Johnny Bower

{{Infobox ice hockey player

| image = Chex Johnny Bower.JPG

| image_size = 230px

| caption = Bower with the Toronto Maple Leafs in the 1960s

| birth_date = {{birth date |1924|11|8}}

| birth_place = Prince Albert, Saskatchewan, Canada

| death_date = {{death date and age|2017|12|26|1924|11|8}}

| death_place = Mississauga, Ontario, Canada

| height_ft = 5

| height_in = 11

| weight_lb = 189

| position = Goaltender

| catches = Left

| played_for = New York Rangers
Toronto Maple Leafs

| career_start = 1945

| career_end = 1969

| halloffame = 1976

| module=

{{Infobox military person|embed=yes

| honorific-prefix =

| allegiance = Canada

| rank = Gunner

| battles = World War II

| serviceyears = 1940–1943

| branch = Canadian Army

| unit =First Canadian Army
II Canadian Corps

2nd Canadian Division

}}

John William Bower (né Kiszkan;{{cite web|title=Johnny Bower: A Goalie For All Ages|url=http://www.greatesthockeylegends.com/2009/02/johnny-bower-goalie-for-all-ages.html|publisher=Greastest Hockey Legends|date=21 January 2012}} November 8, 1924 – December 26, 2017){{cite news | url = https://www.thestar.com/Sports/article/553537 | title=Winter reading for the hockey fan |newspaper = Toronto Star | date = 2008-12-14 | access-date = 2007-12-14 | first=Garth | last=Woolsey}} nicknamed "The China Wall", was a Canadian ice hockey goaltender and inductee to the Hockey Hall of Fame, who won four Stanley Cups during his career with the Toronto Maple Leafs. In 2017 he was named one of the "100 Greatest NHL Players" in history.{{cite web|title=100 Greatest NHL Players|url=https://www.nhl.com/fans/nhl-centennial/100-greatest-nhl-players|publisher=National Hockey League|access-date=January 1, 2017|date=January 1, 2017}}{{Citation|last=NHL|title=Johnny Bower led Leafs to four Stanley Cup titles|date=2017-03-22|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YAkROJKRKQA&list=PL1NbHSfosBuHEp2Bphcgz16OKz0kjnCH6&index=13|access-date=2017-04-25}} His song "Honky (The Christmas) Goose" reached #29 on the CHUM Charts in December 1965.{{cite web|url=http://chumtribute.com/65-12-27-chart.jpg| title=CHUM Hit Parade - December 27, 1965}}

Playing career

Bower was born John William Kiszkan into a Ukrainian-Canadian family in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan, to Johnny Kiszkan, a labourer born Dmytro Kiszkan, and his wife, Lizzie, née Jacobson.{{cite news|author1=Hornby, Lance|title=Maple Leafs legend Johnny Bower dead at age 93|url=https://lfpress.com/2017/12/26/maple-leafs-legend-johnny-bower-dead-at-age-93|newspaper=London Free Press|date=26 December 2017}}"The Most Beloved Maple Leaf Ever", Toronto: TVO, The Agenda, 16 December 2019. (His father had previously been a homesteader.) He had one brother and seven sisters. He taught himself how to play hockey, using a branch as a stick, and made himself goalie pads out of old mattresses. Around age 10, his parents separated. An uncommon practice at the time, it created a stigma around the family in their town. When he was 15, he lied about his age and enlisted in the Canadian Army during World War II; from 1940 to 1943 he was stationed in England as a gunner with the 2nd Canadian Division.{{cite news|author1=Hornby, Lance|title=Hall of Famer Johnny Bower had massive smile, heart and dedication|url=http://torontosun.com/sports/hockey/nhl/toronto-maple-leafs/hall-of-famer-johnny-bower-had-massive-smile-heart-and-dedication|newspaper=Toronto Sun|date=27 December 2017}} He was discharged due to rheumatoid arthritis in his hands.[http://www.ukrweekly.com/old/archive/2004/050421.shtml FOCUS ON PHILATELY] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131103054101/http://www.ukrweekly.com/old/archive/2004/050421.shtml |date=2013-11-03 }}, The Ukrainian Weekly (February 1, 2004)

Kiszkan returned to Prince Albert in 1944 to play junior hockey there. In 1945, he turned professional in the American Hockey League (AHL), where he spent eleven seasons playing mostly for the Cleveland Barons in the late 1940s and 1950s.

Bower told various stories about his name change, including that "Bower" was his mother's maiden name,{{cite web|author1=Robson, Dan|title=Greatest Maple Leafs: No. 5 Johnny Bower|url=http://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/24-7/greatest-maple-leafs-no-5-johnny-bower/|publisher=Sportsnet|date=27 December 2013}} or that he was adopted. Biographer Dan Robson was also told that Barons management may have asked him to, to avoid the post-war discrimination against eastern Europeans, while other sources claim that it was because sports writers often misspelled "Kiszkan".{{Cite web |url=http://www.canadapost.ca/common/corporate/about/newsroom/pr/archive-e.asp?prid=974 |title=Canada Post - Press Releases - Ice dreams : Fifth set of hockey All-Stars to be honoured with stamps Johnny Bower, Brad Park, Larry Robinson, Marcel Dionne, Ted Lindsay and Milt Schmidt selected for Canada Post's All-Star list for 2004 |access-date=2007-12-16 |archive-date=2005-12-06 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051206015553/http://www.canadapost.ca/common/corporate/about/newsroom/pr/archive-e.asp?prid=974 |url-status=dead }} His parents' break up may also have been a factor, suggests Robson, as Bower rarely talked about the situation. His surname was legally changed during his first year of professional hockey. Robson's 2018 book, Bower: A Legendary Life, dedicates a chapter to the topic.{{cite book |last1=Robson |first1=Dan |title=Bower: A Legendary Life |date=2018 |publisher=HarperCollins Publishers Ltd |location=Toronto ON |isbn=978-1-4434-5726-2 |pages=59–66 |edition=First |chapter=What's In A Name?}}

In the AHL, he proved himself the star goaltender of the circuit, winning numerous awards and leading his teams to three Calder Cup championships.{{cite news |url=http://ingoalmag.com/features/johnny-bower-passes-93-leaves-behind-generational-legacy/ |title=Johnny Bower passes at 93, leaves behind generational legacy |work=InGoal |date=December 26, 2017 |access-date=December 27, 2017 |archive-date=December 27, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171227123232/http://ingoalmag.com/features/johnny-bower-passes-93-leaves-behind-generational-legacy/ |url-status=dead }}

Bower made his debut in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the New York Rangers in {{nhly|1953}}, at the age of 29. The Rangers made him their starting goaltender over Gump Worsley, who had been rookie of the year the previous season. Bower played in all 70 games that season and recorded 29 wins. The following season Worsley won back the starting job for the Rangers, and Bower returned to the minor leagues.{{cite web| last=Kreiser |first= John|url = https://www.nhl.com/news/bower-ilitch-among-losses-in-hockey-world/c-294375070 | title = Bower, Ilitch among deaths in hockey world in 2017 |publisher=National Hockey League | date = December 31, 2017 | access-date = January 3, 2018}} He played there for four more years with three teams, the Providence Reds, the Vancouver Canucks and the Cleveland Barons, and was called up briefly by the Rangers in {{nhly|1954}} and {{nhly|1956}}.

In the 1958 Inter-League draft he was claimed by the Toronto Maple Leafs, who were an up-and-coming team of young star players at the time.[http://www.hockeygoalies.org/bio/bower.html Johnny Bower (1953-70)]{{cite news|last1=McGran|first1=Kevin|title=Leafs legend Johnny Bower dies at 93|url=https://www.thestar.com/sports/2017/12/26/hockey-legend-johnny-bower-dead-at-93.html|website=Toronto Star|date=26 December 2017 |publisher=John Boynton|access-date=27 December 2017}} Nonetheless, Bower preferred to stay with the Barons, as he was tired of moving all over the country. Punch Imlach, whom the Maple Leafs had recently hired, visited Bower and convinced him to give the NHL one more try, as he considered him "the most remarkable — and maybe the best — athlete in the world."

Bower won his first Vezina Trophy in 1961 for allowing the fewest goals in the 1960–61 season. The height of his NHL career came during the Maple Leafs' three consecutive Stanley Cup victories from 1962 to 1964. He later said, "When we won the Stanley Cup, my head went numb, my whole body went numb. That was my dream from Day One. You just can't explain the feelings inside you."{{cite web |url=http://www.hhof.com/htmlExhibits/exCupDyn.shtml |title=Via Rail Stanley Cup Dynasties |work=Hockey Hall of Fame |access-date=2017-12-27 |archive-date=2017-06-30 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170630093309/http://hhof.com/htmlExhibits/exCupDyn.shtml |url-status=dead }}

File:Johnny Bower in goal.jpg]]

Bower's career was hampered by poor eyesight, but he remained a top-tier goaltender. He was known for his hard-nosed, scrappy playing style and helped the Leafs win another Stanley Cup in 1967, as part of a tandem with another Hall of Famer, Terry Sawchuk. He said, "I wasn't all that glad to see the two-goalie system come in. I wanted to play as many games as I could."{{cite web|last1=Dambrauskas|first1=Colin|title=The Original Six Goalies ...And Their Masks - Part 2 - Toronto Maple Leafs|url=http://www.hockeybuzz.com/blog/Colin-Dambrauskas/The-Original-Six-Goalies-And-Their-Masks---Part-2---Toronto-Maple-Leafs/171/46332|website=hockeybuzz.com|access-date=27 December 2017}} Bower and Sawchuk shared the Vezina Trophy in {{nhly|1964}}.

On April 6, 1969, at the age of 44 years, 4 months, and 29 days, Bower became the oldest goaltender to play in a Stanley Cup playoff game, a distinction previously held by Lester Patrick.[https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=Fr8DH2VBP9sC&dat=19690407&printsec=frontpage Punch fired as Leafs Ousted] The Montreal Gazette - April 7, 1969, page 21. Retrieved 2010-08-16 He played his last game on December 10, 1969, a 6–3 loss to Montreal;[https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=nPwtAAAAIBAJ&sjid=PaAFAAAAIBAJ&pg=1520,2418543&dq=johnny+bower&hl=en Canadiens’ rally beats Toronto 6-3] The Montreal Gazette - Dec. 11, 1969, page 11. Retrieved 2010-08-16 mainly due to injuries, this was his only game of the 1969–70 season. At the time, he was the oldest full-time player to participate in an NHL game, and remains the second-oldest goaltender (45 years, 1 month, 2 days), behind only Maurice Roberts; he was surpassed as oldest full-time player by Gordie Howe, Chris Chelios, and Jaromír Jágr.{{cite web|title=Sportsnet Top 10: Oldest NHLers of all-time|url=http://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/top-10-oldest-nhlers-of-all-time/|website=sportsnet.ca|access-date=27 December 2017}}{{cite news|last1=Proteau|first1=Adam|title=Dwayne Roloson - at 45 years of age - makes a surprise return to an NHL team|url=http://www.thehockeynews.com/news/article/dwayne-roloson-at-45-years-of-age-makes-a-surprise-return-to-an-nhl-team|newspaper=The Hockey News|access-date=27 December 2017}}{{cite web|title=Legends of Hockey: Johnny Bower (biography)|url=http://www.legendsofhockey.net/LegendsOfHockey/jsp/LegendsMember.jsp?mem=p197601&page=bio|website=legendsofhockey.net|access-date=27 December 2017}}

On March 19, 1970, Bower publicly announced his retirement, four months after his 45th birthday. He played eleven full seasons with the Leafs. When asked if he might reveal his true age, he replied "If you don't know by now, you never will". Coach Punch Imlach once told Bower, after seeing a purported birth certificate, "If you were born in this day here that you're telling me, you had to be overseas with the First Division, in 1939, when you were 13."{{cite web|last1=Friedman|first1=Elliotte|title=31 Thoughts: Is Letang's situation too complex for an in-season deal?|url=https://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/31-thoughts-letangs-situation-complex-season-deal/|website=Sprtsnet-NHL|publisher=Sportsnet|access-date=April 22, 2018|date=December 27, 2017}} Bower eventually revealed his birth date as November 8, 1924.[http://www.greatesthockeylegends.com/2009/02/johnny-bower-goalie-for-all-ages.html Johnny Bower: A Goalie For All Ages, February 16, 2009]

He remains the AHL career leader in wins with 359.{{cite web|title=Hockey Reference: Johnny Bower|url=https://www.hockey-reference.com/players/b/bowerjo01.html|website=hockey-reference.com|access-date=27 December 2017}}{{cite web|title=AHL Hall of Fame: Goaltending Wins|url=https://ahlhalloffame.com/wins|website=ahlhalloffame.com|access-date=27 December 2017}}

Post-retirement and death

Bower worked for the Maple Leafs after his retirement in various capacities, including as a scout and a goalie coach. He was assistant coach for the Leafs from 1976 to 1978. He retired in 1990 but continued to make public appearances on behalf of the organization for the rest of his life.{{cite web|last1=Rush|first1=Curtis|title=Maple Leafs legend Johnny Bower endures as ambassador, icon|url=https://www.thestar.com/sports/leafs/2014/12/09/maple_leafs_legend_johnny_bower_endures_as_ambassador_icon.html|website=Toronto Star|publisher=John Boynton|access-date=27 December 2017|date=9 Dec 2014}}

File:Hockey Hall of Fame exhibit Bower.jpg. Bower was inducted into the Hall in 1976.]]

Bower was elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1976, and to the AHL Hall of Fame as a member of its inaugural class in 2006. In 1998, he was ranked number 87 on The Hockey News' list of the 100 Greatest NHL Players. He was inducted into the Etobicoke Sports Hall of Fame in 1994, and into the Ontario Sports Hall of Fame in 1999.{{cite web |title=Johnny Bower |url=http://oshof.ca/index.php/honoured-members/item/56-johnny-bower |website=oshof.ca |publisher=Ontario Sports Hall of Fame |access-date=24 September 2014 |archive-date=21 December 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141221091029/http://oshof.ca/index.php/honoured-members/item/56-johnny-bower |url-status=dead }} He was married to Nancy and had a son, two daughters, eight grandchildren and six great-grandchildren, and resided in Mississauga, Ontario. After a city park near his house was renamed in his honour, he would routinely clean litter there, and feed the birds.

In January 2004, Bower was featured on a postage stamp. As part of the NHL All-Stars Collection, he was immortalized along with five other All-Stars.Canada's Stamp Details, January to March 2004, Volume XIII, No. 1 In 2005, the Royal Canadian Mint featured Bower on a non-circulating fifty-cent coin, as part of its four-coin Legends of the Toronto Maple Leafs coin set.The Charlton Standard Catalogue of Canadian Coins, 61st Edition, p.209, W.K. Cross, Editor, 2007, The Charlton Press, Toronto, Ontario, {{ISBN|0-88968-315-8}} In 2007, it was announced that Bower would receive a star on Canada's Walk of Fame.

On October 7, 2010, Bower opened the first game of the regular season for the Toronto Maple Leafs at Air Canada Centre by walking out on an implied "bridge over water" with his goalie stick.{{cite AV media|date=7 Oct 2010 |title=Hockey Night in Canada: Toronto Maple Leafs Home Opener--Oct 7, 2010 |medium=Television |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ysEEBHbA24Y |access-date=26 Dec 2017 |location=Toronto, ON |publisher=CBC Sports}}

File:Johnnybower 2013 photo attribute Scott Alexander.jpg signing in Surrey, B.C. in 2013]]

On May 24, 2014, Bower attended a street renaming ceremony in Weston in Toronto. Patika Avenue, where he lived during the 1960s, was renamed Johnny Bower Boulevard.{{cite news |url=https://www.thestar.com/business/real_estate/2014/05/24/legendary_leaf_johnny_bower_scores_hometown_welcome.html |title=Legendary Leaf Johnny Bower scores hometown welcome |newspaper=Toronto Star |date=May 4, 2014}}{{cite news |url=http://www.torontosun.com/2014/05/24/toronto-road-named-after-leafs-legend-johnny-bower |title=Toronto road named after legendary Leaf Johnny Bower |newspaper=Toronto Sun |date=May 24, 2014}} He said, "It’s a great day for me and my family...this is a better ovation than I used to get at Maple Leaf Gardens."

On September 6, 2014, the Maple Leafs named him and Darryl Sittler two of the first three inductees of Legends Row (Ted Kennedy had been inducted some months earlier), with statues outside Air Canada Centre of twelve of the greatest players in Maple Leafs history.{{cite news|title=Maple Leafs Legends Row starts with Ted Kennedy, Darryl Sittler, Johnny Bower|url=https://www.thestar.com/sports/leafs/2014/09/06/maple_leaf_legends_row_unveils_first_three_honourees.html|website=Toronto Star|date=6 September 2014 |access-date=19 June 2015}}

On December 26, 2017, Bower died at the age of 93 from pneumonia.{{cite web|url=http://www.cbc.ca/sports/hockey/nhl/johnny-bower-maple-leafs-dead-1.4464967|title=Maple Leafs legend Johnny Bower dead at 93|last=Cleveland|first=Amy|date=2017-12-26|website=CBC Sports|access-date=2017-12-26}} In the days following Bower's death, many teams, including the Maple Leafs, Winnipeg Jets, Arizona Coyotes and Toronto Raptors of the National Basketball Association honoured Bower with pre-game tributes.

{{cite web|url = http://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/maple-leafs-coyotes-honour-late-johnny-bower-moment-silence/ | title = Maple Leafs, Coyotes Honour Late Johnny Bower with Moment of Silence|work = Sportsnet | publisher = Rogers Communication | date = December 28, 2017 | access-date = January 3, 2018}}
{{cite news |url=https://www.nhl.com/jets/video/jets-salute-johnny-bower/t-277437442/c-56176503 |title=Jets Salute Johnny Bower |publisher=National Hockey League |date=December 27, 2017 |access-date=January 3, 2018}}
{{cite web| last=Zeisberger |first= Mike|url = https://www.nhl.com/news/maple-leafs-pay-tribute-to-johnny-bower-with-jerseys-and-ceremony/c-294590230 | title = Maple Leafs pay tribute to Bower|publisher=National Hockey League | date = January 2, 2018 | access-date = January 3, 2018}}
{{cite web|url = http://www.sportsnet.ca/basketball/nba/raptors-pay-tribute-maple-leafs-legend-johnny-bower/ | title = Raptors pay tribute to Maple Leafs legend Johnny Bower|work = Sportsnet | publisher = Rogers Communications | date = December 29, 2017 | access-date = January 3, 2018}} On January 3, the Maple Leafs hosted a public celebration of Bower's life at the Air Canada Centre. The event was attended by thousands, including various NHL alumni, members of the current Maple Leafs team, members of the Canadian Armed Forces and other major figures.{{cite web|url = https://www.thestar.com/sports/leafs/2018/01/03/leafs-to-pay-tribute-wednesday-to-johnny-bower-at-acc.html | title = Johnny Bower tribute at ACC brings out hockey royalty|work = Toronto Star | date = January 3, 2018 | access-date = January 3, 2018}}{{cite news| last=Warmington|first=Joe |url = http://torontosun.com/news/local-news/celebration-of-life-at-acc-will-be-a-fitting-tribute-for-maple-leafs-great-johnny-bower | title = Celebration of life at ACC will be a fitting tribute for Maple Leafs great Johnny Bower|newspaper = Toronto Sun | publisher = Postmedia Network | date = January 3, 2018 | access-date = January 3, 2018}} The memorial was televised across several channels in Canada, and in accordance with the event, Toronto Mayor John Tory declared January 3 to be Johnny Bower Day in the city of Toronto.{{cite web|url = https://globalnews.ca/news/3941653/johnny-bower-memorial-service/ | title = Memorial service being held in Toronto for hockey legend Johnny Bower|work = Global News | publisher = Corus Entertainment | date = January 3, 2018 | access-date = January 3, 2018}} For the remainder of the {{nhly|2017}} season, the Maple Leafs wore patches on their jerseys and helmets in honour of Bower.{{cite web|url = http://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/maple-leafs-honour-bower-celebration-life-uniform-patches/ | title = Maple Leafs to honour Bower with celebration of life, uniform patches|work = Sportsnet | publisher = Rogers Communications | date = December 28, 2017 | access-date = January 3, 2018}}

Legacy

Bower was the first goaltender to employ the poke check, an aggressive move whereby the goalie uses his stick to poke the puck away from an attacking player, sometimes leaving his crease to do so. This move has since been imitated by goaltenders at all levels of hockey.{{cite web|title=NHL.com: Bower dies at age 93|url=https://www.nhl.com/news/johnny-bower-dies-at-age-93/c-294370466|publisher=National Hockey League|access-date=27 December 2017}}{{cite web|title=The Aggressive Poke Check|url=http://stevedaviesgoalietraining.com/the-aggressive-poke-check/|website=stevedaviesgoalietraining.com|access-date=27 December 2017}}{{cite web|last1=Ritter|first1=Mark|title=Has the Poke Check become a thing of the past?|url=http://bleacherreport.com/articles/497996-johnny-bower-has-the-poke-check-become-a-thing-of-the-past|website=bleacherreport.com|access-date=27 December 2017}}

Awards and honours

File:Johnny Bower star on Walk of Fame.jpg.]]

Three-time Hap Holmes Memorial Award: 1952, 1957, 1958{{cite web|title=Harry Hap Holmes Memorial Award|url=https://ahlhalloffame.com/harry-hap-holmes-memorial-award|website=AHL Hall of Fame|access-date=27 December 2017}}
Two-time Vezina Trophy winner in {{nhly|1960}}, {{nhly|1964}}{{cite web|title=Johnny Bower Stats and News|url=https://www.nhl.com/player/johnny-bower-8449835|publisher=National Hockey League|access-date=27 December 2017}}
Four-time Stanley Cup winner: {{nhly|1961}}, {{nhly|1962}}, {{nhly|1963}}, {{nhly|1966}}
Selected to NHL first All-Star team in 1961{{cite web|title=1961 NHL All-Star Game Rosters|url=https://www.hockey-reference.com/allstar/NHL_1961_roster.html|website=hockey-reference.com|access-date=27 December 2017}}
Played in 1961 NHL All-Star Game
Three-time Les Cunningham Award winner: 1956, 1957, 1958{{cite web|title=Les Cunningham Award|url=https://ahlhalloffame.com/les-cunningham-award|website=AHL Hall of Fame|access-date=27 December 2017}}
Three-time Calder Cup winner: 1948, 1951, 1953{{cite web|title=Calder Cup Champions: The Players|url=https://ahlhalloffame.com/calder-cup-champions-the-players|website=AHL Hall of Fame|access-date=27 December 2017}}
The Hockey News' list of the Top 100 NHL Players of All Time: #87{{cite news|last1=Kay|first1=Jason|title=The Top 100 NHL players of all-time, throwback style|url=http://www.thehockeynews.com/news/article/the-top-100-nhl-players-of-all-time-throwback-style|website=The Hockey News|access-date=27 December 2017}}
Hockey Hall of Fame inductee (class of 1976){{cite web|title=Bower, Johnny -- Honoured Player|url=http://www.hhof.com/LegendsOfHockey/jsp/LegendsMember.jsp?type=Player&mem=P197601&list=ByPosition&pos=G|website=Hockey Hall of Fame|access-date=27 December 2017}}
AHL Hall of Fame inductee (class of 2006){{cite web|title=Johnny Bower - AHL Hall of Fame|url=https://ahlhalloffame.com/johnny-bower|website=American Hockey League Hall of Fame|access-date=27 December 2017}}
Star on Canada's Walk of Fame{{cite web|title=Johnny Bower|url=https://www.canadaswalkoffame.com/inductees/2007/johnny-bower|website=Canada's Walk of Fame|access-date=27 December 2017}}
Number 1 retired by the Cleveland Monsters (for his career with the Cleveland Barons){{cite web|last1=Peticca|first1=Mike|title=Lake Erie Monsters add to Cleveland's rich hockey history in AHL Calder Cup 2016|url=http://www.cleveland.com/monsters/index.ssf/2016/05/lake_erie_monsters_add_to_clev.html|website=The Plain Dealer|date=31 May 2016 |access-date=27 December 2017}}
Number 1 retired by the Toronto Maple Leafs (alongside Turk Broda){{cite web|title=Toronto Maple Leafs retire the numbers of 17 players|date=15 October 2016 |url=https://www.nhl.com/mapleleafs/news/toronto-maple-leafs-retire-the-numbers-of-17-players/c-282696202|publisher=National Hockey League|access-date=27 December 2017}}
In January 2017, Bower was part of the first group of players to be named one of the '100 Greatest NHL Players' in history.

Career statistics

=Regular season and playoffs=

border="0" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="0" style="width:90%; text-align:center;"
bgcolor="#e0e0e0" ! colspan="3" bgcolor="#ffffff" \| ! rowspan="99" bgcolor="#ffffff" \| ! colspan="9" bgcolor="#e0e0e0" \| Regular season ! rowspan="99" bgcolor="#ffffff" \| ! colspan="8" bgcolor="#e0e0e0" \| Playoffs
bgcolor="#e0e0e0" ! Season ! Team ! League ! GP !! W !! L !! T !! MIN !! GA !! SO !! GAA !! SV% ! GP !! W !! L !! MIN !! GA !! SO !! GAA !! SV%
1944–45 \| Prince Albert Black Hawks \| SJHL \| 10	5	4	1	630	27	0	2.57	— \| —	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
bgcolor="#f0f0f0" \| 1944–45 \| Laura Beavers \| SIHA \| —	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	— \| 1	0	0	60	3	0	3.00	—
1944–45 \| Prince Albert Black Hawks \| M-Cup \| —	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	— \| 3	0	3	180	23	0	7.67	—
bgcolor="#f0f0f0" \| 1945–46 \| Cleveland Barons \| AHL \| 41	18	17	6	2460	160	4	3.90	— \| —	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
1945–46 \| Providence Reds \| AHL \| 1	0	1	0	48	4	0	5.00	— \| —	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
bgcolor="#f0f0f0" \| 1946–47 \| Cleveland Barons \| AHL \| 40	22	11	7	2400	124	3	3.10	— \| —	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
1947–48 \| Cleveland Barons \| AHL \| 31	18	6	6	1880	83	1	2.65	— \| —	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
bgcolor="#f0f0f0" \| 1948–49 \| Cleveland Barons \| AHL \| 37	23	9	5	2200	127	3	3.43	— \| 5	2	3	329	23	0	4.19	—
1949–50 \| Cleveland Barons \| AHL \| 61	38	15	8	3660	201	5	3.30	— \| 9	4	5	548	27	0	2.96	—
bgcolor="#f0f0f0" \| 1950–51 \| Cleveland Barons \| AHL \| 70	44	21	5	4280	213	5	2.99	— \| 11	8	3	703	32	0	2.73	—
1951–52 \| Cleveland Barons \| AHL \| 68	44	19	5	4110	165	3	2.41	— \| 5	2	3	300	17	0	3.40	—
bgcolor="#f0f0f0" \| 1952–53 \| Cleveland Barons \| AHL \| 61	40	19	2	3680	155	6	2.53	— \| 11	7	4	745	21	4	1.69	—
1953–54 \| New York Rangers \| NHL \| 70	29	31	10	4200	182	5	2.60	— \| —	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
bgcolor="#f0f0f0" \| 1954–55 \| Vancouver Canucks \| WHL \| 63	30	25	8	3780	171	7	2.71	— \| 5	1	4	300	16	0	3.20	—
1954–55 \| New York Rangers \| NHL \| 5	2	2	1	300	13	0	2.60	— \| —	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
bgcolor="#f0f0f0" \| 1955–56 \| Providence Reds \| AHL \| 61	45	14	2	3710	174	3	2.81	— \| 9	7	2	540	23	0	2.56	—
1956–57 \| New York Rangers \| NHL \| 2	0	2	0	120	6	0	3.50	.882 \| —	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
bgcolor="#f0f0f0" \| 1956–57 \| Providence Reds \| AHL \| 57	30	19	8	3501	138	4	2.37	— \| 5	1	4	300	15	0	3.00	—
1957–58 \| Cleveland Barons \| AHL \| 64	37	23	3	3870	140	8	2.17	— \| —	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
bgcolor="#f0f0f0" \| 1958–59 \| Toronto Maple Leafs \| NHL \| 39	15	17	7	2340	106	3	2.74	.913 \| 12	5	7	746	38	0	3.06	.906
1959–60 \| Toronto Maple Leafs \| NHL \| 66	34	24	8	3960	177	5	2.68	.918 \| 10	4	6	645	31	0	2.88	.916
bgcolor="#f0f0f0" \| 1960–61 \| Toronto Maple Leafs \| NHL \| 58	33	15	10	3480	145	2	2.50	.922 \| 3	0	3	180	8	0	2.67	.911
1961–62 \| Toronto Maple Leafs \| NHL \| 59	31	18	10	3540	151	2	2.58	.918 \| 10	6	3	579	20	0	2.07	.927
bgcolor="#f0f0f0" \| 1962–63 \| Toronto Maple Leafs \| NHL \| 42	20	15	7	2520	109	1	2.62	.913 \| 10	8	2	600	16	2	1.60	.949
1963–64 \| Toronto Maple Leafs \| NHL \| 51	24	16	11	3009	106	5	2.11	.933 \| 14	8	6	850	30	2	2.12	.930
bgcolor="#f0f0f0" \| 1964–65 \| Toronto Maple Leafs \| NHL \| 34	13	13	8	2040	81	3	2.38	.924 \| 5	2	3	321	13	0	2.43	.916
1965–66 \| Toronto Maple Leafs \| NHL \| 35	18	10	5	1998	75	3	2.25	.929 \| 2	0	2	120	8	0	4.00	.893
bgcolor="#f0f0f0" \| 1966–67 \| Toronto Maple Leafs \| NHL \| 27	12	9	3	1431	63	2	2.64	.924 \| 4	2	0	183	5	1	1.64	.957
1967–68 \| Toronto Maple Leafs \| NHL \| 43	14	18	7	2329	84	4	2.25	.934 \| —	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
bgcolor="#f0f0f0" \| 1968–69 \| Toronto Maple Leafs \| NHL \| 20	5	4	3	779	37	2	2.85	.910 \| 4	0	2	154	11	0	4.29	.888
1969–70 \| Toronto Maple Leafs \| NHL \| 1	0	1	0	60	5	0	5.00	.868 \| —	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
bgcolor="#e0e0e0" ! colspan=3 \| AHL totals ! 592 !! 359 !! 174 !! 57 !! 35,799 !! 1684 !! 45 !! 2.82 !! — ! 55 !! 31 !! 24 !! 3465 !! 158 !! 4 !! 2.74 !! —
bgcolor="#e0e0e0" ! colspan=3 \| NHL totals ! 552 !! 250 !! 195 !! 90 !! 32,016 !! 1340 !! 37 !! 2.51 !! .922 ! 74 !! 35 !! 34 !! 4378 !! 180 !! 5 !! 2.47 !! .922

References

External links

{{icehockeystats|legendsm=P197601}}
[https://web.archive.org/web/20070929120941/http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/news/sports/story.html?id=1ec520be-ed2c-4bfc-b2c5-5aea972b82e7&k=63213&p=2 Age never got in Bower's way]
[https://web.archive.org/web/20070704070051/http://www.ahlhalloffame.com/pagebank/index.html?id=29 AHL Hall of Fame bio]
[https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/johnny-bower Entry at thecanadianencyclopedia.ca]
{{Discogs artist|Johnny Bower}}

{{succession box | before = Jacques Plante | title = Winner of the Vezina Trophy | years = 1961| after = Jacques Plante}}

{{succession box | before = Charlie Hodge | title = Winner of the Vezina Trophy
with Terry Sawchuk| years = 1965| after = Gump Worsley
and Charlie Hodge}}