Bob Baun, hero of what most consider to be the gutsiest playoff goal in Maple Leafs history, has died at age 86.
Sports
Bobby ‘Boomer’ Baun, Maple Leafs Stanley Cup overtime hero, dead at 86
Of 100 players in franchise history ranked by an alumni/media panel in the club’s 2017 centennial, Baun placed 30th and seventh among all club defencemen.
Baun had some foot bones broken while shot-blocking early in his career and nearly died in a freak injury during the final game of the 1960-61 regular season in New York.
In a collision with Rangers’ Camille Henry, the latter’s skate bruised Baun’s throat. Baun came back in the game’s third period, but afterwards was found by teammate Tim Horton gasping for air as the Leafs were about to board their bus. An emergency operation was needed to restore his breathing.
Not only did Howe’s shot crack his ankle in that ’64 final, it was impossible in a six-team league that a fearless defenceman such as Baun wouldn’t get struck by a Bobby Hull slapper. After maskless goalies, the most victimized opponents of The Golden Jet’s drives — the first to be timed in excess of 100 mph — were bare-headed blueliners with ancient shin guards. Baun caught one of the Chicago star’s drives on his right ankle in the ’64-65 season.
But Baun’s brawn had already attained legendary status the previous spring when the Leafs took aim at their third straight Cup.
On a night he had already been in the thick of it with two penalties, he got in the way of Howe’s shot in the scoreless third period, taking it on the right leg just above the ankle.
“I wheeled and my leg turned to cream cheese,” Baun recounted.
After play stopped, teammates helped stretcher him to the dressing room. The Olympia was one of the few NHL rinks at the time with a portable X-Ray machine and though a hairline fracture of the ankle was suspected, Baun convinced Haggert and team doctors to have his leg wrapped tight and pumped with pain killer.
Video showed Baun clomping back to the bench by the end of the third frame and, in overtime, he countermanded general manager/coach Punch Imlach’s attempt to have Kent Douglas go out and took the shift with Carl Brewer. Baun pinched to cut off Al Langlois’s clearing attempt and the man who was hardly feared for his shot delivered “a triple-flutter blast with a follow-up blooper.”
Baun delighted in ribbing his off-ice pal Gadsby for years later, dubbing him ‘Jinxsie.’
In the hoopla that followed his goal, Baun avoided Imlach for two days and kept his foot in ice around the clock for fear of being replaced in Game 7. But Imlach sensed he and injured teammate Red Kelly (knee ligament) would be ready and purposely kept them in the room before warmup at the Gardens until the last second. The building went bonkers when they appeared.
“Nothing could have held back Baun,” Imlach said after the game. “He had a charge to him that could have blown up the rink.”
Both Baun and Kelly factored in the 4-0 Cup clincher.
“It was the best break I ever had.”
Baun was born in Lanigan, Sask., to a farming family and came East to play with Toronto’s junior farm team, the Marlboros in the mid-1950s. He only spent half a season in the minors with Rochester before becoming a full-time Leaf, quickly establishing himself one of the league’s hardest hitters.
By the early 1990s, open-ice hits, leading with the shoulder or the classic hip check, became a hot-button NHL issue, led by Scott Stevens’ kayoing of Eric Lindros.
Imlach had some rogue methods to get the most out of every Leaf and while he didn’t have to worry about Baun, the two men had issues away from the rink.
Baun, who once made as little as $12,500 a season, was an early convert to a strong NHL players’ union, which Imlach just as vehemently opposed. Baun’s business sense also saw him advise teammates on contract salary clauses and off-ice opportunities such as the stock market that Imlach considered distracting and detrimental to team success.
As such he didn’t bother showing up to what would have been his fourth Cup parade, joking later he’d have led the entire motorcade if he knew there wouldn’t be another for what has been 57 years.
Unprotected in the ’67 expansion draft a month after the Cup, he was selected by the Oakland Seals. Rather than dominate the new six-team Western Division as many predicted, the Seals suffered in their inaugural campaign and Baun asked to be traded back to an Original Six team.
He was with Detroit for two seasons, but when Imlach, as new GM of the expansion Buffalo Sabres, re-acquired Baun as part of a three-way deal with St. Louis, Baun refused to report to the Blues.
But early in ’72-73, Baun suffered a neck injury after a hit from Detroit’s Mickey Redmond and did not play again.
Baun had already begun carving his post-playing career. He’d farmed 800 hectares near Pickering before urban sprawl for cattle.
“Don’t call me a gentleman farmer,” he told sportswriter Paul Hunter in 2004. “I had manure on my boots.”
Owner of three Tim Horton’s donut franchises (he lent Tim some start-up cash and claimed to have sold Horton on the drive-through concept), Baun’s store at Highway 2 and White’s Road in Pickering did the most business in 1987 of 400 outlets in the fast-food chain.
Baun said he realized his talent for salesmanship back in his Cub Scout youth on the Prairies. When Apple Day came along, Baun had polished his for three days for the best presentation. He saved enough money by age 15 to buy a Cadillac.
“He was the nicest man and had such a soft voice for a player so tough,” said Leafs historian Mark Fera, whom Baun entrusted his ’64 game-winning puck. “And he took so much precision signing autographs. He relayed to me something Howe had first told him in the 1960s, that many people had come a long way to see him play, some of them on lengthy train trips, so you better make sure your signature was legible.”
No stranger to hospitals — he once stopped by the bed of this reporter during a childhood tonsils operation at the East General for an autograph — he eased his stay for surgery by secretly stocking a bar and having lobster bisque delivered from La Scala restaurant.
He was a great believer in Norman Vincent Peale’s bestseller in the ‘60s, The Power of Positive Thinking and related publications, attending some of Peale’s live lectures.
He was one of the best, a sound defenceman
Dick Duff on Bob Baun
Left winger Dick Duff played on two of the three consecutive Leafs Cup teams in the early ‘60s and came to appreciate Baun’s contributions.
“He was one of the best, a sound defenceman,” Duff told the Sun after hearing the news. “Teams that won in those days did it defensively. Our forwards backchecked and guys such as Bob, Horton and Brewer bodychecked at the line. We were dedicated and knew the system. No one got in our zone.
“People might forget we learned to be that competitive in junior, the guys like me from Kirkland Lake and Northern Ontario playing for St. Michael’s College against the Marlie guys like Bob. The criteria was understood, we were the best prospects for the Leafs and there was no love lost in those junior games.
Duff said Baun helped solidify the Leafs’ room as well.
“His wife (Sallie) used to play bridge and cribbage with the other wives and girlfriends. They were an important part of us being so close. The team meant so much to all of us.”
Current club president Brendan Shanahan stated Monday: “Bob possessed unquestionable toughness and incredible pride in being a Leaf. His inspirational presence continues to embody the heart of the game. He will be greatly missed by the team and its fans.
“Our thoughts are with Bob’s loved ones at this difficult time.”
Baun is survived by them and numerous grandchildren, including forward Kyle Baun, who briefly played for the Chicago Blackhawks and in Toronto for the AHL Marlies.
Sports
Red Wings sign Moritz Seider to 7-year deal worth nearly $60M
DETROIT (AP) — The Detroit Red Wings made another investment this week in a young standout, signing Moritz Seider to a seven-year contract worth nearly $60 million.
The Red Wings announced the move with the 23-year-old German defenseman on Thursday, three days after keeping 22-year-old forward Lucas Raymond with a $64.6 million, eight-year deal.
Detroit drafted Seider with the No. 6 pick overall eight years ago and he has proven to be a great pick. He has 134 career points, the most by a defenseman drafted in 2019.
He was the NHL’s only player to have at least 200 hits and block 200-plus shots last season, when he scored a career-high nine goals and had 42 points for the second straight year.
Seider won the Calder Trophy as the league’s top rookie in 2022 after he had a career-high 50 points.
Red Wings general manager Steve Yzerman is banking on Seider, whose contract will count $8.55 million annually against the cap, and Raymond to turn a rebuilding team into a winner.
Detroit has failed to make the playoffs in eight straight seasons, the longest postseason drought in franchise history.
The Red Wings, who won four Stanley Cups from 1997 to 2008, have been reeling since their run of 25 straight postseasons ended in 2016.
Detroit was 41-32-9 last season and finished with a winning record for the first time since its last playoff appearance.
Yzerman re-signed Patrick Kane last summer and signed some free agents, including Vladimir Tarasenko to a two-year contract worth $9.5 million after he helped the Florida Panthers hoist the Cup.
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The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.
Sports
Veterans Tyson Beukeboom, Karen Paquin lead Canada’s team at WXV rugby tournament
Veterans Tyson Beukeboom and Karen Paquin will lead Canada at the WXV 1 women’s rugby tournament starting later this month in the Vancouver area.
WXV 1 includes the top three teams from the Women’s Six Nations (England, France and Ireland) and the top three teams from the Pacific Four Series (Canada, New Zealand, and the United States).
Third-ranked Canada faces No. 4 France, No. 7 Ireland and No. 1 England in the elite division of the three-tiered WXV tournament that runs Sept. 29 to Oct. 12 in Vancouver and Langley, B.C. No. 2 New Zealand and the eighth-ranked U.S. make up the six-team WVX 1 field.
“Our preparation time was short but efficient. This will be a strong team,” Canada coach Kevin Rouet said in a statement. “All the players have worked very hard for the last couple of weeks to prepare for WXV and we are excited for these next three matches and for the chance to play on home soil here in Vancouver against the best rugby teams in the world.
“France, Ireland and England will each challenge us in different ways but it’s another opportunity to test ourselves and another step in our journey to the Rugby World Cup next year.”
Beukeboom serves as captain in the injury absence of Sophie de Goede. The 33-year-old from Uxbridge, Ont., earned her Canadian-record 68th international cap in Canada’s first-ever victory over New Zealand in May at the Pacific Four Series.
Twenty three of the 30 Canadian players selected for WXV 1 were part of that Pacific Four Series squad.
Rouet’s roster includes the uncapped Asia Hogan-Rochester, Caroline Crossley and Rori Wood.
Hogan-Rochester and Crossley were part of the Canadian team that won rugby sevens silver at the Paris Olympics, along with WXV teammates Fancy Bermudez, Olivia Apps, Alysha Corrigan and Taylor Perry. Wood is a veteran of five seasons at UBC.
The 37-year-old Paquin, who has 38 caps for Canada including the 2014 Rugby World Cup, returns to the team for the first time since the 2021 World Cup.
Canada opens the tournament Sept. 29 against France at B.C. Place Stadium in Vancouver before facing Ireland on Oct. 5 at Willoughby Stadium at Langley Events Centre, and England on Oct. 12 at B.C. Place.
The second-tier WXV 2 and third-tier WXV 3 are slated to run Sept. 27 to Oct. 12, in South Africa and Dubai, respectively.
WXV 2 features Australia, Italy, Japan, Scotland, South Africa and Wales while WXV 3 is made up of Fiji, Hong Kong, Madagascar, the Netherlands, Samoa and Spain.
The tournament has 2025 World Cup qualification implications, although Canada, New Zealand and France, like host England, had already qualified by reaching the semifinals of the last tournament.
Ireland, South Africa, the U.S., Japan, Fiji and Brazil have also booked their ticket, with the final six berths going to the highest-finishing WXV teams who have not yet qualified through regional tournaments.
Canada’s Women’s Rugby Team WXV 1 Squad
Forwards
Alexandria Ellis, Ottawa, Stade Français Paris (France); Brittany Kassil, Guelph, Ont., Guelph Goats; Caroline Crossley, Victoria, Castaway Wanderers; Courtney Holtkamp, Rimbey, Alta., Red Deer Titans Rugby; DaLeaka Menin, Vulcan, Alta., Exeter Chiefs (England); Emily Tuttosi, Souris, Man., Exeter Chiefs (England); Fabiola Forteza, Quebec City, Stade Bordelais (France); Gabrielle Senft, Regina, Saracens (England); Gillian Boag, Calgary, Gloucester-Hartpury (England); Julia Omokhuale, Calgary, Leicester Tigers (England); Karen Paquin, Quebec City, Club de rugby de Quebec; Laetitia Royer, Loretteville, Que., ASM Romagnat (France); McKinley Hunt, King City, Ont., Saracens (England); Pamphinette Buisa, Gatineau, Que., Ottawa Irish; Rori Wood, Sooke, B.C., College Rifles RFC; Sara Cline, Edmonton, Leprechaun Tigers; Tyson Beukeboom, Uxbridge, Ont., Ealing Trailfinders (England);
Backs
Alexandra Tessier, Sainte-Clotilde-de-Horton, Que., Exeter Chiefs (England); Alysha Corrigan, Charlottetown, P.E.I., CRFC; Asia Hogan-Rochester, Toronto, Toronto Nomads; Claire Gallagher, Caledon, Ont., Leicester Tigers (England); Fancy Bermudez, Edmonton, Saracens (England); Julia Schell, Uxbridge, Ont., Ealing Trailfinders (England); Justine Pelletier, Rivière-du-Loup, Que, Stade Bordelais (France); Mahalia Robinson, Fulford, Que., Town of Mount Royal RFC; Olivia Apps, Lindsay, Ont., Lindsay RFC; Paige Farries, Red Deer, Alta., Saracens (England); Sara Kaljuvee, Ajax, Ont., Westshore RFC; Shoshanah Seumanutafa, White Rock, B.C., Counties Manukau (New Zealand); Taylor Perry, Oakville, Ont., Exeter Chiefs (England).
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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 18, 2024.
Sports
Vancouver Canucks star goalie Thatcher Demko working through rare muscle injury
PENTICTON, B.C. – Vancouver Canucks goalie Thatcher Demko says he’s been working his way back from a rare lower-body muscle injury since being sidelined in last season’s playoffs.
The 28-year-old all star says the rehabilitation process has been frustrating, but he has made good progress in recent weeks and is confident he’ll be able to return to playing.
He says he and his medical team have spent the last few months talking to specialists around the world, and have not found a single other hockey player who has dealt with the same injury.
Demko missed several weeks of the last season with a knee ailment and played just one game in Vancouver’s playoff run last spring before going down with the current injury.
He was not on the ice with his teammates as the Canucks started training camp in Penticton, B.C., on Thursday, but skated on his own before the sessions began.
Demko posted a 35-14-2 record with a .918 percentage, a 2.45 goals-against average and five shutouts for Vancouver last season.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 19, 2024.
The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.
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