1955 Vancouver Canucks Program
Here's a cool recent addition to the Den, a 1955 game program of the old Vancouver Canucks of the Western Hockey League. What's neat for myself as a Maple Leafs fan, is that this was the only season that Leaf legend Johnny Bower tended goal for the Canucks (see photo below). The game against the visiting Victoria Cougars was one of the last few of the 1954/55 Western League campaign. The Canucks and Cougars were fighting to stay in a playoff position, and Bower was battling for the lowest Goals Against Average in the circuit. Vancouver would emerge victorious, shutting out Victoria by a 3-0 score. The Victoria Daily Colonist wrote of the match; " Cougars gave it a good try last night but they wound up scoreless...the shutout enabled Canuck goalie Johnny Bower to tie Cougars Marcel Pelletier for the league lead having six blankings. Bower also took the leading the averages. He allowed 2.77 goals per game while Pelletier's average rose to 2.776. Edmonton's Glen Hall