Bill Barilko

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

Barilko was born in March 1927 in Timmins, Ontario to parents Steve and Faye Barilko (née Feodosia Karpinchuk). Steve and Faye were immigrants from Poland, Steve arriving in Canada in 1910, Faye arriving in Canada in 1924. Three weeks after Faye arrived in Halifax, Steve and Faye were married in Timmins, likely an arranged marriage, according to daughter Anne. 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. The two recorded a 78rpm recording greeting for their mother Faye while in Hollywood, the only known recording of Bill's voice. At the time of his death, he had "promised himself", giving a ring to Louise Hastings.

In Their Own Story

On April 21, 1951, overtime of Game 5 against Montreal hung in the balance. Howie Meeker passed from behind the net to Barilko, who back-handed it past Gerry McNeil for the series-winning goal—the last he ever scored. The crowd erupted as the Leafs claimed their fourth Cup in five years. Yet, joy turned to dread weeks later. Despite his mother Fay's warnings against flying on a Friday, Barilko left Timmins with Henry Hudson on August 24 for a fishing trip to Rupert House. On August 26, returning through a storm in Hudson's Fairchild floatplane, they vanished. A massive search involving 38 RCAF planes and 270 personnel found nothing over two months. Eleven years later, pilot Gary Fields spotted wreckage near Cochrane. Ron Boyd and Phil Weston confirmed the site on June 7, 1962, finding the remains still strapped in seats about 56 km off course. The crash was blamed on inexperience, weather, and overload.

Reader's Guide

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, a former NHL defenceman, at Hollywood, 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. In a brash move, when he first met team owner Conn Smythe he is quoted by team-mate Allan Stanley as saying "Your troubles are over." Barilko stayed in Toronto for the rest of his career. 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 (which was retired by the Leafs) 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 what is considered one of the most memorable goals in NHL history. During overtime of game five of the 1951 Stanley Cup Final, his team-mate Howie Meeker passed the puck from behind the net out front where Barilko, a defenceman, found it and back-handed it past the Montreal Canadiens' netminder Gerry McNeil. The goal was the series-winning goal and the last goal he ever scored. In August 1951, Barilko was visiting his family in Timmins. While there, he accepted an invitation from his dentist, Henry Hudson to fly to Rupert House on James Bay in northern Quebec for a weekend fishing trip, flying on Hudson's Fairchild 24W46 CF-FXT floatplane. The two set off on August 24, a Friday. After their fishing, the two set off on August 26 on the return trip to Porcupine Lake during a storm, and the single-engine plane went missing. Eleven years later, on June 1, 1962, pilot Gary Fields spotted some wreckage in the Cochrane District while on a routine flight. Investigating the report, on June 7, 1962 helicopter pilot Ron Boyd and helicopter engineer Phil Weston found the wreckage of the plane for the Ontario government Ministry of Lands and Forests. The cause of the crash was deemed to have been a combination of pilot inexperience, poor weather, and overloaded cargo. It was determined that the plane had crashed straight-down, likely having ran out of fuel and stalled.

Did You Know?

• Barilko's last goal is one of the most famous in NHL history, winning the 1951 Stanley Cup for the Maple Leafs in overtime.
• His remains were not found until 1962, eleven years after his death.
• The 1993 song "Fifty Mission Cap" by The Tragically Hip is about Barilko's death and the Leafs' subsequent Stanley Cup drought.
• Barilko's #5 jersey was retired by the Maple Leafs; until October 15, 2016, it was one of only two numbers retired by the team (Ace Bailey's #6 was the other).
• The puck from his Stanley Cup-winning goal is in the possession of the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto.