Johnny Bower

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Canadian ice hockey player

title: "Johnny Bower" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["1924-births", "2017-deaths", "canadian-army-personnel-of-world-war-ii", "canadian-army-soldiers", "canadian-expatriate-ice-hockey-players-in-the-united-states", "canadian-ice-hockey-goaltenders", "canadian-people-of-ukrainian-descent", "cleveland-barons-(1937–1973)-players", "deaths-from-pneumonia-in-ontario", "hockey-hall-of-fame-inductees", "ice-hockey-people-from-prince-albert,-saskatchewan", "new-york-rangers-players", "providence-reds-players", "royal-regiment-of-canadian-artillery-personnel", "stanley-cup-champions", "toronto-maple-leafs-players", "vancouver-canucks-(whl)-players", "vezina-trophy-winners", "20th-century-canadian-sportsmen"] description: "Canadian ice hockey player" topic_path: "history" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johnny_Bower" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Canadian ice hockey player ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox ice hockey player"]

FieldValue
imageChex Johnny Bower.JPG
image_size230px
captionBower with the Toronto Maple Leafs in the 1960s
birth_date
birth_placePrince Albert, Saskatchewan, Canada
death_date
death_placeMississauga, Ontario, Canada
height_ft5
height_in11
weight_lb189
positionGoaltender
catchesLeft
played_forNew York Rangers
Toronto Maple Leafs
career_start1945
career_end1969
halloffame1976
{{Infobox military personembed
allegianceCanada
rankGunner
battlesWorld War II
serviceyears1940–1943
branchCanadian Army
unitFirst Canadian Army
II Canadian Corps
::

| image = Chex Johnny Bower.JPG | image_size = 230px | caption = Bower with the Toronto Maple Leafs in the 1960s | birth_date = | birth_place = Prince Albert, Saskatchewan, Canada | death_date = | death_place = Mississauga, Ontario, Canada | height_ft = 5 | height_in = 11 | weight_lb = 189 | position = Goaltender | catches = Left | played_for = New York Rangers Toronto Maple Leafs | career_start = 1945 | career_end = 1969 | halloffame = 1976 | module= | honorific-prefix = | allegiance = Canada | rank = Gunner | battles = World War II | serviceyears = 1940–1943 | branch = Canadian Army | unit =First Canadian Army II Canadian Corps

Playing career

Bower was born John William Kiszkan into a Ukrainian-Canadian family in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan, to Johnny Kiszkan, a labourer born Dmytro Kiszkan, and his wife, Lizzie, née Jacobson. (His father had previously been a homesteader.) He had one brother and seven sisters. He taught himself how to play hockey, using a branch as a stick, and made himself goalie pads out of old mattresses. Around age 10, his parents separated. An uncommon practice at the time, it created a stigma around the family in their town. When he was 15, he lied about his age and enlisted in the Canadian Army during World War II; from 1940 to 1943 he was stationed in England as a gunner with the 2nd Canadian Division. He was discharged due to rheumatoid arthritis in his hands.

Kiszkan returned to Prince Albert in 1944 to play junior hockey there. In 1945, he turned professional in the American Hockey League (AHL), where he spent eleven seasons playing mostly for the Cleveland Barons in the late 1940s and 1950s.

Bower told various stories about his name change, including that "Bower" was his mother's maiden name, or that he was adopted. Biographer Dan Robson was also told that Barons management may have asked him to, to avoid the post-war discrimination against eastern Europeans, while other sources claim that it was because sports writers often misspelled "Kiszkan". His parents' break up may also have been a factor, suggests Robson, as Bower rarely talked about the situation. His surname was legally changed during his first year of professional hockey. Robson's 2018 book, Bower: A Legendary Life, dedicates a chapter to the topic.

In the AHL, he proved himself the star goaltender of the circuit, winning numerous awards and leading his teams to three Calder Cup championships.

Bower made his debut in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the New York Rangers in , at the age of 29. The Rangers made him their starting goaltender over Gump Worsley, who had been rookie of the year the previous season. Bower played in all 70 games that season and recorded 29 wins. The following season Worsley won back the starting job for the Rangers, and Bower returned to the minor leagues. He played there for four more years with three teams, the Providence Reds, the Vancouver Canucks and the Cleveland Barons, and was called up briefly by the Rangers in and .

In the 1958 Inter-League draft he was claimed by the Toronto Maple Leafs, who were an up-and-coming team of young star players at the time. Nonetheless, Bower preferred to stay with the Barons, as he was tired of moving all over the country. Punch Imlach, whom the Maple Leafs had recently hired, visited Bower and convinced him to give the NHL one more try, as he considered him "the most remarkable — and maybe the best — athlete in the world."

Bower won his first Vezina Trophy in 1961 for allowing the fewest goals in the 1960–61 season. The height of his NHL career came during the Maple Leafs' three consecutive Stanley Cup victories from 1962 to 1964. He later said, "When we won the Stanley Cup, my head went numb, my whole body went numb. That was my dream from Day One. You just can't explain the feelings inside you." ::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/87/Johnny_Bower_in_goal.jpg" caption="Johnny Bower in goal for the [[Toronto Maple Leafs"] ::

Bower's career was hampered by poor eyesight, but he remained a top-tier goaltender. He was known for his hard-nosed, scrappy playing style and helped the Leafs win another Stanley Cup in 1967, as part of a tandem with another Hall of Famer, Terry Sawchuk. He said, "I wasn't all that glad to see the two-goalie system come in. I wanted to play as many games as I could." Bower and Sawchuk shared the Vezina Trophy in .

On April 6, 1969, at the age of 44 years, 4 months, and 29 days, Bower became the oldest goaltender to play in a Stanley Cup playoff game, a distinction previously held by Lester Patrick. He played his last game on December 10, 1969, a 6–3 loss to Montreal;Canadiens’ rally beats Toronto 6-3 The Montreal Gazette - Dec. 11, 1969, page 11. Retrieved 2010-08-16 mainly due to injuries, this was his only game of the 1969–70 season. At the time, he was the oldest full-time player to participate in an NHL game, and remains the second-oldest goaltender (45 years, 1 month, 2 days), behind only Maurice Roberts; he was surpassed as oldest full-time player by Gordie Howe, Chris Chelios, and Jaromír Jágr.

On March 19, 1970, Bower publicly announced his retirement, four months after his 45th birthday. He played eleven full seasons with the Leafs. When asked if he might reveal his true age, he replied "If you don't know by now, you never will". Bower eventually revealed his birth date as November 8, 1924.Johnny Bower: A Goalie For All Ages, February 16, 2009

He remains the AHL career leader in wins with 359.

Post-retirement and death

Bower worked for the Maple Leafs after his retirement in various capacities, including as a scout and a goalie coach. He was assistant coach for the Leafs from 1976 to 1978. He retired in 1990 but continued to make public appearances on behalf of the organization for the rest of his life. ::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d3/Hockey_Hall_of_Fame_exhibit_Bower.jpg" caption="An exhibit for Bower at the [[Hockey Hall of Fame]]. Bower was inducted into the Hall in 1976."] ::

Bower was elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1976, and to the AHL Hall of Fame as a member of its inaugural class in 2006. In 1998, he was ranked number 87 on ''The Hockey News''' list of the 100 Greatest NHL Players. He was inducted into the Etobicoke Sports Hall of Fame in 1994, and into the Ontario Sports Hall of Fame in 1999. He was married to Nancy and had a son, two daughters, eight grandchildren and six great-grandchildren, and resided in Mississauga, Ontario. After a city park near his house was renamed in his honour, he would routinely clean litter there, and feed the birds.

In January 2004, Bower was featured on a postage stamp. As part of the NHL All-Stars Collection, he was immortalized along with five other All-Stars. In 2005, the Royal Canadian Mint featured Bower on a non-circulating fifty-cent coin, as part of its four-coin Legends of the Toronto Maple Leafs coin set. In 2007, it was announced that Bower would receive a star on Canada's Walk of Fame.

On October 7, 2010, Bower opened the first game of the regular season for the Toronto Maple Leafs at Air Canada Centre by walking out on an implied "bridge over water" with his goalie stick. ::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/16/Johnnybower_2013_photo_attribute_Scott_Alexander.jpg" caption="Bower attends an [[autograph]] signing in Surrey, B.C. in 2013"] ::

On May 24, 2014, Bower attended a street renaming ceremony in Weston in Toronto. Patika Avenue, where he lived during the 1960s, was renamed Johnny Bower Boulevard. He said, "It’s a great day for me and my family...this is a better ovation than I used to get at Maple Leaf Gardens."

On September 6, 2014, the Maple Leafs named him and Darryl Sittler two of the first three inductees of Legends Row (Ted Kennedy had been inducted some months earlier), with statues outside Air Canada Centre of twelve of the greatest players in Maple Leafs history.

On December 26, 2017, Bower died at the age of 93 from pneumonia. In the days following Bower's death, many teams, including the Maple Leafs, Winnipeg Jets, Arizona Coyotes and Toronto Raptors of the National Basketball Association honoured Bower with pre-game tributes.

  • On January 3, the Maple Leafs hosted a public celebration of Bower's life at the Air Canada Centre. The event was attended by thousands, including various NHL alumni, members of the current Maple Leafs team, members of the Canadian Armed Forces and other major figures. The memorial was televised across several channels in Canada, and in accordance with the event, Toronto Mayor John Tory declared January 3 to be Johnny Bower Day in the city of Toronto. For the remainder of the season, the Maple Leafs wore patches on their jerseys and helmets in honour of Bower.

Legacy

Bower was the first goaltender to employ the poke check, an aggressive move whereby the goalie uses his stick to poke the puck away from an attacking player, sometimes leaving his crease to do so. This move has since been imitated by goaltenders at all levels of hockey.

Awards and honours

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4c/Johnny_Bower_star_on_Walk_of_Fame.jpg" caption="Bower's star on [[Canada's Walk of Fame]]."] ::

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

::data[format=table]

Regular seasonPlayoffsSeasonTeamLeagueGPWLTMINGASOGAASV%GPWLMINGASOGAASV%AHL totals5923591745735,7991684452.82—553124346515842.74—NHL totals5522501959032,0161340372.51.922743534437818052.47.922
1944–45Prince Albert Black HawksSJHL105416302702.57—————————
1944–45Laura BeaversSIHA—————————10060303.00—
1944–45Prince Albert Black HawksM-Cup—————————3031802307.67—
1945–46Cleveland BaronsAHL4118176246016043.90—————————
1945–46Providence RedsAHL101048405.00—————————
1946–47Cleveland BaronsAHL4022117240012433.10—————————
1947–48Cleveland BaronsAHL31186618808312.65—————————
1948–49Cleveland BaronsAHL372395220012733.43—5233292304.19—
1949–50Cleveland BaronsAHL6138158366020153.30—9455482702.96—
1950–51Cleveland BaronsAHL7044215428021352.99—11837033202.73—
1951–52Cleveland BaronsAHL6844195411016532.41—5233001703.40—
1952–53Cleveland BaronsAHL6140192368015562.53—11747452141.69—
1953–54New York RangersNHL70293110420018252.60—————————
1954–55Vancouver CanucksWHL6330258378017172.71—5143001603.20—
1954–55New York RangersNHL52213001302.60—————————
1955–56Providence RedsAHL6145142371017432.81—9725402302.56—
1956–57New York RangersNHL2020120603.50.882————————
1956–57Providence RedsAHL5730198350113842.37—5143001503.00—
1957–58Cleveland BaronsAHL6437233387014082.17—————————
1958–59Toronto Maple LeafsNHL3915177234010632.74.91312577463803.06.906
1959–60Toronto Maple LeafsNHL6634248396017752.68.91810466453102.88.916
1960–61Toronto Maple LeafsNHL58331510348014522.50.922303180802.67.911
1961–62Toronto Maple LeafsNHL59311810354015122.58.91810635792002.07.927
1962–63Toronto Maple LeafsNHL4220157252010912.62.91310826001621.60.949
1963–64Toronto Maple LeafsNHL51241611300910652.11.93314868503022.12.930
1964–65Toronto Maple LeafsNHL341313820408132.38.9245233211302.43.916
1965–66Toronto Maple LeafsNHL351810519987532.25.929202120804.00.893
1966–67Toronto Maple LeafsNHL27129314316322.64.924420183511.64.957
1967–68Toronto Maple LeafsNHL431418723298442.25.934————————
1968–69Toronto Maple LeafsNHL205437793722.85.9104021541104.29.888
1969–70Toronto Maple LeafsNHL101060505.00.868————————
::

References

References

  1. (21 January 2012). "Johnny Bower: A Goalie For All Ages". Greastest Hockey Legends.
  2. Woolsey, Garth. (2008-12-14). "Winter reading for the hockey fan". Toronto Star.
  3. (January 1, 2017). "100 Greatest NHL Players". National Hockey League.
  4. NHL. (2017-03-22). "Johnny Bower led Leafs to four Stanley Cup titles".
  5. "CHUM Hit Parade - December 27, 1965".
  6. (26 December 2017). "Maple Leafs legend Johnny Bower dead at age 93". London Free Press.
  7. "The Most Beloved Maple Leaf Ever", Toronto: TVO, ''The Agenda'', 16 December 2019.
  8. (27 December 2017). "Hall of Famer Johnny Bower had massive smile, heart and dedication". Toronto Sun.
  9. [http://www.ukrweekly.com/old/archive/2004/050421.shtml FOCUS ON PHILATELY] {{Webarchive. link. (2013-11-03 , [[The Ukrainian Weekly]] (February 1, 2004))
  10. (27 December 2013). "Greatest Maple Leafs: No. 5 Johnny Bower". Sportsnet.
  11. "Canada Post - Press Releases - Ice dreams : Fifth set of hockey All-Stars to be honoured with stamps Johnny Bower, Brad Park, Larry Robinson, Marcel Dionne, Ted Lindsay and Milt Schmidt selected for Canada Post's All-Star list for 2004".
  12. (2018). "Bower: A Legendary Life". HarperCollins Publishers Ltd.
  13. (December 26, 2017). "Johnny Bower passes at 93, leaves behind generational legacy". InGoal.
  14. Kreiser, John. (December 31, 2017). "Bower, Ilitch among deaths in hockey world in 2017". National Hockey League.
  15. [http://www.hockeygoalies.org/bio/bower.html Johnny Bower (1953-70)]
  16. (26 December 2017). "Leafs legend Johnny Bower dies at 93". John Boynton.
  17. "Via Rail Stanley Cup Dynasties". Hockey Hall of Fame.
  18. "The Original Six Goalies ...And Their Masks - Part 2 - Toronto Maple Leafs".
  19. [https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=Fr8DH2VBP9sC&dat=19690407&printsec=frontpage Punch fired as Leafs Ousted] The Montreal Gazette - April 7, 1969, page 21. Retrieved 2010-08-16
  20. "Sportsnet Top 10: Oldest NHLers of all-time".
  21. "Dwayne Roloson - at 45 years of age - makes a surprise return to an NHL team". The Hockey News.
  22. "Legends of Hockey: Johnny Bower (biography)".
  23. (December 27, 2017). "31 Thoughts: Is Letang's situation too complex for an in-season deal?". Sportsnet.
  24. "Hockey Reference: Johnny Bower".
  25. "AHL Hall of Fame: Goaltending Wins".
  26. (9 Dec 2014). "Maple Leafs legend Johnny Bower endures as ambassador, icon". John Boynton.
  27. "Johnny Bower". [[Ontario Sports Hall of Fame]].
  28. Canada's Stamp Details, January to March 2004, Volume XIII, No. 1
  29. The Charlton Standard Catalogue of Canadian Coins, 61st Edition, p.209, W.K. Cross, Editor, 2007, The Charlton Press, Toronto, Ontario, {{ISBN. 0-88968-315-8
  30. (7 Oct 2010). "Hockey Night in Canada: Toronto Maple Leafs Home Opener--Oct 7, 2010". CBC Sports.
  31. (May 4, 2014). "Legendary Leaf Johnny Bower scores hometown welcome". Toronto Star.
  32. (May 24, 2014). "Toronto road named after legendary Leaf Johnny Bower". Toronto Sun.
  33. (6 September 2014). "Maple Leafs Legends Row starts with Ted Kennedy, Darryl Sittler, Johnny Bower".
  34. Cleveland, Amy. (2017-12-26). "Maple Leafs legend Johnny Bower dead at 93".
  35. (January 3, 2018). "Johnny Bower tribute at ACC brings out hockey royalty". Toronto Star.
  36. Warmington, Joe. (January 3, 2018). "Celebration of life at ACC will be a fitting tribute for Maple Leafs great Johnny Bower". Postmedia Network.
  37. (January 3, 2018). "Memorial service being held in Toronto for hockey legend Johnny Bower". Corus Entertainment.
  38. (December 28, 2017). "Maple Leafs to honour Bower with celebration of life, uniform patches". Rogers Communications.
  39. "NHL.com: Bower dies at age 93". National Hockey League.
  40. "The Aggressive Poke Check".
  41. "Has the Poke Check become a thing of the past?".
  42. "Harry Hap Holmes Memorial Award".
  43. "Johnny Bower Stats and News". National Hockey League.
  44. "1961 NHL All-Star Game Rosters".
  45. "Les Cunningham Award".
  46. "Calder Cup Champions: The Players".
  47. "The Top 100 NHL players of all-time, throwback style".
  48. "Bower, Johnny -- Honoured Player".
  49. "Johnny Bower - AHL Hall of Fame".
  50. "Johnny Bower".
  51. (31 May 2016). "Lake Erie Monsters add to Cleveland's rich hockey history in AHL Calder Cup 2016".
  52. (15 October 2016). "Toronto Maple Leafs retire the numbers of 17 players". National Hockey League.

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1924-births2017-deathscanadian-army-personnel-of-world-war-iicanadian-army-soldierscanadian-expatriate-ice-hockey-players-in-the-united-statescanadian-ice-hockey-goaltenderscanadian-people-of-ukrainian-descentcleveland-barons-(1937–1973)-playersdeaths-from-pneumonia-in-ontariohockey-hall-of-fame-inducteesice-hockey-people-from-prince-albert,-saskatchewannew-york-rangers-playersprovidence-reds-playersroyal-regiment-of-canadian-artillery-personnelstanley-cup-championstoronto-maple-leafs-playersvancouver-canucks-(whl)-playersvezina-trophy-winners20th-century-canadian-sportsmen