Bill Barilko

Lore & Background

Barilko was born in March 1927 in Timmins, Ontario to parents Steve and Faye Barilko (nee Feodosia Karpinchuk) of Ukrainian descent. Steve and Faye were immigrants from Poland. Bill was one of three children, with brother Alex and sister Anne. Bill's brother Alex also played professional hockey in the Pacific Coast Hockey League (PCHL), Bill playing for Hollywood Wolves and Alex for Oakland Oaks.

Barilko played junior ice hockey while also working in the Delnite mine. He was signed by the Toronto Maple Leafs and assigned to their affiliate the PCHL's Hollywood Wolves. Under coach Tommy Anderson, he learned how to hit and hit hard. He played most of two seasons in Hollywood, nicknamed "Billy The Kid."

In February 1947, Bill was called up to the Toronto Maple Leafs on an emergency basis. He was assigned sweater #21 when he debuted for the Leafs. He changed to #19 for the 1948–49 and 1949–50 seasons. The #5 was worn by Barilko for only one season, 1950–51.

During that span of five seasons, Barilko and the Toronto Maple Leafs were Stanley Cup champions on four occasions: 1947, 1948, 1949, and 1951. On April 21, 1951, Barilko scored the series-winning goal in overtime of game five of the 1951 Stanley Cup Final. In August 1951, Barilko accepted an invitation from his dentist, Henry Hudson, to fly to Rupert House on James Bay for a weekend fishing trip. The two set off on August 24, a Friday.

After their fishing, they set off on August 26 on the return trip during a storm, and the single-engine plane went missing. Eleven years later, on June 1, 1962, pilot Gary Fields spotted some wreckage. On June 7, 1962, helicopter pilot Ron Boyd and helicopter engineer Phil Weston found the wreckage. The cause of the crash was deemed to have been a combination of pilot inexperience, poor weather, and overloaded cargo. The wreckage was left on site, and not removed until 2011, to be moved to Timmins.

Reader's Guide

Barilko's #5 jersey was retired by the Maple Leafs. Until October 15, 2016, Barilko's #5 was one of only two numbers retired by the Maple Leafs (Ace Bailey's #6 was the other). Barilko was honoured again by the Maple Leafs on March 19, 2011, on what would have been his 83rd birthday. A pre-game ceremony at the Air Canada Centre unveiled a new banner. His sister Anne attended. Barilko's skates from the 1951-52 season, and the puck of the Stanley Cup-winning goal are in the possession of the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto.