Bobby Baun Robert Neil Baun ( September 9 , 1936 , Lanigan , Saskatchewan , Canada ) is a retired professional defenceman who played in the National Hockey League for 17 seasons from 1956 – 57 to 1972 – 73 . Playing career . Baun played junior hockey with the Toronto Marlboros of the Ontario Hockey Association from 1952 to 1956 , winning the Memorial Cup in 1955 and 1956 . After turning professional , Baun played most of the 1956 – 57 season with the Rochester Americans , the Toronto Maple Leafs affiliate in the American Hockey League . They would be the only minor league games Baun would ever play . He was called up to the Leafs during the season and played in Toronto for the next 11 seasons , winning the Stanley Cup in 1962 , 1963 , 1964 , and 1967 . Baun was one of the hardest and cleanest hitters of his time . He was not considered an offensive threat as a defenceman , never scoring more than 20 points in a season in the NHL . His highest single - season goal total was eight in 1959 – 60 . However , Baun is remembered for his performance in game six of the 1963 – 64 NHL season Stanley Cup finals against the Detroit Red Wings . On April 23 , 1964 , having broken his ankle earlier in the game , he returned in overtime and scored the game winning goal . The Leafs won the next game 4 – 0 to win the best of seven series , and secure their third consecutive league championship . He developed a reputation for understanding the business side of playing in the NHL in the years before there was a players ' union . Eventually , other players sought Baun ' s advice about their contracts and salaries , which eroded his relationship with Leafs ' general manager Punch Imlach . That relationship deteriorated even further when Baun was a holdout for the 1965 – 66 season . Baun eventually got a raise , but Imlach never forgot it . A series of injuries further dimmed Imlach ' s enthusiasm for Baun . In 1966 – 67 , Baun suffered a broken toe . Imlach replaced him with Larry Hillman and Baun saw little ice time after that . He was mostly an observer from the bench for the Leafs ' 1967 Cup victory , and refused to participate in the celebrations . Before the next season , Baun was left unprotected in the 1967 NHL Expansion Draft , and was selected by the Oakland Seals . Baun was one of four members of the Memorial Cup - winning Marlboros teams from the mid - 1950s to play for the Seals , but the team struggled badly on the ice , particularly on offence , finishing the year with the worst record in the league . Baun asked to be traded back to an Original Six team , and Oakland accommodated his request , dealing him to the Detroit Red Wings in May 1968 . Baun played in Detroit for two years but early into the 1970 – 71 season he found himself at odds with coach Ned Harkness and was placed on waivers . From there , he was claimed by the Buffalo Sabres , managed by Imlach , who immediately traded him to the St . Louis Blues . Baun refused to report to St . Louis and nine days later was traded back to the Maple Leafs for Brit Selby . The Leafs benefitted from Baun ' s defensive play , helping Jacques Plante to record a 1 . 88 goals against average in 1970 – 71 . Baun was just as effective the next season . In the fifth game of the 1972 – 73 season , he suffered a neck injury that ended his NHL career at the age of 36 . Coaching career . Baun retired as a player and ran a cattle farm , but three years later , he was hired as head coach of the Toronto Toros of the World Hockey Association . Mike Nykoluk , another member of the Marlboros in the mid - 1950s , had been the team ' s first choice , but he turned the job down . Playing for the Toros were three of Baun ' s former Leaf teammates : Frank Mahovlich , Paul Henderson , and Jim Dorey , as well as future NHL star Mark Napier and Vaclav Nedomansky . But the Toros under Baun had a disastrous year , finishing the 1975 – 76 season with the worst record in the league . The Toros even finished 11 points behind the Minnesota Fighting Saints — a team that had folded with 21 games left to play in the season . Baun was replaced as coach after the season . He returned to farming and also sold insurance after his retirement from hockey . Baun and the NHL pension plan . In the 1980s , Baun organized an NHL alumni association and began an investigation into the NHL ' s pension plan . The plan had been touted to players as the best in professional sports , but after playing in 17 NHL seasons , Baun ' s pension was only $ 7 , 622 a year . Baun received little support from other players , and eventually gave up . Problems with the pension plan were later uncovered through an audit backed by Carl Brewer . Other . On June 1 , 2007 , Baun was awarded an honorary Doctorate of Laws from the University of Ontario Institute of Technology for his work on and off the ice .