Why was Johnny Bower so popular for appearances ?

[pucksakes666]

I know he was a legendary goalie, but compared to Frank Mahovlich he was way more popular. Can anyone that met maybe fill me on how he was like at the dinners and meet and greets?

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[crump]

Just a guy everyone liked. Great personality, absolutely no inflated ego. George Armstrong was kind of like that too. Also there was some friction between Frank and Imlach. Traded on a sour note. Ballard and Imlach dismantled a great franchise.

Read this insane account of the way Mahovlich was treated.

 

[Rants Mulliniks]

Bower, my favourite player, was the absolute nicest guy you could ever meet. Literally the moment you talked to him you would swear he was your beloved grandfather. Just a sweet, sweet man. Everyone who ever met him says the same. That also includes those who played against him. There's some pretty iconic photos of him and Gordie Howe as well as stories.

Happy to have gotten him to autograph a goalie stick for me and we took a picture together with the two of us holding my Bower jersey.

My biggest Leaf regret was him passing before they could win again. The man kept two bottles of champagne from the 1967 locker room of their last championship, one which was destined to be opened when they next won. God knows what it would taste like but it saddens me he never got to crack it.

 

[WillyC]

see the Jack Campbell threads for perspective

 

[Mess]

I know he was a legendary goalie, but compared to Frank Mahovlich he was way more popular. Can anyone that met maybe fill me on how he was like at the dinners and meet and greets?

Likeable because we was humble, kind, compassionate and came across carefree and considerate.

I meet him at Sports Card show where he was signing autographs and one of the nicest people you could ever meet.

Johnny B could give Santa Claus a run for his money on the likeability scale and win.

 

[Rants Mulliniks]

Likeable because we was humble, kind, compassionate and came across carefree and considerate.

I meet him at Sports Card show where he was signing autographs and one of the nicest people you could ever meet.

Johnny B could give Santa Claus a run for his money on the likeability scale and win.

He did:

 

[Mess]

He did:

Wasn't sure many would catch that reference.

 

[Rants Mulliniks]

Wasn't sure many would catch that reference.

I'm old (and he's my favourite player).

 

[freshwind]

i was 10 and we were fishing up bobcaygeon way, we pulled our boat up to a dock with a store... my dad went to get some gas and snacks ... stopped outside the store and was talking to someone... when he got back in the boat i said that guy looks like johnny bower ... he said "it was" ....... i asked him what they talked about ... he said - fishing - said johnny was the most normal average person he had ever met ... just a guy out fishing.... it's the reason he was loved so much, he was just a genuinely nice normal human being... the world could certainly use more johnny bowers

 

[Da Cool Rula]

Several nice posts here. Well described him. A first met him as a shy kid at the earlier hockey hall of fame on the exhibition grounds. Well it was for an autograph, he took the time to ask me about school & what I wanted to be when I grew up. Then patted me on the shoulder. What a thrill as a kid. Such a nice genuine man.

 

[MarMarSab3]

Just a genuine good human being who loved being a Maple Leaf and being an ambassador of the game. Attended many public and private signings with him and always a class act. Add Norm Ullman to that as well.

 

[therealkoho]

Just a guy everyone liked. Great personality, absolutely no inflated ego. George Armstrong was kind of like that too. Also there was some friction between Frank and Imlach. Traded on a sour note. Ballard and Imlach dismantled a great franchise.

Read this insane account of the way Mahovlich was treated.

Punch was so old school that when he went to school they didn't have a school!

The Big M was loved by the Gardens crowd as was Horton, Shack and Keon, Punch saw this as players being bigger then the team,

The Big M was also a pretty shy and sensitive type of person, the kind of person a sadist like Imlach could easily dominate so he made Mahovlich his whipping boy, Keon was a nasty type and would give it back better then Imlach could dish it out, Shackie would set Imlach up and end up making a fool of him one way or the other. With Tim, it was that he was pretty even tempered until he got in his cups, then he was a totally different animal and Imlach was actually a little afraid of him so he left him alone.

Tim Horton's book "Open Ice" is really informative and provides a real look inside of the Leafs dressing room, warts and all. The author did extensive interviews with Army, Keon, Bobby Pulford, Tims daughter and exwife plus several others including a few of the people that covered the team in the heydays

 

[BayStBullies]

Bower, my favourite player, was the absolute nicest guy you could ever meet. Literally the moment you talked to him you would swear he was your beloved grandfather. Just a sweet, sweet man. Everyone who ever met him says the same. That also includes those who played against him. There's some pretty iconic photos of him and Gordie Howe as well as stories.

Happy to have gotten him to autograph a goalie stick for me and we took a picture together with the two of us holding my Bower jersey.

My biggest Leaf regret was him passing before they could win again. The man kept two bottles of champagne from the 1967 locker room of their last championship, one which was destined to be opened when they next won. God knows what it would taste like but it saddens me he never got to crack it.

I hope we all get to crack one for him.

 

[LeafChief]

He was a saint of a man. Met him a few times at the local GTA rinks.

 

[Mr Hockey]

Punch was so old school that when he went to school they didn't have a school!

thats a good one lool

 

[Le Cobra]

i was 10 and we were fishing up bobcaygeon way, we pulled our boat up to a dock with a store... my dad went to get some gas and snacks ... stopped outside the store and was talking to someone... when he got back in the boat i said that guy looks like johnny bower ... he said "it was" ....... i asked him what they talked about ... he said - fishing - said johnny was the most normal average person he had ever met ... just a guy out fishing.... it's the reason he was loved so much, he was just a genuinely nice normal human being... the world could certainly use more johnny bowers

I hope I come across as. Johnny Bower on the ice and off the ice

 

[notDatsyuk]

I met him a few times, he autographed my Bower sweater, and I got to chat with him for about twenty minutes once. Just an all-round sweetheart. When Mississauga named a park after him, he decided that it was his responsibility to keep it clean, and he did.

One of my best memories is of Peter Conacher telling me that my goaltending reminded him of Bower.

I have a bottle of the Maple Leafs special edition of Crown Royal. I opened it for one drink when Johnny passed, and had another for Army.