If you remember watching hockey when Bower (born 8 November 1924) and Blinky (born 31 March 1928) dominated the game, keep reading . . .
From the publisher of The China Wall: The Timeless Legend of Johnny Bower:
As a youngster, Johnny Bower's father told him if he worked hard every day and put passion into his profession, it would pay off in the long run. It was good advice, especially the part about the long run. Bower toiled in hockey's minor leagues for more than a decade, waiting for his chance at the big leagues and it wasn't until he was 33, an age when most players are winding down their careers, that he finally debuted in the NHL. Expected to be a stop-gap measure for the Toronto Maple Leafs, Bower instead became an institution in the city, tending goal for the club for the next twelve seasons, backstopping the Leafs to four Stanley Cups, the last one coming when he was 42-years-old. Bower appeared in four NHL All-Star Games, won two Vezina Trophies, and earned enshrinement to the Hockey Hall of Fame. Bower was 45-years-old when he played his last NHL game on 10 December 1969, becoming the first player in NHL history eligible to collect his pension while still on the active roster of a league club. Bower's story is more than just a tale of a man who defied Father Time and rated among the greatest puckstoppers of all time. It's about a boy who grew up in the small northern Saskatchewan town of Prince Albert, listening to Foster Hewitt's call of Hockey Night in Canada on the radio, dreaming that someday he could emulate Frank Brimsek, the famous Boston Bruins goalie nicknamed Mr. Zero.
Blinky (a.k.a. Mr. Hockey) wrote the book's "Introduction"; however, when I had the op to be on top and kiss the cup in person, I noted the NHL decided to use Gordie Howe's real name, the one he tried to use in our most famous game since he really hated the "Blinky" moniker which, of course, meant it was deployed every chance everybody and their aunt got. The coolest thing was seeing Bill Barilko's name on that trophy, I must admit. Chilling. (But, yowzers, Dave Bidini had a lot more hair; and, if IIRC, Paul Quarrington's lost a few pounds since then, too. Only Trent Frayne looks about the same; something about that Prairie air, I think or, mebbe, it's that white sportscoat sans pink carnation.)
p.s. Wayne Johnston snapped this pic; that's why he's not in it; and, Jeff Zee Klein was in New York @ the time
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