Bill Barilko
first started to play hockey as a goalie when he was young due to his lack of
skating ability. As Barilko’s passion for the game built, so did his
determination to become a better skater, allowing him to become a tough and
fast defenseman on the ice (O’Toole, 2011). At the age of just 18 he
moved to Hollywood to play for the lowest of the Leaf’s three farm teams: the
Wolves (Peacock, 2001). Weighting 180lbs and standing 5 feet and 11 inches
tall, Barilko quickly picked up the nickname “Bashin’ Bill” (“www.barilko.ca”,
n.d.). He was a tough, aggressive player and was known for his “snake-hip” body
checks (Zeisler, 2013). However, he was also known to be the “funny guy” on his
teams and carried plenty team and Northern spirit (Pagan, 2011).