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Johnny Bower dead at 93

I'm crying as I type this! Another legend of a hockey player gone from my youth!

Rest in peace Johnny! Thank you for those memorable Stanley Cup championships!

You were a gentleman first and a darned good hockey player second.

My condolences to his family, his friends, and, his teammates.

I'm sure you'll be playing goal now in Heaven!

:'(
 
I remember him wrapping his arms around himself as his number was retired and he felt the love from the crowd.

Garrett Sparks wrote s beautiful little tribute to Johnny on his Twitter and I?m not ashamed to admit I shed a tear while reading it for my wife.

#WinItForJohnny
 
A true class act. Everyone loved Johnny Bower. Incredible post from Garret Sparks.
 
I'm crying.

And I thought I'd settled down and I went and read Garret Sparks tweet.

And now I'm crying again.

RIP Johnny Bower, you were always the top of the class acts.
 
RIP Johnny Bower.  And thank you for being a part of those wonderful Stanley Cup wins.  Even though I was born in '64, it was my (late) brother who told me all about those exciting Leaf days and considered you among his favourite Leaf player.

A true gentleman and legend.  The LeafsNation could not be prouder and in a way, even though we Leaf fans will miss seeing you,  we know that in our hockey hearts, you're always be amongst us.

I'm sure that my brother will love reminiscing with you about those good 'ol hockey days.  Maybe you can turn God into a Leafs fan.

Rest In Peace, dear legend.  Condolences to the family.
 
His obituary in the NYT says as a kid he played with frozen chunks of horse manure shaped into a puck, and used a tree branch for a goal stick.

I'll miss seeing him at the games.
 
Rick Couchman said:
I didn't realize he didn't get in to the NHL until he was 29.
Click to expand...
Yup, played 1 year and was shipped back to the AHL for 4 more years. Finding a home finally at 34 and playing into his 40's is remarkable. I also find it amazing that he had a better GGA in the NHL. Truly one of a kind and we'll never see a path and NHL hall of fame career like that again.

And as a side note. This is in the ex-Leaf category....Johnny Bower was and always will be a Leaf....just sayin.
 
This gave me chills:

31. In Kevin Shea?s book, Toronto Maple Leafs: Diary of a Dynasty 1957-1967, the late Johnny Bower told a great story in the introduction. When the Maple Leafs won their last Stanley Cup in 1967, Bower grabbed two bottles of champagne and took them home, saving them for the next victory. He admitted to drinking one on November 3, 1998, his 50th wedding anniversary to the beautiful Nancy. There was no clarity about the second until the service, when grandson Johnny Bower III told Christine Simpson the bottle is still unopened, awaiting its intended use.
Click to expand...

http://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/31-thoughts-rogers-wanted-nhl-trade-deadline-primetime/

Still can't believe he won't see it, but that bottle is going to open sooner rather than later.
 
CarltonTheBear said:
This gave me chills:

31. In Kevin Shea?s book, Toronto Maple Leafs: Diary of a Dynasty 1957-1967, the late Johnny Bower told a great story in the introduction. When the Maple Leafs won their last Stanley Cup in 1967, Bower grabbed two bottles of champagne and took them home, saving them for the next victory. He admitted to drinking one on November 3, 1998, his 50th wedding anniversary to the beautiful Nancy. There was no clarity about the second until the service, when grandson Johnny Bower III told Christine Simpson the bottle is still unopened, awaiting its intended use.
Click to expand...

http://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/31-thoughts-rogers-wanted-nhl-trade-deadline-primetime/

Still can't believe he won't see it, but that bottle is going to open sooner rather than later.
Click to expand...

What would be moving, if the family agreed to it, is to reserve the bottle until the banner raising ceremony.  Invite all living Leafs captains.  Open the bottle at center ice, pour contents into champagne glasses, and then have the captains lead the crowd in a victory toast to Johnny's memory.
 
Zanzibar Buck-Buck McFate said:
CarltonTheBear said:
This gave me chills:

31. In Kevin Shea?s book, Toronto Maple Leafs: Diary of a Dynasty 1957-1967, the late Johnny Bower told a great story in the introduction. When the Maple Leafs won their last Stanley Cup in 1967, Bower grabbed two bottles of champagne and took them home, saving them for the next victory. He admitted to drinking one on November 3, 1998, his 50th wedding anniversary to the beautiful Nancy. There was no clarity about the second until the service, when grandson Johnny Bower III told Christine Simpson the bottle is still unopened, awaiting its intended use.
Click to expand...

http://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/31-thoughts-rogers-wanted-nhl-trade-deadline-primetime/

Still can't believe he won't see it, but that bottle is going to open sooner rather than later.
Click to expand...

What would be moving, if the family agreed to it, is to reserve the bottle until the banner raising ceremony.  Invite all living Leafs captains.  Open the bottle at center ice, pour contents into champagne glasses, and then have the captains lead the crowd in a victory toast to Johnny's memory.
Click to expand...



Great idea..  To bad the so called politicly correct people out there would never let it happen. wow! drinking on tv, that would be cause for a ban on Hockey hahahahahaha.
 
nutman said:
Zanzibar Buck-Buck McFate said:
CarltonTheBear said:
This gave me chills:

31. In Kevin Shea?s book, Toronto Maple Leafs: Diary of a Dynasty 1957-1967, the late Johnny Bower told a great story in the introduction. When the Maple Leafs won their last Stanley Cup in 1967, Bower grabbed two bottles of champagne and took them home, saving them for the next victory. He admitted to drinking one on November 3, 1998, his 50th wedding anniversary to the beautiful Nancy. There was no clarity about the second until the service, when grandson Johnny Bower III told Christine Simpson the bottle is still unopened, awaiting its intended use.
Click to expand...

http://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/31-thoughts-rogers-wanted-nhl-trade-deadline-primetime/

Still can't believe he won't see it, but that bottle is going to open sooner rather than later.
Click to expand...

What would be moving, if the family agreed to it, is to reserve the bottle until the banner raising ceremony.  Invite all living Leafs captains.  Open the bottle at center ice, pour contents into champagne glasses, and then have the captains lead the crowd in a victory toast to Johnny's memory.
Click to expand...



Great idea..  To bad the so called politicly correct people out there would never let it happen. wow! drinking on tv, that would be cause for a ban on Hockey hahahahahaha.
Click to expand...

I'd swear I've seen people with drinks in the stands at the ACC during Leafs games.
 
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