Bower's greatness, modesty with Maple Leafs recalled 5 years after death

It speaks a great deal to the character of the late
Johnny Bower
that among his favorite photographs was an image of a puck in the net behind him.

The Toronto Maple Leafs goaltending legend died of pneumonia at age 93 on Dec. 26, 2017. On this fifth anniversary of his death, the four-time 1960s Stanley Cup winner still is remembered in equal measure for his excellence in goal -- and he was brilliant -- and for his humanity, modesty, gentle spirit and his respect and admiration for the players whose sole intent was to score on him.
Bower made not a single enemy during his 24 years in professional hockey -- 12 in the American Hockey League and 12 full seasons in the NHL, the first with the New York Rangers, then 11 with the Maple Leafs.
Montreal Canadiens forward Henri Richard beats Toronto goalie Johnny Bower from in close during a 1960s game at Maple Leaf Gardens. Turofsky/Hockey Hall of Fame
The black-and-white photo, archived by the Hockey Hall of Fame, was taken by one of the Turofsky brothers, Lou or Nat, in the early to mid-1960s. Henri Richard of the Montreal Canadiens, in alone, has just fired a forehand past the unmasked Bower, who is looking over his left shoulder to see the puck bulging the mesh of his net.
There is a wonderful symmetry of row upon row of Maple Leaf Gardens fans, dressed for a special night out, directly behind and rising above the glass on which are bolted two strobe flashes, used with remote control by a few photographers of the day to illuminate the action.
Bower and Richard joyfully renewed their friendship in Montreal in 2007, among the honored guests at a Bell Centre gala that in the name of former Canadiens captain Jean Beliveau raised more than $1 million for Quebec children's hospitals.
"I hated him, I wouldn't even look at him when we played," Richard said of Bower that night, laughing as he embraced his old rival.

Johnny Bower tightens a pad in Toronto's Maple Leaf Gardens dressing room in March 1960. Turofsky/Hockey Hall of Fame
"And yet when it was all over, we took our wives on a cruise together and it's turned out pretty good for us," Bower replied, returning the hug. "You make friends later, no matter whether you've won or lost. You have a bit of heart and you say: 'Hi, how are you?'"
They joked about the historic photo when they studied it that evening, comparing observations.
Bower figured that Richard had scored because the Toronto defenseman unseen at left had caused a distraction by falling, so assumed by a stick flat on the ice.
Richard countered with a grin that the defenseman simply couldn't keep up and that his shot was a thing of beauty, about 18 inches under the crossbar, no matter that it came off the blade of his uncurved stick from in close.
And then they hugged again.
New York Rangers goalie Johnny Bower hollers as he clears the puck during a November 1954 game at Maple Leaf Gardens. From left: referee Jack Mehlenbacher, Bower, Ivan Irwin, Jim Morrison, Danny Lewicki and Joe Klukay. Turofsky/Hockey Hall of Fame
It was one of Richard's 11 goals against Bower in Toronto, scored in 35 regular-season games spread across nine seasons, this Turofsky shot certainly the most photogenic.
A native of Prince Albert, Saskatchewan, Bower played 626 regular-season and Stanley Cup Playoff games from 1953-70, twice winning the Vezina Trophy as the best goalie in the NHL, recording a superb goals-against average of 2.51 (2.47 in the postseason), and earning a combined 42 shutouts. He won his fourth and final Stanley Cup in 1967, sharing the net with the late Terry Sawchuk for the Leafs' 13th and most recent title.
Until his death, Bower was the last living goalie to have won a championship with Toronto. Richard, who won an NHL-record 11 Stanley Cup titles, all with the Canadiens, died March 6, 2020, at age 84, having battled Alzheimer's disease.
Bower was amazed by the love he almost forever felt in Montreal, home of the Maple Leafs' greatest rival during the NHL's Original Six era, between 1942 and expansion in 1967.
Johnny Bower defends Toronto's net during a game against the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden. From left: Andy Bathgate, Bower, Bobby Baun, Don Marshall (partially hidden), George Armstrong, Dave Richardson, Carl Brewer and Billy Harris. Frank Prazak/Hockey Hall of Fame
In 2011, he appeared at a collectibles show in the shadow of an arena named for Maurice Richard -- the Canadiens legend who gave him fits in the late 1950s -- with fans lined up halfway through the convention center for his autograph.
Three years later he was back in Montreal for Beliveau's funeral on Dec. 10, 2014. He sat near the very back of Mary, Queen of the World Cathedral that afternoon and choked back tears for a lost legend and friend.
"I'm here because John is my friend," he said following the service, forever having used the English translation of Jean. "I valued that friendship. John was forever a gentleman. I'm here today because I want to be and because I need to be."
During his 2007 visit, Bower spoke of a cherished photograph that hung in his Toronto home.
"I have a beautiful, autographed picture of John in my rec room, signed, 'To a great competitor,'" he said. "What a gentleman he is. It's real, real nice to have that on my wall. It's just too bad that John didn't play in Toronto. We'd have won a few more Stanley Cups."
Johnny Bower alone in action at Maple Leaf Gardens during a 1966-67 game. Graphic Artists/Hockey Hall of Fame
Anchoring championships for the Maple Leafs in 1962, 1963, 1964 and 1967 is only a very small part of the reason that Bower arguably is the most popular Maple Leafs player of all time.
He worked inexhaustibly in his community, during and after his playing days, though he never viewed his public appearances and charitable endeavors as work.
Bower always got a kick out of the fact that a great many of his fans never had seen him play a single game. If he ever had a bad day, no one knew it; on occasion, he played Santa Claus at team Christmas parties.
His number was retired by the Maple Leafs in 2016; two years earlier, his statue was unveiled among the first three, with Ted Kennedy and Darryl Sittler, on Legends Row outside Scotiabank Arena.
Goalie pads worn by Johnny Bower throughout the Toronto Maple Leafs' Stanley Cup run in the 1960s; a 1960s portrait of Bower at Maple Leaf Gardens. Matthew Manor/Hockey Hall of Fame; Macdonald Stewart/Hockey Hall of Fame
The Johnny Bower Foundation was established by his family in 2017 to continue his legacy of supporting charities nationwide. Among those he championed were Veterans of Canada's Armed Forces, his name celebrated since 2020 with the Johnny Bower Arms Pub at Toronto's Sunnybrook Veterans Centre, the country's largest Veterans care facility.
Jokes forever were made about the goalie's age, which was a running gag for years after he fibbed about it so that he could enlist in the Canadian army at age 15, during World War II.
"We'd kid Johnny that he enlisted for the Boer War (of the late 1800s)," his friend and fellow goaltending legend Glenn Hall has said.
A week after his death, Bower's life was celebrated at Scotiabank Arena during a 65-minute memorial service attended by family, friends, former teammates and on-ice foes, his coffin wrapped in a Maple Leafs flag.
"John is a huge reason for all those (four) Stanley Cups," Maple Leafs legend Dave Keon said. "Winning the Cup takes heart. John was our soul."
Then, and now, Bower was remembered for his achievements on the ice, but also very much for what he meant off of it.
Top photo:Johnny Bower in a 1960s publicity photo taken at Maple Leaf Gardens. Turofsky/Hockey Hall of Fame