Johnny Bower Maple Leafs great and Hall of Famer dies at 93
Johnny Bower
Johnny Bower  didn't even want to come to Toronto. Yet the pint-sized goalie with the big heart became a part of Maple Leafs lore.
 Bower   a beloved two-time Vezina Trophy winner who helped the Leafs win their last Stanley Cup in 1967  died on Tuesday.  He  was 93.
 His  family said in a statement that the Hall of Famer died after a short battle with pneumonia.
 Bower  was a two-time Vezina Trophy winner who became known as the China Wall.  His  career took off after the Leafs claimed  him  in an intra-league draft in 1958  and  he  played 475 regular-season games and won four Stanley Cups for the Leafs before playing  his  final game as a 45-year-old in 1969.
" He  was an inspiration to us " said George Armstrong  who captained the Leafs' last championship team. " He  shamed others into hard work.
" John  gave everything  he  could during workouts and  we  weren't going to let  that old guy  show  us  up."
Years after retiring   Bower  remained one of the most beloved ex-Leafs even though  he  originally had no desire to be in Toronto.  Bower  was playing happily with the minor league Cleveland Barons in  his  30s when Toronto acquired  him .  He  said  he  only showed up to avoid being suspended.
 Johnny Bower  helped the Leafs win their last Stanley Cup in 1967.
"They just wanted me for one year  but I had a good team in front of  me   " Bower  recalled with a laugh in 2014. "I was there for 13 years  so it turned out really nice for  me ."
 The 5-foot-9 Bower  won the Vezina Trophy in 1961 and shared  it  with teammate Terry Sawchuk in 1965. The Leafs hoisted the Cup in 1962  '63  '64 and '67  and  Bower  remained a standout into  his  40s despite near-sightedness and painful arthritis.
 Bower  pioneered the poke-check  brazenly diving head first at opposing players to knock the puck off their sticks. The move came with a cost âthe mask-less goalie suffered cuts and lost teeth by throwing himself into the action.
 Bower  was the only boy among nine children in a family raised in rural Saskatchewan.  He  made  his  first goalie pads from an old mattress  but put  his  hockey career on hold when  he  lied about  his  age in 1940 to fight in World War II.  He  told authorities that  his  birth certificate had burned in a fire  allowing  him  to enlist at 16 years old.  He  was stationed in England but did not see action during the war because of  his  arthritis.
"It's a good thing I didn't because the Germans were right there waiting "  he  said. "A lot of guys there were killed on the beaches. I know four or five good hockey players from Prince Albert who were killed. They never came back. "
Johnny Bower . (SHAUN BEST/REUTERS)
 Bower  wanted to remain in the AHL  but  he  agreed to show up when Cleveland general manager James Hendy ensured  him  the Barons would take  him  back if Toronto didn't work out.
 He  never returned  instead becoming a fixture for one of the league's most storied franchises.
[TGT] didn't even want to come to Toronto. Yet the pint-sized goalie with the big heart became a part of Maple Leafs lore.
  [TGT] died on Tuesday.   [TGT]   was 93.
  [TGT]   family said in a statement that the Hall of Famer died after a short battle with pneumonia.
  [TGT] was a two-time Vezina Trophy winner who became known as the China Wall.   [TGT]   career took off after the Leafs claimed   [TGT]   in an intra-league draft in 1958  and   [TGT]   played 475 regular-season games and won four Stanley Cups for the Leafs before playing   [TGT]   final game as a 45-year-old in 1969.
"  [TGT]   was an inspiration to us " said George Armstrong  who captained the Leafs' last championship team. " He  shamed others into hard work.
" John  gave everything  he  could during workouts and   [TGT]   weren't going to let  that old guy  show   [TGT]   up."
Years after retiring   Bower  remained one of the most beloved ex-Leafs even though  he  originally had no desire to be in Toronto.  Bower  was playing happily with the minor league Cleveland Barons in  his  30s when Toronto acquired  him .  He  said  he  only showed up to avoid being suspended.
 Johnny Bower  helped the Leafs win their last Stanley Cup in 1967.
"They just wanted me for one year  but I had a good team in front of  me   " Bower  recalled with a laugh in 2014. "I was there for 13 years  so it turned out really nice for  me ."
 The 5-foot-9 Bower  won the Vezina Trophy in 1961 and shared  it  with teammate Terry Sawchuk in 1965. The Leafs hoisted the Cup in 1962  '63  '64 and '67  and  Bower  remained a standout into  his  40s despite near-sightedness and painful arthritis.
 Bower  pioneered the poke-check  brazenly diving head first at opposing players to knock the puck off their sticks. The move came with a cost âthe mask-less goalie suffered cuts and lost teeth by throwing himself into the action.
 Bower  was the only boy among nine children in a family raised in rural Saskatchewan.  He  made  his  first goalie pads from an old mattress  but put  his  hockey career on hold when  he  lied about  his  age in 1940 to fight in World War II.  He  told authorities that  his  birth certificate had burned in a fire  allowing  him  to enlist at 16 years old.  He  was stationed in England but did not see action during the war because of  his  arthritis.
"It's a good thing I didn't because the Germans were right there waiting "  he  said. "A lot of guys there were killed on the beaches. I know four or five good hockey players from Prince Albert who were killed. They never came back.  [TGT] 
 . (SHAUN BEST/REUTERS)
  [TGT] wanted to remain in the AHL  but   [TGT]   agreed to show up when Cleveland general manager James Hendy ensured   [TGT]   the Barons would take  him  back if Toronto didn't work out.
 He  never returned  instead becoming a fixture for one of the league's most storied franchises.