Creative thoughts, great thread idea Phil as yes, he is I think for many a rather enigmatic player, goaltender. As in where would he rank on an All Time List (?). Nice job there as well mentioning his AHL career as that too an important factor in determining his place in the pantheons given that there were so few NHL jobs available (6) and that Johnny himself didnt really "arrive" until he was in his 30's, very reluctant to do so as he had a great thing going in Cleveland, good money, solid & stable, a young family to raise. Imlach as you pointed out in another thread essentially blackmailing him into reporting to the Leafs.
Not since Turk Brodas' retirement had the Leafs much in the way of stability in the crease despite some solid depth & talent, the club on the blue-line, up-front re-building, guys like Ed Chadwick & Don Simmons performing very well however for various reasons left Imlach wanting more. Impressed with Bower having encountered him on numerous occasions over several years in the minors, absolutely perfect fit, totally complimentary goalie for the system Punch intended to deploy. Johnny not only a total workhorse, but also very even tempered & easy going, worked well with vets & rookies alike, team player, and when it was all on the line a total money player. It wasnt for nought he was soon nicknamed the China Wall. Absolutely key, critical piece.
The closest modern day equivalency I think would be the dynamic that existed, was created in New Jersey with the Devils & Martin Brodeur, though Marty of course much more in the model of a Jacques Plante or Eddie Giacomin, a "Wanderer" who played the puck often well outside the crease. Bower on the other hand, much more stay-at-home as Imlach's system much more demanding on the Defencemen to keep back, back behind the Blue Line, Center, behind or on the densive zone face-off circles, the corners. The forwards back checking, covering their man, assignments. Shooting lanes open so Bower could see what was inbound. And in scrambles, Bower without a doubt, play in close one of the greatest. Extremely acrobatic. A real fighter. Aggressive. Like Brodeur & the Devils, no Marty no Cups, and with the Leafs, no Johnny, no Cups. He was the anchor though in a more passive-aggressive manner in the same mold as Broda had been.
During this period you had what many who were around for it referred to as the Big 6; Plante in Montreal (followed by Hodge & then primarily Worsley), Eddie Johnston in Boston, Glenn Hall in Chicago, Worsley followed by the then young & very dynamic Eddie Giacomin in New York, Sawchuk followed by Roger Crozier in Detroit who for 2 seasons played totally "lights out", absolutely sensational. Toronto, well, the Leafs had Johnny Bower & absolutely, considered THE BEST vs his immediate contemporaries of that era (app 58-67) though like Brodeur several generations later somewhat underrated & underappreciated due to the system the Devils & earlier the Leafs employed. With the exception of Montreal & to a lesser extent Detroit, Hall in Chicago, Worsley followed by Giacomin in NY, Johnston & then Cheevers in Boston, Sawchuk & Crozier in Detroit all called upon to really dig into their bags of tricks, that anything less than spectacular play & they lose. Only Montreal & Toronto totally solid defensively, man for man superior to the rest of the leagues rosters and with depth that trickled down to elite amateur, Junior B & A, Senior & Minor-pro. A fully integrated philosophy, approach to the game, the players growing up together from in some cases Atom, Pee Wee... and Winning at every level.
That Johnny Bower in Toronto... in Montreal, Plante, Hodge & Worsley, briefly Vachon & most certainly Dryden benefited from all of that, no question. No doubt about it. Thing is, had you put Glenn Hall in the Leafs net or Eddie Johnston in Montreals', they too would have shone just as brightly as did Plante, Worsley & Bower. So how then do you determine "who's #1, #2, #4" in terms of ranking them contemporaneously... beyond contemporaneously "All Time"? On any given night during that period, certainly during the Playoffs, one would watch Roger Croziers unbelievable act & go "wow... I have never seen such a string of mind blowing saves in a single game" only to catch another game a day or week later and its Glenn Hall's turn to absolutely amaze & stupefy, stun.... followed by Bower a day later.... Terry Sawchuk... Eddie Johnston's heroics on some nights backing up the hapless Bruins totally standing on his head but a forgotten Hero as the B's never did much damage, perennial doormats. Worsley going from Zero to Hero in a NY Minute. So who really was "the best"? The "greatest"?..... I dont know. I cant answer that question & I know a little bit about goaltending & goaltenders. When your dealing with the quality were talking about here, the best from earlier & later eras', to me their ALL #1, just varying degree's of success, Cup Wins etc, and those things a matter of luck & circumstance as to what organization you wind up with.
Non-answer perhaps? Not for me its not. Its one of the reasons I dont participate in ATD's. I just have a real problem with stating categorically that so & so is/was the Best Goalie All Time when absolutely luck plays so significant a role in how ones career unfolds. I dont mean "lucky saves". I mean where did this guy play amateur & Junior, where in Europe, Russia... who were his Coaches... what was his record... what teams did he play for on the way up, on the way out... how is his skating, glove hand, positioning etc etc etc etc etc..... break it all down. Take the guy apart piece x piece technically, clinically. And when I do that, I come up with several Greatest Ever Goalies, impossible to rank one higher than the other. Does not compute. So I'm not going to fight the numbers. I have "Classes" of Greatest Ever. "Class A" - "Class B" - then "Class C" of Goalies who's games were incomplete. Johnny Bower along with guys like Durnan, Broda, Plante, Hall, Sawchuk, Tretiak, Dryden, Cheevers & others I put in "Class A". I will not then rank 1-10 or whatever Class A. Not happenin. I dont consider it to be intellectually honest however I dont mind, no issue with those who do enjoy ranking & rating guys 1-10, 1-100, 1-1000... whatever turns your crank. I just dont think that way. Different. I know it. Not alone either. Room for everyone here so no probs.
