The last goal he ever scored

April 21, 2007 6:04 PM

The legend of Bill Barilko grows each year. It was April 21st, 1951, game 5 of the Stanley Cup final between the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Montreal Canadiens. At the 2:53 mark of the first overtime period, Bill Barilko scored the last goal of his life winning the Stanley Cup for the Leafs. The 24 year old defenseman perished in a light plane crash that summer while on a fishing trip to Northern Ontario. Not until his body was recovered 11 years later in the bush near Cochrane, Ontario, did the Leafs win another championship. How do you salute a Canadian legend of this magnitude? The Tragically Hip sing his praises, of course.
posted by booner (6 comments total)

previous mefi post
posted by neustile at 6:14 PM on April 21, 2007

Canada is so cute sometimes.
posted by BitterOldPunk at 6:14 PM on April 21, 2007

A live version of the above named song is here.
posted by davey_darling at 6:15 PM on April 21, 2007

Aw crap, I coulda swore this was unchartered territory.

My bad...
posted by booner at 6:15 PM on April 21, 2007

Stories about athletes (or musicians) who were on top of the world and then bam, gone, always get to me.

It's also weird to think he would've been 80 now. That never computes either. In the same way you can't imagine what that high school or college acquaintance killed in an accident might've been like years later.

OK, I'm going to stop being maudlin now.
posted by NorthernLite at 6:42 PM on April 21, 2007

Legend? Um...there isn't much substance to any of this. Beyond a sportsman dying. Not worth a FPP.
posted by fire&wings at 6:57 PM on April 21, 2007