Bill Barilko
Bill Barilko, we all know the story. To quote Mr.Downie; “The last goal he ever scored (in overtime) won the Leafs the cup. They didn’t win another ‘til 1962, the year he was discovered.” The ill fated fishing trip was thought to be a curse against the Leafs winning a cup. This card is an original from the 1951-52 inaugural Parkhurst hockey set. Pictured on the card is the actual winning goal which is captured in Zapruder film-like quality here.... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZWoGF5YqB98&feature=related In checking his career stats, I noticed Barilko had almost as many goals scored as assists, (26g 36a in 252gp). I figured this seemed like a high ratio of goals for a defenseman, then I found his team mate on those Leafs, Jim Thomson. He played 12 full seasons (787 gp) and tallied 19 goals and 215 assists. To me, that seemed like a ridiculously low ratio of goals to assists, even for a stay-at-home defender of the 50’s. So, I decided to do some research. It turns out Thomson’s ...