This Day in Hockey History – December 10, 1969 and 1970 – Losing Goalies

(Photo: The Vancouver Sun, as found on Newspapers.com)

The night of December 10 was not a good one for two goalies playing in away games. In 1969, Johnny Bower of the Toronto Maple Leafs played his season opener and final NHL game in a 6-3 loss against the Montreal Canadiens. Exactly one year later, Joe Daley of the Buffalo Sabres made 72 saves only to lose 8-2 against the Boston Bruins. Though they played for different teams, they had the same coach, Punch Imlach, who coached the Leafs until 1969 and then began coaching the Sabres in 1970.

Although Bower, who had begun his NHL career in 1958, had planned to retire, the Toronto Maples Leafs convinced him to stay one last season to help groom the younger goalies. He was allegedly 45 when he manned the net for the only time during the 1969-70 season. The new coach, John McLellan, said he chose to put Bower in net “because there’s one thing about the old guy, he’ll give everything he’s got.” On December 10, 1969, according to Pat Curran of the Montreal Gazette, “Bower making his first start of the season, deserved a better fate on the strength of some fine saves in the first two periods and a total of 33 stops. However, he was the victim of a weak defence and a late drive by the Canadiens intent on snapping their short slump of two losses last weekend.” Bower held them off until nearly the third period, when the Leafs proceeded to lose their 3-1 lead. The Canadiens scored four goals in the third period, including their final one on an empty net when Bower was pulled with one minute remaining. Still, Bower’s save percentage of .868 was not much worse than his opponent, Rogatien Vachon’s (.880).

Bower retired with a record of 250-195-80, a .922 save percentage, and a goals against average of 2.51. He had earned four Stanley Cups (with the Leafs) and two Vezina Trophies.

At the opposite end of his career, Joe Daley had just broken into the NHL (as the first player chosen by the Pittsburgh Penguins) during the 1967 Expansion Draft and had just been selected (as their first player) by the new Buffalo Sabres in the 1970 Intra-League Draft. On December 10, 1970, his primary opponent was Johnny Bucyk, who was given a $1,000 bill to celebrate his 1,000th game with the Bruins. Joe Ahern, writing for the Boston Globe, summarized, “The old Chief, the Bruins senior citizen both in age (35) and years of service (14), had the greatest game of his long career” so his teammates ribbed him “about his improvement with age and he liked it.”

The Bruins proved that persistence pays off, and Daley seemed to be the only defense the Sabres put up. As Boston Globe writer Tom Fitzgerald noted, Daley “practically stood on his head in blocking off Boston shots, and for the first two periods kept out 40 of them.” The teams were tied at 2-2 going into the third period, but outshooting the Sabres 30-10, “the Bruins finally got to Joe in the last period for six goals.” Bucyk led the scoring, earning six points – a career high. He had already assisted in each of the goals scored in the first and second periods, and in the third, he scored two goals of his own and assisted on two others. His teammate Fred Stanfield wasn’t far behind with his two goals and three assists. The battered Daley had faced 72 shots on goal and came out with a save percentage of .889. Eddie Johnston, the Bruins’ goalie, had a .929 save percentage on just 28 shots. He said of Daley, “The guy was fantastic. I know how he felt. I had some nights a lot like that for six years here.” The 72 shots were the “third-highest single-game total in modern-day NHL history.” Bruins general manager Milt Schmidt had been a player back in 1941, when the Bruins won 3-2 despite Chicago Blackhawks goalie Sam LoPresti making 82 saves. Schmidt commented, “I don’t know that I’ve seen that many shots since.”

After the 1970-71 season with the Sabres, Daley played with the Detroit Red Wings for a season until he was drafted by the WHA’s Winnipeg Jets in 1972. He retired in 1979 before the Jets moved into the NHL. With the NHL, he had a record of 34-44-19, a save percentage of .899, and a goals against average of 3.36. With the WHA, he had a goals against average of 3.37. He won three championships with the Jets.

 Additional Sources:

• Pat Curran, “Canadiens’ rally beats Toronto 6-3,” Montreal Gazette, 11 Dec. 1969, p. 11.
• Wayne Overland, “John Bower outlasts a durable team-mate,” Edmonton Journal, 11 Dec. 1969, p. 54.
• https://www.nhl.com/news/johnny-bower-100-greatest-nhl-hockey-players/c-284315454?tid=283865022
• Greg Oliver and Richard Kamchen, The Goaltenders’ Union (Toronto: ECW Press, 2014), 122-126.
• Tom Fitzgerald, “Buyck, Bruins rattle Sabres, 8-2,” Boston Globe, 11 Dec. 1970, p. 51-52.
• Kevin Walsh, “Bucyk’s 1000th game: May be his best,” Boston Globe, 11 Dec. 1970, p. 52.
• John Ahern, “Conquers Sabres, nerves Bucyk does it all – when it counts,” Boston Globe, 11 Dec. 1970, p. 29.