Johnny Bower’s “Celebration of life” ceremony perfectly encapsulated the kind of person he was

When Johnny Bower first suited up for the Maple Leafs in 1959, players only made a five figure salary, and often had to find second jobs over the summer to make ends meet until the fall rolled around. Frank Mahovlich, Bower’s Maple Leafs teammate for nine seasons said Bower came to camp one year after spending his summer making burgers in his hometown of Prince Albert, Saskatchewan with a tip to make the most out of hamburger meat.

“When I make hamburgers for my grandchildren this year at the cottage, I’ll remember to put breadcrumbs in there,” Mahovlich laughed as he told the story at Bower’s celebration of life Wednesday.

That’s a far cry from today’s NHL, where most regulars make in the seven-figure range and can afford to spend the summer working out, getting ready for training camps. Today’s stars won’t come close to eating a hamburger when getting ready for training camp, much less making them.

It’s been almost 60 years since Bower played his first game for the Leafs and almost 50 since he played his last, but he remains the most beloved player in franchise history among fans of all ages.

Thousands of fans – young and old – were in attendance at the Air Canada Centre to pay tribute to Johnny Bower one last time. Friends and family of the late goaltender spoke, including president and alternate governor of the Toronto Maple Leafs, Brendan Shanahan.

“Since 1958, he has never not been a Maple Leaf,” Shanahan said.

There’s a reason Bower is still a household name for Leafs fans and that’s because he stuck around after retiring. Scout, goalie coach, assistant coach, Bower did it all after he played. And even after his off-ice Maple Leafs career was over, he stayed involved with the team and community, making countless appearances. Any special event the Leafs had, you knew you were going to see a familiar face.

Young Leafs fans never got the privilege of watching the China Wall play, but we didn’t need to be around in the 60s to know what he meant to the franchise. Bower took his work as an ambassador as serious as he took the job to guard the net for that Leafs dynasty.

At the stage sat four Stanley Cup banners – one each for the Cups that Bower won with the team in the 60s – as well as a banner for Bower’s retired number 1, and the Vezina Trophy, which Bower won twice.

But the accolades were rarely talked about that afternoon. Rather, it was a celebration of the man himself. The man who, according to Bower’s grandson, John Bower III, would sometimes fall off a rocky three-legged ladder, into the bushes or a wooden shower and would still find a way to laugh off the cuts, scars, and broken ribs.

Did you expect anything less from the man that would fearlessly use anything to stop pucks, including his face?

But inside that tough exterior was a man with a heart of gold, who would never pass up the opportunity to shake hands with somebody, or make a new friend. That extended to even animals, as John Bower revealed that his grandfather was known in his Mississauga neighbourhood for giving out so many cookies to the point where dogs would wait at the foot of the driveway when they saw the garage door was open.

In Toronto, they love their heroes. Johnny Bower was one that loved them back.

As Bower’s casket – draped with a blue and white flag – was carried out by pallbearers, including current Leafs goaltenders Frederik Andersen and Curtis McElhinney, the drums and bagpipes of the 48^th Highlanders echoed through the Air Canada Centre with a fitting send off.

Johnny Bower is a Maple Leaf forever.