Bill Barilko

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 descent who played his entire National Hockey League career for the Toronto Maple Leafs.cite web |url=http://www.shevchenkofoundation.com/news_02.html|title=What are some Canadian stories that have not been told or potentially could be told?|publisher=Ukrainian Canadian Foundation of Taras Shevchenko|accessdate=2007-08-01] cite web |url=http://mapleleafs.nhl.com/team/app?service=page&page=NHLPage&bcid=tea_alu_bbariko|title=Toronto Maple Leafs Team Alumni Bios: Bill Barilko|publisher=Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment|accessdate=2007-08-01]

NHL career

In February 1947, Barilko was called up to the Maple Leafs from the Hollywood Wolves and played for the big club until his death.cite web |url=http://mapleleafs.nhl.com/team/app/?service=page&page=NHLPage&id=12737|title=Maple Leafs History: 1940s|publisher=Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment|accessdate=2007-08-01] His sweater number was 21 when he first donned the blue and white during the 1946-47 and 1947-48 seasons.Fact|date=August 2007 He was promoted to number 19 for the 1948-49 and 1949-50 seasons.Fact|date=August 2007 The number 5 (which was retired by the Leafs) was only worn by Barilko for one season, 1950-51.Fact|date=August 2007 During that span of five seasons, Barilko and the Toronto Maple Leafs were Stanley Cup champions on four occasions.cite web |url=http://mapleleafs.nhl.com/team/app/?service=page&page=NHLPage&id=12738|title=Maple Leafs History: 1950s|publisher=Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment|accessdate=2007-08-01] 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.

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.cite news|url=http://www.cbc.ca/sports/story/2001/05/01/barilko010501.html|title=Leafs pay tribute to Barilko|publisher=CBC|date=2001-05-01|accessdate=2007-08-01] On the return trip, the single-engine plane disappeared and its passengers remained missing. On June 7, 1962, helicopter pilot Ron Boyd discovered the wreckage of the plane about 100 kilometres (60 miles) north of Cochrane, Ontario.cite news|url=http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1208/is_23_223/ai_54868463|title=Bashin' Bill|publisher=The Sporting News|date=1999-06-07|accessdate=2007-08-01] cite news|url=http://www.gazette.uwo.ca/1999/May/28/Sports3.htm|title=Millennium Moment: Fifty Mission Cap|publisher=University of Western Ontario Gazette|date=1999-05-28|accessdate=2007-08-01] The cause of the crash was deemed to have been a combination of pilot inexperience and poor weather.cite web|url=http://archives.cbc.ca/IDC-1-41-175-988-10/on_this_day/sports/bill_barilko|title="Bashing Bill Barilko is Missing"|publisher=CBC|accessdate=2007-08-01|page="Did you know"] Notably, the Maple Leafs won the Stanley Cup that year, after not winning it at all during the eleven years that he was missing.cite web |url=http://mapleleafs.nhl.com/team/app/?service=page&page=NHLPage&id=12739|title=Maple Leafs History: 1960s|publisher=Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment|accessdate=2007-08-01]
The Tragically Hip's song "Fifty Mission Cap", from their 1992 album "Fully Completely", features Barilko's tragic story and the lack of another Leafs championship " 'til 1962, the year he was discovered."

Honours

Barilko is one of only two players to have had his number retired by the Maple Leafs. (Ace Bailey's #6 is the other.)

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

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

ee also

*List of ice hockey players who died young

References