.jpg) Barilko in 1945 | |||
| Born | (1927-03-25)March 25, 1927 | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Died | c. August 26, 1951(1951-08-26) (aged 24) UnorganizedCochrane District,Ontario, Canada | ||
| Height | 5 ft 11 in (180 cm) | ||
| Weight | 180 lb (82 kg; 12 st 12 lb) | ||
| Position | Defence | ||
| Shot | Right | ||
| Played for | Hollywood Wolves (PCHL) Toronto Maple Leafs | ||
| Playing career | 1945–1951 | ||
William "Bashin' Bill" Barilko (March 25, 1927 –c. August 26, 1951) was aCanadianice hockey player who played his entireNational Hockey League career for theToronto Maple Leafs.[1][2] Over five seasons, Barilko won theStanley Cup four times in1947,1948,1949, and1951. Barilko died in August 1951 in afloatplane crash during a fishing trip to Quebec. Barilko's #5 was retired by the Leafs. He was the subject of the 1993 single "Fifty Mission Cap" byThe Tragically Hip.
Barilko was ofUkrainian descent and had a brother, Alex, and sister, Anne.[3] He was engaged to Louise Hastings.[4]
In February 1947, Bill Barilko was called up to the Toronto Maple Leafs from thePCHL's Hollywood Wolves and played for Toronto until his death.[5] He was assignedsweater #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 worn by Barilko for only one season, 1950–51. During that span of five seasons, Barilko and the Toronto Maple Leafs wereStanley Cup champions on four occasions:1947,1948,1949, and1951.[6] The last goal ever scored by Barilko was in overtime against the Montreal Canadiens' netminderGerry McNeil. The goal was the overtime series-winning goal in Game 5 of the1951 Stanley Cup Finals (April 21, 1951).
On August 26, 1951, Barilko joined hisdentist, Henry Hudson, on a flight aboard Hudson'sFairchild 24 floatplane toRupert House in northern Quebec for a weekend fishing trip.[7][8] On the return trip toPorcupine Lake, the single-engine plane disappeared and its passengers remained missing.[7][9] Eleven years later, in June 1962, helicopter pilot Gary Fields discovered the wreckage of the plane[10] about 100 kilometres (62 mi) north ofCochrane, Ontario,[11][12] about 56 kilometres (35 miles) off course. The cause of the crash was deemed to have been a combination of pilot inexperience, poor weather, and overloaded cargo.[13][11][14]
Barilko is buried inTimmins, Ontario, Canada, at the Timmins Memorial Cemetery.
The 1993 song "Fifty Mission Cap" byThe Tragically Hip is about Barilko's death and the Leafs' subsequent Stanley Cup drought.[7][12] The song has been credited as singlehandedly reviving Barilko's fame after he had lapsed into semi-obscurity;[15] the song remains a staple part of the Leafs' warm-up playlist at every home game, and the Leafs have a framed, handwritten copy ofGord Downie's lyrics to the song in their private players' lounge.[16] Whenever the band played theAir Canada Centre, Barilko's retired-number banner was always left in place during the concert,[15] and when Downie died on October 17, 2017, the team incorporated Barilko's banner into its Downie tribute.[17]
Barilko played in the1947,1948 and1949NHL All-Star Game, scoring a goal in the 1949 game.
Barilko won fourStanley Cups with the Maple Leafs in 1947, 1948, 1949, and 1951.
Until October 15, 2016, Barilko's #5 was one of only two numbers retired by the Maple Leafs (Ace Bailey's #6 was the other).[2][7][11]
Barilko's story was published in the 1988 bookOvertime, Overdue: The Bill Barilko Story, by John Melady, and the 2004 bookBarilko — Without A Trace, by Kevin Shea.
In 2017,TSN aired the short documentary filmThe Mission, profiling a project to recover the remaining wreckage of Barilko's plane; the film took its title from "Fifty Mission Cap", and it thematically touched on the song's role in Barilko's story.[18] The film received aCanadian Screen Award nomination for Best Sports Feature Segment at the6th Canadian Screen Awards in 2018.
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 1943–44 | Holman Pluggers | NOHA | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1944–45 | Timmins Canadians | NOHA | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1944–45 | Porcupine Combines | NOHA | — | 3 | 2 | 5 | 8 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1945–46 | Hollywood Wolves | PCHL | 38 | 4 | 5 | 9 | 103 | 12 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 26 | ||
| 1946–47 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 18 | 3 | 7 | 10 | 33 | 11 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 18 | ||
| 1946–47 | Hollywood Wolves | PCHL | 47 | 9 | 2 | 11 | 69 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1947–48 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 57 | 5 | 9 | 14 | 147 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 17 | ||
| 1948–49 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 60 | 5 | 4 | 9 | 95 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 20 | ||
| 1949–50 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 59 | 7 | 10 | 17 | 85 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 18 | ||
| 1950–51 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 58 | 6 | 6 | 12 | 96 | 11 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 31 | ||
| NHL totals | 252 | 26 | 36 | 62 | 456 | 47 | 5 | 7 | 12 | 104 | ||||
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
