Bill Barilko
Encyclopedia
William "Bashin' Bill" Barilko (March 25, 1927 – ) was a Canadian
ice hockey
player who played his entire National Hockey League
career for the Toronto Maple Leafs
.
descent and had a brother, Alex, and sister, Anne.
#21 when he debuted for the Leafs. He changed to #19 for the 1948-49 and 1949-50 seasons. The #5 (which was retired by the Leafs) was only worn by Barilko for one season, 1950-51. During that span of five seasons, Barilko and the Toronto Maple Leafs were Stanley Cup
champions on four occasions 1947, 1948, 1949, 1951. The last goal he ever scored (in overtime against the Montreal Canadiens
' Gerry McNeil
in Game 5 of the Stanley Cup final, on April 21, 1951) won the Leafs the Cup.
24 floatplane to Seal River, Quebec, for a weekend fishing trip. On the return trip, the single-engine plane disappeared and its passengers remained missing. Eleven years later, on June 6, 1962, helicopter pilot Ron Boyd discovered the wreckage of the plane about 100 kilometres (62.1 mi) north of Cochrane, Ontario, about 35 miles off course. The cause of the crash was deemed to have been a combination of pilot inexperience, poor weather and overloaded cargo. Notably, the Maple Leafs won the Stanley Cup that year, after not winning it at all during the eleven years that he was missing.
The Tragically Hip
's song "Fifty Mission Cap
", from their 1992 album Fully Completely
, features Barilko's story and the lack of another Leafs championship "until 1962, the year he was discovered."
, 1948
and 1949
NHL All-Star Game
, scoring a goal in the 1949 game.
Barilko won 4 Stanley Cup
s with the Maple Leafs in 1947, 1948, 1949 and 1951.
Barilko's #5 is one of only two numbers 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.
The story of Barilko's 1951 Stanley Cup heroics and his mysterious disappearance were the inspiration for The Tragically Hip
song "Fifty Mission Cap
". The song appeared on the Canadian band's third full-length album Fully Completely
, and is often credited with reintroducing Barilko's story to a younger generation.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
ice hockey
Ice hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
player who played his entire National Hockey League
National Hockey League
The National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States...
career for the Toronto Maple Leafs
Toronto Maple Leafs
The Toronto Maple Leafs are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League...
.
Personal life
Barilko was of UkrainianUkrainians
Ukrainians are an East Slavic ethnic group native to Ukraine, which is the sixth-largest nation in Europe. The Constitution of Ukraine applies the term 'Ukrainians' to all its citizens...
descent and had a brother, Alex, and sister, Anne.
Professional career
In February 1947, Bill Barilko was called up to the Toronto Maple Leafs from the PCHL's Hollywood Wolves and played for Leafs until his death. He was assigned sweaterJersey (clothing)
A jersey is an item of knitted clothing, traditionally in wool or cotton, with sleeves, worn as a pullover, as it does not open at the front, unlike a cardigan. It is usually close-fitting and machine knitted in contrast to a guernsey that is more often hand knit with a thicker yarn...
#21 when he debuted for the Leafs. He changed to #19 for the 1948-49 and 1949-50 seasons. The #5 (which was retired by the Leafs) was only worn by Barilko for one season, 1950-51. During that span of five seasons, Barilko and the Toronto Maple Leafs were Stanley Cup
Stanley Cup
The Stanley Cup is an ice hockey club trophy, awarded annually to the National Hockey League playoffs champion after the conclusion of the Stanley Cup Finals. It has been referred to as The Cup, Lord Stanley's Cup, The Holy Grail, or facetiously as Lord Stanley's Mug...
champions on four occasions 1947, 1948, 1949, 1951. The last goal he ever scored (in overtime against the Montreal Canadiens
Montreal Canadiens
The Montreal Canadiens are a professional ice hockey team based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . The club is officially known as ...
' Gerry McNeil
Gerry McNeil
Gerald George McNeil is a former professional ice hockey goaltender who won two Stanley Cups with the Montreal Canadiens in the 1950s....
in Game 5 of the Stanley Cup final, on April 21, 1951) won the Leafs the Cup.
Disappearance and death
Four months later, on August 26, 1951, Barilko joined his dentist Henry Hudson on a flight aboard Hudson's FairchildFairchild Aircraft Ltd. (Canada)
The Fairchild Aircraft Ltd. of Longueuil, Quebec, Canada was an aircraft manufacturer in the period 1920-1950. It served as a subsidiary of the Fairchild Aircraft company of the United States.-Origin:...
24 floatplane to Seal River, Quebec, for a weekend fishing trip. On the return trip, the single-engine plane disappeared and its passengers remained missing. Eleven years later, on June 6, 1962, helicopter pilot Ron Boyd discovered the wreckage of the plane about 100 kilometres (62.1 mi) north of Cochrane, Ontario, about 35 miles off course. The cause of the crash was deemed to have been a combination of pilot inexperience, poor weather and overloaded cargo. Notably, the Maple Leafs won the Stanley Cup that year, after not winning it at all during the eleven years that he was missing.
The Tragically Hip
The Tragically Hip
The Tragically Hip, often referred to simply as The Hip, is a Canadian rock band from Kingston, Ontario, consisting of Gordon Downie , Paul Langlois , Rob Baker , Gord Sinclair and Johnny Fay . Since their formation in 1983 they have released 12 studio albums, two live albums, and 46 singles...
's song "Fifty Mission Cap
Fifty Mission Cap
"Fifty Mission Cap" is a song by Canadian rock group The Tragically Hip from the band's third full-length album, Fully Completely. The song was released as a single in 1992....
", from their 1992 album Fully Completely
Fully Completely
Fully Completely is the third full-length album by Canadian rock band The Tragically Hip. It reached #1 on the RPM Top 100 albums chart, their second album to do so. The album is listed at #5 on The Top 100 Canadian Albums by Bob Mersereau and #9 on The Top 102 Modern Rock Albums of All Time by...
, features Barilko's story and the lack of another Leafs championship "until 1962, the year he was discovered."
Honours
Barilko played in the 19471st National Hockey League All-Star Game
The First National Hockey League All-Star Game took place at Maple Leaf Gardens, home of the Toronto Maple Leafs, on October 13, 1947. The game saw the Maple Leafs play a team of NHL all-stars. The All-Stars won the game 4–3.-Founding:...
, 1948
2nd National Hockey League All-Star Game
The Second National Hockey League All-Star Game took place at Maple Leaf Gardens, home of the Toronto Maple Leafs, on November 3, 1948. For the second year in a row, the game saw the Maple Leafs play a team of NHL all-stars...
and 1949
3rd National Hockey League All-Star Game
The Third National Hockey League All-Star Game took place at Maple Leaf Gardens, home of the Toronto Maple Leafs, on October 10, 1949. For the third year in a row, the game saw the Maple Leafs play a team of NHL all-stars...
NHL All-Star Game
National Hockey League All-Star Game
The National Hockey League All-Star Game is an exhibition ice hockey game that is traditionally held at the midway point of the regular season of the National Hockey League , with many of the league's star players playing against each other...
, scoring a goal in the 1949 game.
Barilko won 4 Stanley Cup
Stanley Cup
The Stanley Cup is an ice hockey club trophy, awarded annually to the National Hockey League playoffs champion after the conclusion of the Stanley Cup Finals. It has been referred to as The Cup, Lord Stanley's Cup, The Holy Grail, or facetiously as Lord Stanley's Mug...
s with the Maple Leafs in 1947, 1948, 1949 and 1951.
Barilko's #5 is one of only two numbers retired by the Maple Leafs (Ace Bailey
Ace Bailey
Irvine Wallace "Ace" Bailey was an ice hockey player who competed for the Toronto Maple Leafs during eight seasons, from 1926–1933.-Playing career:...
'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.
The story of Barilko's 1951 Stanley Cup heroics and his mysterious disappearance were the inspiration for The Tragically Hip
The Tragically Hip
The Tragically Hip, often referred to simply as The Hip, is a Canadian rock band from Kingston, Ontario, consisting of Gordon Downie , Paul Langlois , Rob Baker , Gord Sinclair and Johnny Fay . Since their formation in 1983 they have released 12 studio albums, two live albums, and 46 singles...
song "Fifty Mission Cap
Fifty Mission Cap
"Fifty Mission Cap" is a song by Canadian rock group The Tragically Hip from the band's third full-length album, Fully Completely. The song was released as a single in 1992....
". The song appeared on the Canadian band's third full-length album Fully Completely
Fully Completely
Fully Completely is the third full-length album by Canadian rock band The Tragically Hip. It reached #1 on the RPM Top 100 albums chart, their second album to do so. The album is listed at #5 on The Top 100 Canadian Albums by Bob Mersereau and #9 on The Top 102 Modern Rock Albums of All Time by...
, and is often credited with reintroducing Barilko's story to a younger generation.
See also
- List of fatalities from aviation accidents
- List of ice hockey nicknames
- List of ice hockey players who died during their playing career
- List of NHL players: B
- List of NHL retired numbers
- List of sports people who have died during their career
- List of Stanley Cup Final overtime series winners
- List of Toronto Maple Leafs award winners
- List of Toronto Maple Leafs players
- List of Ukrainian Canadians
- Sports-related cursesSports-related cursesA sports-related curse is a superstitious belief in the effective action of some power or evil, that is used to explain the failures or misfortunes of specific sports teams, players, or even cities...