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April 6: On this day in 1915, Jimmy Fowler was born in Toronto, Ontario. Fowler played 135 games in the NHL, all with the Leafs between 1936 and 1939. Fowler's offensive numbers were strong for a defenseman, 18 goals and 29 assists. He was one of the five players the Leafs sent to New York for Sweeney Schriner in May of 1939, but he retired without reporting to the Americans. Jimmy Fowler passed away on October 17, 1985.
April 6: On this day in 1945, For the first time in Stanley Cup history, two rookie goaltenders—Toronto’s Frank McCool and Detroit’s Harry Lumley—opposed each other in the Final. On the strength of Dave “Sweeney” Schriner’s first-period goal, McCool and the Leafs blanked the Wings 1-0 to open the best-of-seven series. For McCool, it was the first of a record three straight Stanley Cup shutouts and four victories en route to winning the 1945 title.
April 6: On this day in 1969, legendary Leafs goaltender Johnny Bower played in his last playoff game and Toronto Head Coach and General Manager Punch Imlach was fired by Leafs President Stafford Smythe. It came after the Leafs were eliminated by the Boston Bruins in four straight games including humiliating scores of 10-0 and 7-0 in the first two games in Boston. The Bruins outscored the Leafs 24-5 in the series. The goaltending for the Leafs was shared by Johnny Bower who allowed 11 goals in 154 minutes for a GAA of 4.29 and Bruce Gamble who played 86 minutes and allowed 13 goals for a whopping 9.07 GAA.
