Bill Barilko

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William "Bashin' Bill" Barilko (born March 25, 1927 in Timmins, Ontario – died August 26, 1951 near Cochrane, Ontario) was a Canadian hockey player of Ukrainian extraction who played his entire National Hockey League career for the Toronto Maple Leafs.[1][2]

Contents

[edit] NHL Career

In February 1947, Barilko was called up for the Leafs from the Hollywood Wolves and played for the Maple Leafs until his death.[3] His sweater number was 21 when he first donned the blue and white during the 1946-47 and '47-48 seasons.[citation needed] He was promoted to number 19 for the '48-49 and '49-50 seasons.[citation needed] The number 5 (which was retired by the Leafs) was only worn by Barilko for one season, 1950-51.[citation needed] During that span of five seasons, Barilko and the Toronto Maple Leafs were Stanley Cup champions on four occasions.[4] Barilko scored the overtime goal against the Montreal Canadiens' Gerry McNeil in Game 5 of the Stanley Cup final on April 21, 1951 to clinch the Cup for the Maple Leafs.[2]

[edit] Death

Four months later, on August 26, 1951, he joined his dentist, Henry Hudson, on a flight aboard Hudson's Fairchild 24 floatplane to Seal River, Quebec for a fishing trip.[5] On the return trip, the single-engine plane disappeared and its passengers remained missing.[5] On June 7, 1962 a helicopter pilot (Ron Boyd) discovered the wreckage of the plane about 100 kilometres (60 miles) north of Cochrane.[6][7] The cause of the crash was deemed to be combination of pilot inexperience and poor weather.[8] Notably, the Maple Leafs won the Stanley Cup that year, after not winning it at all during the eleven years that he was missing.[6][9][8][6] The Tragically Hip's song "Fifty Mission Cap" (from their 1992 album Fully Completely) features Barilko's tragic story and the absence of the Leafs championship "'til 1962, the year he was discovered."[7][5]

[edit] Honors

He is one of only two players who have had their number retired by the Maple Leafs franchise (Ace Bailey's #6 is the other).[6][5][2]

Barilko's story was published in the 2004 book, Barilko — Without A Trace by Kevin Shea, and the 1988 book Overtime, Overdue: The Bill Barilko Story by John Melady.

He is the focus of the song "50 Mission Cap" by the Canadian band, The Tragically Hip.

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ What are some Canadian stories that have not been told or potentially could be told?. Ukrainian Canadian Foundation of Taras Shevchenko. Retrieved on 2007-08-01.
  2. ^ a b c Toronto Maple Leafs Team Alumni Bios: Bill Barilko. Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment. Retrieved on 2007-08-01.
  3. ^ Maple Leafs History: 1940s. Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment. Retrieved on 2007-08-01.
  4. ^ Maple Leafs History: 1950s. Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment. Retrieved on 2007-08-01.
  5. ^ a b c d "Leafs pay tribute to Barilko", CBC, 2001-05-01. Retrieved on 2007-08-01. 
  6. ^ a b c d "Bashin' Bill", The Sporting News, 1999-06-07. Retrieved on 2007-08-01. 
  7. ^ a b "Millennium Moment: Fifty Mission Cap", University of Western Ontario Gazette, 1999-05-28. Retrieved on 2007-08-01. 
  8. ^ a b "Bashing Bill Barilko is Missing". CBC. Retrieved on 2007-08-01.
  9. ^ Maple Leafs History: 1960s. Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment. Retrieved on 2007-08-01.
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