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John William Bower (born John Kiszkan on November 8, 1924), nicknamed "The China Wall", is a Hockey Hall of Fame goaltender and the last goaltender to win the Stanley Cup for the Toronto Maple Leafs. ==Playing career== Bower (who is of Ukrainian descent〔(FOCUS ON PHILATELY ), The Ukrainian Weekly (February 1, 2004)〕) served with the Canadian Army during World War II in England from 1940 to 1943 and was discharged due to rheumatoid arthritis. After the war, Bower returned to Prince Albert in 1943 to play junior hockey in Prince Albert and in the AHL, largely for the Cleveland Barons, for 11 seasons in the late 1940s and 1950s, and proved himself the star goaltender of the circuit, winning numerous awards and leading his teams to three Calder Cup championships. During his first professional year of hockey, he changed his name from John Kiszkan to Bower, to make it easier for sports writers.〔(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 He was finally picked up by the New York Rangers of the NHL for the season, but was sent back down to the minor leagues the following season. Bower would toil in the minors four more years in Providence (Reds 1945–46, 1955–56 and 1956–57), Vancouver (Canucks 1954–55), Cleveland (Barons 1945–53 and 1957–58) and then again with the Rangers in , before being claimed by the Toronto Maple Leafs in the 1958 Inter-League Draft. He would play 11 full seasons in all with the Leafs, the remainder of his career.〔(Johnny Bower (1953-70) )〕 The height of his NHL career came during the Maple Leafs' three consecutive Stanley Cup victories in the early 1960s: , , and . After the 1962 victory, Bower complained about Bobby Hull, Chicago Black Hawks left-winger and his hard slap shot, improved from that of Montreal Canadiens right-wing Bernie Geoffrion. Bower said, "He needs another shot like I need a hole in the head, which I may get." His career would be hampered by poor eyesight, but despite that he remained a top-tier goaltender. He was known for his hard-nosed, scrappy playing style and would win another Stanley Cup in 1967 in tandem with another Hall of Famer (Terry Sawchuk). Bower claimed, "I wasn't all that glad to see the two-goalie system come in. I wanted to play as many games as I could." Bower and Sawchuk shared the Vezina Trophy when the Leafs allowed the fewest goals in the NHL in . On April 22, 1967, in the second game of the Stanley Cup Finals, he shut out the Montreal Canadiens for his fifth (and final) career playoff shutout — four of them against the Canadiens.〔(Leafs Trump Habs with Right Bower ) The Montreal Gazette - April 24, 1967, page 25. Retrieved 2010-08-16〕 In the third game of the Stanley Cup Finals, on April 25, 1967, and in his last Stanley Cup Finals appearance, he became the second-oldest goalie to play in the Finals at the age of 42 years, 5 months, 17 days (refer to Lester Patrick for record). The Leafs won in double overtime when Bob Pulford scored.〔(Pulford Gives Leafs 3-2 Overtime Win ) The Montreal Gazette - April 26, 1967, page 39. Retrieved 2010-08-16〕 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.〔(Punch fired as Leafs Ousted ) The Montreal Gazette - April 7, 1969, page 21. Retrieved 2010-08-16〕 His last full season was . He played his final game on December 10, 1969, a 6–3 loss to Montreal;〔(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 ever to participate in an NHL game, and remains the oldest goaltender (45 years, 1 month, 2 days). Forward Gordie Howe would become the NHL's oldest player ever a decade later while playing for the Hartford Whalers: he played his final regular-season game on April 6, 1980, aged 52 years and 6 days, and his final playoff game on April 11, aged 52 years and 11 days. Defenceman Chris Chelios would pass Bower for second-oldest on April 6, 2010, when he played his final game at 48 years, 2 months, and 12 days as a member of the Atlanta Thrashers. On March 19, 1970, Bower publicly announced his official retirement — four months after his 45th birthday. When asked, in light of his retirement, if he might reveal his true age, he replied "If you don't know by now, you never will".〔 He subsequently revealed his birth date as November 8, 1924.〔(Johnny Bower: A Goalie For All Ages, February 16, 2009 )〕 His regular season career statistics include: 552 games played, 250 wins, 195 losses, 90 ties, 37 shutouts and a 2.51 GAA. In addition, he remains the AHL career leader in wins and shutouts. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Johnny Bower」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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