Still a mystery
Toronto defenseman goes missing after scoring winning goal
One of the answers in today’s Tuesday Trivia referenced the series-winning goal in 1951 that was scored by Toronto defenseman Bill Barilko.
The goal that gave the Maple Leafs the win over Montreal would be the last goal scored by Barilko and the final time most people saw him.
Toronto had a 3-1 series lead over the Canadiens as the teams met in Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final on April 21, 1951. Each of the first four games had gone to overtime.
Game 5 did as well, tied 2-2.
A little less than three minutes into the extra session, Toronto controlled the puck behind Montreal's goal.
Suddenly, it skimmed out toward the left side of the blue line. Barilko seized the moment, charged, and -- virtually in full flight -- shot the puck over goalie Gerry McNeil for the Cup-winner.
It was Toronto’s fifth Stanley Cup title in seven years dating back to 1945.
On Aug. 26, Barilko left with his dentist, Henry Hudson for a fishing trip to northern Quebec.
His mother begged him not to go. Barilko’s father had died on a Friday five years earlier. She did not want her son to take a chance on anything on a Friday.
She was so angry with him when he decided to go, she refused to kiss him goodbye.
Fishing went well on the trip as the men captured more than 150 pounds of fish. They then decided to return home, but the fish would weigh down the plane heavily. Also, a storm was approaching.
On the return trip, the plane disappeared, and the passengers were listed as missing.
There was a search using six planes, but that would soon increase into a massive search and rescue operation.
One of the men taking part in the search for Barilko as Flight Officer Shep Mayer of the 408 Squadron of the Royal Canadian Air Force. He had played for the Toronto Maple Leafs for two games, registering three points.
In all, the Royal Canadian Air Force searched an area of 78,000 square kilometers, or more than 38,000 square miles. That included flying at 500 feet to see everything they could. In all, the two-month search cost $385,000, or $3.7 million in today’s funds.
On June 6, 1962, a helicopter pilot named Gary Fields discovered the wreckage 100 kilometers (about 62 miles) north of Cochrane, Ontario. He had seen a glint of something in the trees and later called it in to be investigated.
As soon as people arrived at the crash site, it was clear what they had just solved the mystery of Bill Barilko. The letters of CF-FXT were seen, which was part of the registration number of the missing plane.
Both men were still in their seats, strapped in and were believed to have been killed on impact. They still had the remains of fish in their pontoon. This was a full 56 kilometers (35 miles) off course. The cause of the crash was listed as pilot inexperience, weather and too much cargo.
The searchers who found the plane said that the fuel tank had apparently exploded in the crash, and the plane was partially burned, as were the bodies inside. The plane also created a hole eight feet wide and three feet deep when it crashed. The wings broke off in the crash.
Tributes for the hockey star came in from across Canada.
Barilko’s funeral was attended by 100 of his friends and family, including several hockey players. His pall bearers included two hockey players, Allan Stanley and Harry Watson.
His No. 5 was retired by the Maple Leafs to honor him. He is buried at the Timmins, Ontario Memorial Cemetery.
Not the best quality, but here’s a song about Bill Barilko by a group called The Tragically Hip:
SOURCES: Canadian Encyclopedia, HockeyDB.com, Wikipedia, Alberta Newspaper Archive, Sportsnet, The Toronto Star, Windsor Star, Sault Ste Star, Calgary Albertan, originalhockeyhalloffame.com.