toronto hockey team of all time. The Tragically Hip has even celebrated Bill Barilko’s legend in their song, “Fifty Mission Cap.”Barilko: Without a Trace chronicles the extraordinary story of this immensely popular athlete and includes a new chapter on the rediscovered crash site. Teammates Ted Kennedy, Allan Stanley, Gus Mortson and Howie Meeker are among those who share stories of their sporting life with Bill. Childhood friends and his grieving girlfriend explain the Bill we didn’t read about. Those involved in both the search and discovery tell their amazing tales. And the entire story is lovingly woven together through the immaculate memories of Bill’s sister, Anne.

The quarter century comprising the "Original Six" years of the National Hockey League is often fondly discussed by the sport's scholarly fans. However, one surprisingly underappreciated jewel from that era is the 1951 Stanley Cup final series between the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Montreal Canadiens. It provided something never seen before in the history of the NHL and has not been seen since: every one of the five games required a dramatic sudden-death overtime period to determine a winner. This book takes an in-depth look at this exciting conclusion to the 1950-51 NHL season, as well as an examination of the two playoff semifinal series, and a general overview of the goings-on from the 210-game regular season featuring many amusing anecdotes. As an added bonus, a special chapter discusses the short life, baffling disappearance, and untimely death of Toronto defenseman Bill Barilko just four months after he notched the Cup-winning tally in April. Also examined is the recent controversy about who really possesses the historic puck with which Barilko scored his famous goal.

A complete history of the Toronto Maple Leafs, as told by the players, coaches, and reporters. On December 19, 1917, the Toronto Arenas took to the ice for the first NHL game ever played. Over the next hundred years, the franchise changed names twice, home rinks twice, and won 13 Stanley Cups on its way to becoming one of the most successful and storied franchises in NHL history. The Toronto Maple Leafs: The Complete Oral History gives the most comprehensive record of the team from its formation to the present day. With first-hand accounts of some of the biggest names ever to play the game — Syl Apps, Darryl Sittler, Mats Sundin — as well as coaches, managers, and commentators, Eric Zweig gives readers the full insider history of Canada’s most iconic team.

"So, You Be Keon and I'll Be Mahovlich" is a heart-warming story about a little boy's dream to play for the Toronto Maple Leafs. The story cleverly weaves historical fact with fiction as it tells a magical and action-packed tale of the boy's hopes and of the mysterious hockey player who tries to help him overcome his fears and pursue his passion.

Mirrors of Stone delves into the many ethnic cultures that thrived in the mining areas of Northern Ontario from the 1920s to the 1960s. The stormy history of hardrock mining camps has never fit into the comfortable cliches by which Canada tells its story. Angus unearths the dark sides of this history-the wild tales of bootleggers, mobsters, and prostitution rings' and in so doing opens up new ways of seeing Ontario's history and culture. This is Angus' third work on the economic and cultural history of Northern Ontario, and the second collaboration between Angus and Louie Palu. We Lived a Life and Then Some (BTL, 1996) tells the marvelous story of Cobalt, Ontario, and Industrial Cathedrals of the North (BTL, 1999) portrays in images and words the ghostly mining structures now largely abandoned in the north.

For the NHL's 100th season, a fan-friendly, argument starter of a book, compiling the 100 most impactful moments in league history. From ostentatious scoring totals to unstoppable teams destined for championships, the NHL boasts a history of greatness. But as die-hard fans well know, greatness isn't the whole story. In this image-rich, licenced celebration of the NHL's past and present, veteran hockey journalist Scott Morrison mines a century of NHL hockey to find the game's 100 most important moments. From Bobby Orr's 1969-70 trophy haul, to Detroit coach Scotty Bowman's unprecedented icing of five Russians at once on the Red Wings' way to their first of several Stanley Cups, the Stastny brothers' defection, and Roger Neilson reviewing a game on VHS, these moments weren't always the photogenic peaks of athletic glory that graced the morning news, but each of them changed the game.