In 1951, Toronto Maple Leaf player, 24 year old Bill Barilko scored the game winning goal in overtime during the last game of the Stanley Cup Finals. He flung himself across the ice, tucking a quick backhand over the shoulder of the Montreal goalie, giving the Leafs their fourth Stanley Cup win in five years.
A few months later, Barilko disappeared, taking the Leafs winning streak with him. The Leafs would not win another cup until 1962, within weeks of Barilko’s return home.
His story is immortalized in song, 50 Mission Cap, by The Tragically Hip.
Additional reading:
Londoner played with Barilko
Leafs legend comes to life in sister’s scrapbooks
Kevin Shea’s book Barilko: without a trace
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