Bill Barilko hockey stick on auction 74 years after Maple Leaf legend's Stanley Cup-winning OT goal

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Kitchener-Waterloo

A "game-issued" woody hockey instrumentality said to person belonged to Bill Barilko, who scored the overtime victor to unafraid Toronto Maple Leafs' Stanley Cup successful 1951, is connected the auction block.

Timmins-born Barilko, who spent his 5 NHL seasons with Toronto, died successful 1951 level crash

Kate Bueckert · CBC News

· Posted: Jun 20, 2025 11:42 AM EDT | Last Updated: 3 hours ago

Old benignant hockey instrumentality with achromatic tape

A hockey stick said to person been owned and signed by Bill Barilko, the Toronto Maple Leaf who scored the Stanley Cup-winning extremity successful overtime successful 1951 and died astatine property 24 successful a level clang that summer, is connected the auction block.

Miller and Miller Auctions, based retired of New Hamburg, Ont., is selling the "game-issued" woody stick from the 1950-51 season. The stamped "5" near the apical of the stick indicates it was issued to Bill Barilko as it was his fig that season, the auction location says.

Barilko, calved successful Timmins, Ont., played 252 games successful the NHL, spending his five seasons with Toronto. The defenceman's aggression connected the crystal earned him the nickname Bashin Bill.

For many, his Game 5 marker against the Montreal Canadiens connected April 21, 1951, is 1 of hockey's astir celebrated. It helped captured the Maple Leafs' 4th Cup successful 5 years.

But it was besides Barilko's past goal.

In August the aforesaid year, helium was connected a sportfishing travel to James Bay erstwhile the level helium was successful went down. The Leafs didn't triumph different Cup until 1962. Six weeks later, the clang tract and Barilko's assemblage were located.

His communicative inspired the Tragically Hip opus Fifty-Mission Cap.

Benjamin Pernfuss, consignment manager successful the sports class astatine Miller and Miller, called the stick a "unique find."

"It's 1 of those items that gives you a unreserved erstwhile you clasp it successful your hand, conscionable knowing that you're touching a portion of history," Pernfuss told CBC Kitchener-Waterloo's The Morning Edition.

"Every day, I'm successful antithetic people's collections and seeing items, and it's not each time that I spot thing I haven't seen before. But this is 1 of those items and it truly brought maine a batch of joyousness to source it and offer [it] for sale."

LISTEN | The vigor telephone from 1951 erstwhile the Leafs' Bill Barilko scored the Stanley Cup OT winner:

Listen to the vigor telephone from 1951 erstwhile Bill Barilko won the Leafs the Cup

After mysteriously vanishing, the Toronto Maple Leafs wouldn't triumph different Stanley Cup until Barilko's remains were recovered 11 years later.

The instrumentality is taped for crippled usage successful a mode that matches Barilko's style, and puck marks and wear successful the little hand-grip area indicate the instrumentality was apt utilized successful a game, though Miller and Miller Auctions is incapable to corroborate that.

It's stamped with the sanction Love & Bennett, which astatine the clip supplied hockey sticks to the Maple Leafs.

The instrumentality was purportedly a acquisition to the proprietor of a bluish Ontario cottage who hosted Leaf players successful the off-season aft their Stanley Cup win, Miller and Miller Auctions says connected its website.

Pernfuss said the instrumentality includes different "identifiable" signatures, including: Turk Broda, Ted Kennedy, Joe Klukay, Cal Gardner, Fleming Mackell, Ray Timgren, Howie Meeker, Harry Watson, Bill Juzda, Sid Smith, Max Bentley, Al Rollins and Tod Sloan, who were each connected the 1951 team

Composite photograph of a achromatic and achromatic photograph of a antheral playing hockey, the afloat instrumentality to 1 broadside and a close-up of the grip with says "E 27 right" and has the fig "5".

Miller and Miller Auctions notes the signatures of Rollins and Sloan besides assistance day the instrumentality to the 1950-51 season.

"These 2 players did not transverse walk connected the Toronto Maple Leafs until the 1950-51 play and Barilko did not play aft that season, frankincense indicating the instrumentality was signed during the celebrated Stanley Cup winning year," the auction location says.

Miller and Miller anticipates the instrumentality volition spell for between $3,000 and $5,000 — bids adjacent Sunday evening — but Pernfuss said because it's truthful rare, "the entity is the limit" erstwhile it comes to what idiosyncratic whitethorn pay.

"There's not a batch of his memorabilia retired there, and the instrumentality was owned by Barilko and signed by him arsenic well. So it's a important portion and a uncommon point successful hockey history."

LISTEN | A portion of Maple Leafs hockey past goes up for auction:

The Morning Edition - K-W4:11A portion of Maple Leafs hockey past goes up for auction

Toronto Maple Leafs subordinate Bill Barilko’s hockey instrumentality is connected the auction artifact astatine Miller and Miller Auctions successful New Hamburg. Benjamin Pernfuss, the consignment manager successful the sports category, talks to america astir the past down the instrumentality and wherefore it's a blistery commodity for the auction.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Kate has been covering issues successful confederate Ontario for much than 20 years. She is presently the contented shaper for CBC Kitchener-Waterloo. Email: [email protected]

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