Bill Barilko was the hero of the 1951 Stanley Cup.
The defenceman scored the winning goal in overtime against the Montreal Canadiens, securing the Leafs’ fourth championship in a five-year span. Just months later, Barilko disappeared while on a fishing trip in northern Ontario.
The Leafs didn’t win another cup that decade, and people believed the team was cursed, thinking they wouldn’t win again until Barilko’s body was found. In 1962, Toronto finally won another championship. Just a few weeks later, the wreckage of Barilko’s float plane was discovered. It was the beginning of a new dynasty for the team, and the saga would be remembered for decades. In 1992, Canadian rock band the Tragically Hip released their breakthrough album Fully Completely featuring “Fifty Mission Cap,” a song about Barilko and his disappearance.
