The Stanley
Cup final on April 21st, 1951 was the fifth game of the series
between the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Montreal Canadiens (Peacock, 2001). The
game took place in the packed Maple Leafs Gardens and the Leafs were beating
the Canadiens by 3-1 in the series before the game (O’Toole, 2011). The series
had all five games go into overtime, making this game an event not to miss
(Stewart, 2012). During this game, it seemed as though the Toronto Maple Leafs
took any shot they could at Montreal Canadiens goaltender, Gerry McNeil, but he
continued to block the multitude of shots (Peacock, 2001). The game went into
overtime at 2:2 and with 2:53 remaining in first period (“www.barilko.ca”, n.d.)
and Barilko managed to fire the puck past the Canadians goalie McNiel (Peacock,
2001). Photographer Nat Turofsky captured this moment that would be become
known as one of the best Stanley Cup goals in history (2001). It was a dramatic
goal that would always be remembered.
Video 1: Barilko's Stanley Cup winning goal