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Post by CentreHice on Nov 9, 2015 14:44:59 GMT -5
I have a soft spot for the aging greats! Born Nov. 8, 1924. Two personal stories….both from the late 90s. Apologies if I've shared them before…but the man is 100% class with the fans. 1. Stopped in at a roadhouse-type bar in Mississauga. Lots of TML decor along with some signed jerseys, as they hosted Leafs' autograph sessions at the time. I asked him who was the nicest/best. Without hesitation: Johnny Bower. Didn't matter when the session was supposed to end, he'd stay til midnight if it came to it. Stay for a pop or two and chat afterwards as well. (Of course, I then asked who was the worst. You can likely guess. Let's just say his son is a rookie this year.) 2. I attended a Bower signing session at the local mall. I asked him who his most dependable d-man was. He put down the marker, as if he'd never been asked that question before….and said, "Well, Baun was the quickest….Horton was the strongest….but if I had to say most dependable, it'd be Allan Stanley. He could angle a man to the boards like nobody else. If I got scored-on on plays like that, it was my fault." |
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Post by 24in93 on Nov 9, 2015 14:54:16 GMT -5
I've met Bower a number of times over the years as he lives near my parents. I'd see him out a lot with his wife shopping. Very approachable and loved talking about hockey. He's the closest the Leafs have to what we had in Beliveau. All class.
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Post by Gogie on Nov 9, 2015 16:18:02 GMT -5
One of those really rare oddities - a Leaf that I actually kind of liked. Very few and far between.  |
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Post by jkr on Nov 9, 2015 19:16:38 GMT -5
I live about an hour NW of Toronto. About 10-12 years ago Petro Can opened a commercial gas station and Bower came to the opening. At the time I was thinking - this guy is an all timer. He is THE reason the Leafs won any Cups in the sixties. What the he!! is he doing up here opening a gas station? Can you imagine some of today's players doing that now? I always thought that he never really gets his due from Leaf fans. When he's introduced at games he should be getting a thunderous ovation, not polite applause. And if any Leaf deserves to have a number retired it's him.
I agree with you Gogie. I've seen him on TV on the Legends series. He seems to be a genuinely nice guy - an old time sportsman.
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Post by jkr on Nov 9, 2015 19:20:20 GMT -5
CH - if you had not posted this I would not have known. I can't remember seeing this on any sportscast - not even Coaches Corner.
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Post by blny on Nov 10, 2015 6:59:10 GMT -5
I've always like Bower. Just a nice guy. Real. Happiest of birthdays to him.
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Post by Disgruntled70sHab on Nov 10, 2015 8:12:07 GMT -5
Right on, CH ... just too many good triggers with this thread ... a less complicated time for the game back then ... tres envious ... another gentleman from a vanishing generation of gentlemen ... a few things about Mr Bower ... the earliest memory I have of the Habs involves Johnny Bower ... I remember a young, Jacques Lemaire (full head of hair and sideburns, no less) in full flight as he crossed the Toronto blue line and letting got a slapshot to the far side that beat Johnny Bower ... been hooked on the Habs ever since ... he was the apple of my prof's eye when I was taking my college courses ... it didn't matter which team people cheared for, I seem to remember everyone liking Johnny Bower ... we used to have NHL almuni do autograph signings here in town but the NHLers haven't been here in quite a while ... if they do come to town, it's not normally well-publicized ... the last pro veteran I saw was Gordie Howe and that was a few years back and I only heard of it on the radio the day before ... not much of a turnout for Mr Howe, though ...
Cheers.
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Post by CentreHice on Nov 10, 2015 9:03:16 GMT -5
CH - if you had not posted this I would not have known. I can't remember seeing this on any sportscast - not even Coaches Corner. I just happened across the item yesterday. I'm not sure how many teams or team-based media outlets wish Happy Birthdays to their aging players on a yearly basis. A few stories on Bower's 90th pop up when you search his name. Once such a person gets to 90, I think the social custom of waiting until the next "10" should be dropped in favour of public recognition of every year thereafter…for obvious reasons. Last year, on the occasion of his 90th, the ACC crowd sang "Happy Birthday" to him. It was a Saturday night….HNIC. Not a big fuss made…but a nice gesture. Since you mentioned Coach's Corner, here's the instalment from that same night. No mention of Bower at all. Cherry's usual posturing about the troops re: Remembrance Day, which is admirable (save for its lack of humility)…BUT how could he NOT know that Bower served four years in the Canadian Army during World War II. He lied about his age and enlisted as a 15-year-old before he was discharged in 1943 due to rheumatoid arthritis. After that, Bower began focusing on his hockey career. It took me 5 seconds to search, "Did Johnny Bower serve in WWII?". Another few seconds to find this site, containing this information that would've been great to share on Coach's Corner, considering Bower's 90th AND Remembrance Day. At 15 he lied about his age in order to fight for his country. Johnny was supposed to be a part of the 1942 invasion of Normandy at the port of Dieppe. The 6000 man mission was simply disastrous as about 3400 men lost their lives or were seriously wounded and most of the rest were taken prisoner.
"I'd been all set to go but a day or two before the raid, nine fellas in my company, including myself, got so sick with a respiratory infection, they had to take use of the boat and put us in hospital - we could hardly breathe, " remembered Bower, an 18 year old infantryman at the time. "I guess if I'd gone, I probably would have lost my life. Most of my friends did." |
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