>Goaltender Johnny Bower, who spent 13 seasons in the minor leagues before putting together a Hockey Hall of Fame career that included helping the Toronto Maple Leafs win the Stanley Cup four times in the 1960s, died Tuesday of pneumonia. He was 93.
>Bower spent the equivalent of a full career in the minors before becoming a full-time NHL goaltender at age 34. Before retiring at 45, the "China Wall" (a nickname that had as much to do with his advanced age as it did his goaltending) won 250 games, including 37 by shutout, and had a 2.51 goals-against average.
>"[He's] the greatest athlete in the world," his coach, Punch Imlach, once said of Bower. "By wanting to be the best so badly, he overrode the aging process."
Josiah Foster
>laffs
Nathan Hernandez
literally fucking who
Brody Lee
Johnny Bower was to the Leafs what Terry Sawchuk was to the Red Wings, or what Ken Dryden was to the Canadiens.
Joshua Davis
RIP
Jeremiah Stewart
WHERE'S THAT STICKY MODS?
Blake Turner
>Laffs >a >f >f >s
Zachary Brown
>describes literal who by comparing to other literal whos the absolute state of cananiggers
Isaiah James
Don't respond to him he's trolling
RIP
Caleb Campbell
casual
Cameron Clark
>other literal whos Ken Dryden Terry Sawchuck maybe this manly, storied, sport isn't for you
Chase Powell
the only perds "fan" is a fat weeb that can't even skate just never reply to it
Brandon Gutierrez
F
Please sticky to butthurt yuros
Connor Flores
>goalering in the 60s Who the fuck cares. Shit was fucking east mode. Fuck off with your >muh heritage
Nolan Parker
For those comparing pre-expansion goalies to modern goalies: while I agree that a modern goalie would dominate the game 60 years ago (with modern gear), the game was just entirely different. The position wasn't difficult because of the skill of players, it was difficult because of the danger involved. Sure, there weren't players firing 80 mph snap shots from the slot into 2 inch gaps, but they were still at risk of taking pucks to the face and even after Plante started wearing a mask it still largely only functioned to prevent cuts. Glen Hall would physically get sick before games from nerves and several other goalies from that era either retired (like Bill Durnan) or became less reliable with age because of the fear associated with injury. The 70s was the first era where we saw goalies pioneering the modern style, through goalies like Tony Esposito, which was largely a result of improved equipment that made it easier to move and allowed goalies to worry less about getting hurt. The continual development of the modern style through the 70s to 90s was almost entirely a result of equipment improvements (Roy and Esposito had their pads altered to better suit their style, then younger goalies who saw their success demanded the same equipment). I have an unbelievable respect for pre-expansion goalies because there is no way I would ever do what they did.
I've met Michel Lefevre a few times and he told me that Patrick Roy is basically the only reason he started making pads for a butterfly style. Even looking at Trevor Kidd's pads from when he played in Calgary and Roy's pads from his later career in Montreal you can see a huge difference, not only in function but in the protection that they provided when playing on your knees. (Not to mention Kidd's pads were past my waist and I'm over 6').
t. Friends with a guy who helped with the designs on Lefevre's Koho and Reebok pads (but his son largely took over after CCM took over Reebok)
