The Vanishing Hero of Hockey

he man who scored the greatest overtime goal in Leafs history… vanished forever. In 1951,

the Toronto Maple Leafs were locked in a fierce Stanley Cup Final against the Montreal Canadiens.

Game 5 went into overtime — and twenty-four-year-old defenseman Bill Barilko jumped into the play.

Seconds later, he fired a backhand shot over the goalie… scoring one of the most iconic goals

in NHL history. The Maple Leafs won the Stanley Cup, and Barilko became

a hero overnight. But months later, in August 1951, Barilko boarded a small floatplane

on a weekend fishing trip into northern Ontario. The plane never arrived.

No wreckage. No radio call. No clues. Barilko simply vanished. For eleven years,