Barilko’s 1951 Maple Leafs hockey stick on the block
The Tragically Hip song ‘Fifty-Mission Cap’ tells the story
Ben Pernfuss, Consignment Director of Sports Cards & Memorabilia at Miller & Miller, poses with the 1950-51 Toronto Maple Leafs Partial Team-Signed Bill Barilko Hockey Stick. It is offered as lot 50 in the June 22nd sale of Pre-1980 Sports Cards & Memorabilia.
While no one can predict a future that never materializes, it’s safe enough to say that Bill Barilko might have been destined for hockey greatness had he not died in a plane crash in 1951 at the young age of 24, just a few years into his NHL career. But he was sure a hockey hero earlier that year when he scored the dramatic winning goal in Game 5 – during overtime – for the Toronto Maple Leafs, shutting out the Montreal Canadiens for the Stanley Cup.
Footage of Barilko’s game-winning goal in Game 5 of the 1951 Stanley Cup Finals.
Now, a stick issued to Barilko that same triumphant and tragic year, signed by him and some of his teammates, is being sold at Miller & Miller’s Pre-1980 Sports Cards & Memorabilia online-only auction June 22, 2025, estimated to bring CA$3,000 to $5,000.
The stick was reportedly given as a gift to the owner of a Northern Ontario cottage where the Leafs stayed following their Stanley Cup win. It’s stamped with a number ‘5’, which was Barilko’s player number during the 1950-51 season. It’s the standard shape of the period, with a straight blade and wooden shaft. It’s taped for game use that matches his style, it shows black puck marks and lower hand grip wear, indicating it was likely game used. But without photo matching no guarantees can be made, therefore it’s identified in the sale as “game issued”. It’s also stamped “Love & Bennett”, which was a sporting goods store near Maple Leaf Gardens, known to be a long-time supplier of hockey sticks to the Maple Leafs. Kevin Shea, hockey historian and author of the book Barilko: Without A Trace, has personally examined it and confirmed it’s a Bill Barilko stick.
The stick is stamped with a number ‘5’, which was Barilko’s player number during the 1950-51 season.
The stick is also stamped “Love & Bennett”, which was a sporting goods store near Maple Leaf Gardens, known to be a long-time supplier of hockey sticks to the Maple Leafs.
In 2021, Stan Fischler, an award-winning American journalist whose hockey coverage spans eight decades, wrote, “I truly loved Barilko more than any Maple Leaf. He was good-looking in a very masculine sort of way and he had neat idiosyncrasies. One was to ‘run’ on the tips of his skates and another was his special bodychecks. His alternate nicknames were ‘Snake Hips’ and ‘Bashin' Bill,’ both well-earned. Except for opponents, he was just about everyone's hero after the Cup, duly celebrated wherever he went until it was vacation time.”
The summer after the 1951 Stanley Cup win, Barilko took that vacation with a dentist friend Henry Hudson. According to the Hockey Hall of Fame, “Hudson invited Barilko to fly north from Timmins to James Bay for a fishing trip. Barilko didn’t even like eating fish – but he loved fishing. The two set off on Friday August 24, 1951, an end-of-summer outing for Barilko before training camp started. Initially, the trip went well. The pair had caught an estimated 150 pounds of fish – a giant haul that would unfortunately dangerously weigh down the aircraft on the return flight on Sunday. Dr. Hudson was warned that a storm was coming but chose to press on. When the plane failed to arrive on time, a huge rescue operation was launched. Several Leafs players took part, although they soon had to return for training camp.”
Newspaper article documenting the search for Barilko. Source.
The tragic loss took an emotional toll on the team but over the next 40 years the story slowly faded into distant memory. That is, until 1991 when the NHL issued a set of playing cards that included Barilko’s famous goal. Gord Downie, the late lead singer of The Tragically Hip, bought a pack, discovered the Barilko card and read his story on the back. Downie went on to write the song, Fifty-Mission Cap, about what happened to Barilko and lamenting the Leafs’ subsequent Stanley Cup drought. The downed plane wasn’t found until 11 years after the crash when a forestry helicopter accidentally came across it. During that time, the Leafs never won another Stanley Cup, but in 1962 - the year the wreckage and Barilko’s remains were discovered - they captured the Cup once again. Coincidence or cosmic connection?
Gord Downie, the late lead singer of The Tragically Hip wrote the song, Fifty-Mission Cap, about what happened to Barilko and lamenting the Leafs’ subsequent Stanley Cup drought. Click to listen above.
“This stick is a piece of hockey history from one of the original six teams and from a player who was likely going places but had his life cut short. He was destined for greatness,” says Christine Blaus, a Miller & Miller specialist and consultant, also a retired lawyer. “And it’s as right as rain.”
The stick is signed by players Turk Broda, Ted Kennedy, Joe Klukay, Cal Gardner, Fleming Mackell, Ray Timgren, Howie Meeker, Harry Watson, Bill Juzda, Sid Smith and Max Bentley. Two other players, Al Rollins and Tod Sloan, also signed and they only played on the team with Barilko for the 1950-51 season which proves the stick is from the Stanley Cup winning year.
The stick is signed by players including Turk Broda, Ted Kennedy, Joe Klukay, Cal Gardner, Fleming Mackell, Ray Timgren, Howie Meeker, Harry Watson, Bill Juzda, Sid Smith, Max Bentley, Al Rollins and Tod Sloan.
Other highlights in the June 22 online auction include an early one-piece hockey stick signed during the 1931-32 season by members of the Toronto Maple Leafs and New York Rangers who played in the Stanley Cup final that year (Lot 51). Lot 45 is Gordie Howe's 1951 Parkhurst rookie card, representing one of hockey's greatest talents and most iconic cards. There are also two 1952 Topps #311 Mickey Mantle cards (Lot 70 and 140), the most well-known post-war vintage card throughout all sports.
Just who will score the Barilko hockey stick at the auction remains to be seen. Perhaps the Leafs could reclaim it with hope the providential Barilko connection might help break their current 48-season Stanley Cup drought – the longest in the NHL.
“When you hold that stick in your hand it feels almost magnetic,” says Blaus. “It brings you back to that early day of hockey. It’s truly magnificent.”
By Diane Sewell
Diane Sewell has been a writer for more than 25 years, producing feature stories for some of the country’s top newspapers and consumer magazines, as well as client newsletters and commissioned books.
Sale Information:
Pre-1980 Sports Cards & Memorabilia
June 22, 2025
Online-only sale. Bidding is now open.
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