Johnny (The China Wall) Bower (b. November 8, 1925 in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan, Canada) is a Hockey Hall of Fame goalie. November 8 is the 312th day of the year (313th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 53 days remaining. ... 1925 was a common year starting on Thursday (link will take you to calendar). ... Prince Albert is the third largest city (after Saskatoon and Regina) in the province of Saskatchewan, Canada. ... Motto: Multis E Gentibus Vires (From many peoples, strength) Other Canadian provinces and territories Capital Regina Largest city Saskatoon Lieutenant Governor Lynda M. Haverstock Premier Lorne Calvert (NDP) Area 651,036 km² (7th) Land 591,670 km² Water 59,366 km² (9. ... The Hockey Hall of Fame is in Toronto, Ontario, Canada; it is devoted to ice hockey rather than the field variety of the game. ...

Bower played in the AHL -- largely for the Cleveland Barons -- for eleven 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. He was finally picked up by the New York Rangers of the NHL for the 1953-54 season, but was sent back down to the minor leagues the season following. Bower would toil in the minors four more years in Providence, Vancouver and Cleveland, before being claimed by the Toronto Maple Leafs in the 1958 Inter-League Draft. He would play eleven full seasons in all with the Leafs, the remainder of his career. The American Hockey League (AHL) is regarded as the top professional hockey league outside the National Hockey League (NHL). ... The Cleveland Barons were an ice hockey team in the American Hockey League. ... // Events and trends The 1940s were dominated by World War II, the most destructive armed conflict in history. ... // Events and trends The 1950s in Western society was marked with a sharp rise in the economy for the first time in almost 30 years and return to the 1920s-type consumer society built on credit and boom-times, as well as the height of the baby-boom from returning... The AHL prize. ... The New York Rangers (NYR) are a National Hockey League (NHL) team based in New York City, New York. ... The modernized NHL shield logo, debuting in 2005. ... The Toronto Maple Leafs are a National Hockey League (NHL) team based in Toronto, Ontario. ...

The height of his NHL career came during the Maple Leafs' three consecutive Stanley Cup victories in the early 1960s. His career would be hampered by poor eyesight, but despite that he remained a top-tier goaltender. He was known for his hard-nosed, scruffy playing style and would win another Stanley Cup in 1967 by tandeming with other Hall of Famer Terry Sawchuk. His last full season was 1968-69; he played a final game in the fall of 1969 and retired thereafter. The Stanley Cup is inscribed with the names of all the players on the teams that have won it. ... The 1960s, or The Sixties, in its most obvious sense refers to the decade between 1960 and 1969, but the expression has taken on a wider meaning over the past twenty years. ... 1967 was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Terrance Gordon Sawchuk, (b. ...

His awards include Hap Holmes Memorial Award (best AHL goaltender, 3 times) and the Vezina Trophy (2 times, at that time awarded for allowing the fewest goals throughout a season). Bower was named a First Team All-Star in 1961. He was awarded the Les Cunningham Trophy as the AHL's Most Valuable Player three times consecutively, one of only four players in North American professional hockey history (Bobby Orr, Wayne Gretzky and Paul Polillo being the others) to do so at any level of play. The Vezina Trophy is awarded annually to the person deemed the best ice hockey goalkeeper as voted on by the general managers of the teams in the National Hockey League. ... Robert Gordon Bobby Orr, O.C. (born March 20, 1948 in Parry Sound, Ontario) is a retired Canadian ice hockey player. ... Wayne Gretzky playing for the Edmonton Oilers in 1984 Wayne Douglas Gretzky, OC (born January 26, 1961) is a former professional ice hockey player and current head coach and part owner of the Phoenix Coyotes. ...

His career stats include: 552 games played, 250 wins, 195 losses, 90 ties, 37 shutouts, and a 2.51 GAA. In addition, he remains the AHL career shutout leader. Bower was elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1976. The Hockey Hall of Fame is in Toronto, Ontario, Canada; it is devoted to ice hockey rather than the field variety of the game. ...

As an interesting side note, Bower's actual date of birth has always been in considerable dispute -- likely through a desire on his part to conceal how old he really was and so avoid replacement. Many historians believe he was actually born in 1924.

See Also

• List of retired NHL players