Johnny William "The China Wall" Bower
Last updated
BIOGRAPHY
- BORN: Prince Albert, Saskatchewan, November 8, 1924.
- HOME:
- HEIGHT: 5'9-5'11".
- WEIGHT: 170-189 lbs.
- UNIFORM #: 1
- CATCHES: Left
Entry in "Inside Sports: Hockey": Didn't make his mark on a full-time basis until he was 34, when he became the work-horse goalie as Maple Leafs won four Stanley Cups in the 1960s. Had 37 career shutouts.
TRANSACTIONS:
- Traded (by Cleveland Barons (AHL)) (with Eldred Kobussen) to New York Rangers for Emile Francis, Neil Strain and cash, July 20, 1953.
- Traded (by Rangers) to Cleveland Barons (AHL) for Ed MacQueen and cash, July 31, 1957.
- Claimed (from Cleveland AHL) by Toronto Maple Leafs in Inter-League Draft, June 3, 1958.
ACCOLADES:
- Named to National Hockey League All-Star First Team, 1961.
- Played in National Hockey League All-Star Game, October 7, 1961.
- Winner, Vezina Trophy (shared with Terry Sawchuk), 1965.
- Elected to Hockey Hall of Fame, 1976.
- Had his Toronto uniform #1 (shared with Turk Broda) paid tribute to with a commemorative banner (the Leafs do not retire numbers), 1995.
INJURIES:
DID YOU KNOW?
- In 1969, Johnny became the oldest goaltender to appear in a Stanley Cup playoff game, at 44 years, 4 months, and 28 days.
- On March 19, 1970, Johnny announced his official retirement - four months after his forty-fifth birthday. When asked, in light of his retirement, if he might reveal his true age, he replied "If you don't know by now, you never will".
- John had to wear his right leg pad loose, and his left leg pad tight. He also didn't like anyone else touching his
equipment.
GAME DIRECTORY:
SEASON-BY-SEASON:
REGULAR SEASON
Year Team GP Min W L T GA GAA Shots Sv% ShO G A PiM S/60 PERS
44-45 Prince Albert Black Hawks SJHL 10 630 5 4 1 27 2.57 0
45-46 Cleveland Barons AHL 41 2460 18 17 6 160 3.90 4 0 0 0
Providence Reds AHL 1 48 0 1 0 4 5.00 0 0 0 0
46-47 Cleveland Barons AHL 40 2400 22 11 7 124 3.10 3 0 0 0
47-48 Cleveland Barons AHL 31 1880 18 6 6 83 2.65 1 0 0 2
48-49 Cleveland Barons AHL 37 2200 23 9 5 127 3.43 3 0 0 0
49-50 Cleveland Barons AHL 61 3660 38 15 8 201 3.30 5 0 0 2
50-51 Cleveland Barons AHL 70 4280 44 21 5 213 2.99 5 0 0 2
51-52 Cleveland Barons AHL 68 4110 44 19 5 165 2.41 3 0 0 0
52-53 Cleveland Barons AHL 61 3680 40 19 2 155 2.53 6 0 1 2
53-54 New York Rangers NHL 70 4200 29 31 10 182 2.60 5 0 0 0
54-55 Vancouver Canucks WHL 63 3780 30 25 8 171 2.71 7 0 1 2
New York Rangers NHL 5 300 2 2 1 13 2.60 0 0 0 0
55-56 Providence Reds AHL 61 3710 45 14 2 174 2.81 3 0 1 2
56-57 Providence Reds AHL 57 3501 30 19 8 138 2.37 4 0 1 2
New York Rangers NHL 2 120 0 2 0 7 3.50 0 0 0 0
57-58 Cleveland Barons AHL 64 3870 37 23 3 140 2.17 8 0 0 2
58-59 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 39 2340 15 17 7 107 2.74 3 0 0 2
59-60 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 66 3960 34 24 8 180 2.73 5 0 0 4
60-61 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 58 3480 33 15 10 145 2.50 2 0 0 0
61-62 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 59 3540 31 18 10 152 2.58 2 0 1 4
62-63 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 42 2520 20 15 7 110 2.62 1 0 0 2
63-64 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 51 3009 24 16 11 106 2.11 5 0 0 4
64-65 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 34 2040 13 13 8 81 2.38 3 0 0 6
65-66 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 35 1998 18 10 5 75 2.25 3 0 1 0
66-67 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 27 1431 12 9 3 63 2.64 2 0 0 0
67-68 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 43 2239 14 18 7 84 2.25 4 0 1 14
68-69 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 20 779 5 4 3 37 2.85 2 0 0 0
69-70 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 1 60 0 1 0 5 5.00 0 0 0 0
FIFTEEN (15) NHL SEASONS 552 32016 250 195 90 1347 2.52 37 0 3 36
POST-SEASON
Year Team GP Min W L GA GAA Shots Sv% ShO G A PiM S/60 PERS
44-45 Prince Albert Black Hawks SJHL 3 180 0 3 23 7.67 0
48-49 Cleveland Barons AHL 5 329 2 3 23 4.19 0
49-50 Cleveland Barons AHL 9 548 4 5 27 2.96 0
50-51 Cleveland Barons AHL 11 703 8 3 32 2.73 0
51-52 Cleveland Barons AHL 5 300 2 3 17 3.40 0
52-53 Cleveland Barons AHL 11 745 7 4 21 1.69 4
54-55 Vancouver Canucks WHL 5 300 1 4 16 3.20 0
55-56 Providence Reds AHL 9 540 7 2 23 2.56 0
56-57 Providence Reds AHL 5 300 1 4 15 3.00 0
58-59 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 12 746 5 7 39 3.14 0
59-60 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 10 645 4 6 31 2.88 0
60-61 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 3 180 0 3 9 3.00 0
61-62 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 10 579 6 3 22 2.28 0
62-63 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 10 600 8 2 16 1.60 2
63-64 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 14 850 8 6 30 2.12 2
64-65 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 5 321 2 3 13 2.43 0
65-66 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 2 120 0 2 8 4.00 0
66-67 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 4 183 2 0 5 1.64 1
68-69 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 4 154 0 2 11 4.29 0
TEN (10) NHL POSTSEASONS 74 4378 35 34 184 2.52 5
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