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Below is Toronto Maple Leafs President Brendan Shanahan’s full media address on the passing of Leafs Legend Johnny Bower.


Opening remarks:

We as an organization just wanted to express our deepest condolences and sadness for the passing of Johnny Bower to his wife Nancy, his children, grandchildren, and his great grandchildren. It’s a sad day that goes beyond just the city of Toronto and the hockey world. Johnny really lived an incredible life and touched the lives of so many. He will be deeply missed.

On when he first met Johnny Bower:

I first met Johnny personally when I started working for the Maple Leafs, but he was a legend in the sense that you didn’t have to be living in Toronto or working here for the Maple Leafs to know about his spirit and the stories of his generosity and his charity. Not to mention his accomplishments on the ice as a player.

On what Johnny Bower meant to the organization:

There is not a single player in Toronto Maple Leafs history who has done more appearances or more charity events and work than Johnny Bower. For a generation of Maple Leafs fans, they remember him for his play on the ice. There is a whole new generation of kids and young fans that don’t really know him for the goalie but just know him for his charity and generosity and good-naturedness and warmth. You really could never – I’ve never in my time here – really come upon Johnny Bower at any moment, at any time, at any hour and see that he’s uncomfortable, frustrated, or impatient. He was never any of those things. Anytime anyone saw Johnny Bower, they came away with a great experience. He’s a great lesson for all of us.

On how Johnny Bower connected with the players of today:

I think the first thing the players of today look at and respect are his accomplishments on the ice and his Stanley Cups and his abilities. That immediately puts him in a certain place. And then to see him off the ice and see this generosity, his warmth, his humour… I think, for a lot of players today, they look at somebody like that and think, “This is a great example of what we all aspire to be.”

On what the name Johnny Bower meant to him as a kid:

Not too many people in sports have a name where it almost becomes a verb. If you were playing street hockey and you poke checked somebody, you yelled, “Johnny Bower! I just Johnny Bower’d you.” Before, I’d never seen Johnny play as a young kid, but I knew that this is the man who invented the poke check growing up here in Toronto. It wasn’t until the last few years where I got to know him on a personal level and really saw, up close, what everybody talked about.

On how late in life Bower broke the NHL and the mystery around his age over the years:

It’s pretty incredible that he had an entire career in the American Hockey League before he ever played for the Maple Leafs. I remember reading something about him when I first got here that, as a rookie, he was the oldest member of the Toronto Maple Leafs and never played a game for the Maple Leafs where he was not the oldest player on this team. And then he went on to win four Stanley Cups and obviously be instrumental in those wins. It’s not a story you hear about. He was a unique person and has a very unique story.

On Bower’s reaction to the surprise announcement about the sweater numbers being retired:

Johnny’s reaction, at the time, was typical. It was gracious. He was appreciative, and I think he followed it up with a little joke. That was him. Like I said, he was a lot of events for our team and in this city and in this community. He always had a ton of energy and was just extremely good natured. He is going to be dearly, dearly missed.

On Bower’s presence as an alumni during the lean years for the club:

Johnny loved being a Leaf. In retirement, he loved being a Leaf. He loved the team. As much as he did a lot of public appearances, he also did a lot of private ones as well. Here is a Hockey Hall of Famer who would dress up as Santa Claus for the players and their kids and their families. He did a lot of things behind the scenes as well. Regardless of where the Leafs were in the standings, Johnny’s love for the Maple Leafs never wavered. That is why we said we do not really know of a former player who was as loved by Leafs fans or who loved them back equally as much.

On whether there are any plans to memorialize Johnny Bower yet:

We are respecting the family’s wish for privacy at this time. This did happen quite suddenly. I’m sure we will communicate with them at a later date.

On whether Bower’s Legends Row statue means a little more today knowing he will be forever remembered there:

We were just talking on the way down. We were at least happy that Johnny got to see some of the things that have been done in this 100-year celebration. At the conclusion of the 100th year, looking back, Johnny was around for pretty much all of the celebrations. He was properly recognized. Maple Leafs had an opportunity to give him and show him their love. If there was a silver lining, we were happy that this was a year in which Leafs fans – people in Toronto – were able to recognize and shine a light on people like Johnny Bower.

On what young players in the city today can learn from Johnny Bower:

I think the biggest thing that young players in this city – or in any city, or any young athlete, whatever the sport he plays – can look at with a player like Johnny Bower: Regardless of his success, it never went to his head. He was always very conscientious about the community he lived in. He was more than just a hockey player. He was an ambassador to every community he ever lived in.

On whether he could’ve played until 47 like Bower did:

No, especially in that position.

On Bower as one of the first in line for the Legends Row memorial when it was erected:

I refer to some of the players that have played here and how they refer to him and some of the men who are still here that are on Legends Row with him revere him. He absolutely represented the pride, honour and courage that Conn Smythe talked about when he first changed the sweater from a St. Pat to a Toronto Maple Leaf. Johnny was a great representation of what he wanted in a Leaf and still is today.