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, nee Jacobson.
23 Facts About Johnny Bower
2.
Johnny Bower taught himself how to play hockey, using a branch as a stick, and made himself goalie pads out of old mattresses.
3.
Johnny Bower was discharged due to rheumatoid arthritis in his hands.
4.
Johnny Bower told various stories about his name change, including that "Johnny Bower" was his mother's maiden name, or that he was adopted.
5.
Johnny Bower's surname was legally changed during his first year of professional hockey.
6.
Johnny Bower played in all 70 games that season and recorded 29 wins.
7.
Nonetheless, Johnny Bower preferred to stay with the Barons, as he was tired of moving all over the country.
8.
Johnny Bower's career was hampered by poor eyesight, but he remained a top-tier goaltender.
9.
Johnny Bower 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.
10.
On March 19,1970, Johnny Bower publicly announced his retirement, four months after his 45th birthday.
11.
Johnny Bower remains the AHL career leader in wins with 359.
12.
Johnny Bower worked for the Maple Leafs after his retirement in various capacities, including as a scout and a goalie coach.
13.
Johnny Bower was assistant coach for the Leafs from 1976 to 1978.
14.
Johnny Bower retired in 1990, but continued to make public appearances on behalf of the organization for the rest of his life.
15.
Johnny 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.
16.
Johnny Bower was inducted into the Etobicoke Sports Hall of Fame in 1994, and into the Ontario Sports Hall of Fame in 1999.
17.
Johnny Bower was married to Nancy and had a son, two daughters, eight grandchildren and six great-grandchildren, and resided in Mississauga, Ontario.
18.
In January 2004, Johnny Bower was featured on a postage stamp.
19.
In 2007, it was announced that Johnny Bower would receive a star on Canada's Walk of Fame.
20.
On October 7,2010, Johnny 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.
21.
On May 24,2014, Johnny Bower attended a street renaming ceremony in Weston in Toronto.
22.
On December 26,2017, Johnny Bower died at the age of 93 from pneumonia.
23.
Johnny 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.