NHL Hockey Trivia: Bill Barilko of the Toronto Maple Leafs

Bill Barilko played just five years in the National Hockey League in the late 1940’s and early 1950’s, yet his name remains one of the most recognizable amongst Canadian hockey fans to this day. Barilko went missing in dense Northern Ontario forest following a plane crash. His death came shortly after his overtime goal in game five of the Stanley Cup finals gave Toronto the victory over the Montreal Canadiens.

Test and expand your hockey trivia knowledge of Bill Barilko with the following four trivia questions.

Q. What minor league team did Bill Barilko play for before being called up to the Toronto Maple Leafs?

A. Barilko played 1945-46 and 1946-47 with the Hollywood Wolves of the Pacific Coast Hockey League. Barilko was called away from Hollywood after 47 games in 1946-47. The Wolves finished first in the South Division that season but lost in the play-offs semi-final. It was the last season the Wolves existed. Bill was supposed to be heading to the Pittsburgh Hornets of the American Hockey League when he was called away from Hollywood. He never played in the NHL and instead went directly to the Maple Leafs.

Q. What Montreal Canadiens goaltender was in net when Bill Barilko scored the overtime game winning goal in game five of the 1951 Stanley Cup championships?

A. Gerry McNeil was the unfortunate soul to allow the game and series winning goal by Barilko. It, of course, was the last goal the Bill ever scored. McNeil played in the NHL from 1947-48 to 1956-57, all with the Montreal Canadiens. Gerry was the number one goaltender in Montreal until the end of the 1953-54 season when Jacques Plante took over and McNeil drifted off into obscurity.

Q. How many Stanley Cup winning teams was Bill Barilko a member of?

A. Incredibly, in his five years with the Toronto Maple Leafs, they won the Stanley Cup four times. In 1946-47 and 1950-51 they beat the Montreal Canadiens and in 1947-48 and 1948-49 they beat the Detroit Red Wings. In each series with the Red Wings, Toronto swept the Detroit in four games. Hap Day was the head coach of the Maple Leafs for the first three championships while Joe Primeau was the coach in 1951.

Q. How many all-star games did Bill Barilko play in?

A. In the era when Barilko played in the NHL, the all-star game consisted of the Stanley Cup winning team from the previous spring playing against the best players from the other five teams. Therefore, Barilko played in three all-star games and would have played a fourth in 1951.