In 1946-47,
Barilko was called up to the Toronto Maple Leafs by coach Conn Smythe (Peacock,
2001). The Leafs were low on defensemen (2001) and although Barilko was young,
Conn Smythe wanted Barilko to play for the Leafs for his determination and
toughness (Zeisler, 2013). The young hockey player quickly made it known that
he would not be pushed around by other players and could be known as the “rock”
on the Toronto Maple Leafs (“www.barilko.ca”, n.d.).
When Barilko
was on the Toronto team they won the Stanley cup in 1947, 1948 and 1949
(Peacock, 2001). Unfortunately, the continuous Stanley Cup victories were set
on hold in 1950 when they lost to Detroit (2001). In the final goal of this
game, the puck actually touched Barilko’s body last before going into the net.
This is not highly discussed possibly due to the negative exposure it could
have brought upon Barilko’s career (2001). However, the Leafs won back the
title in the following year (1950-51) beating Montreal Canadiens (Stewart, 2012).