Bobby Baun
| Bobby Baun | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 |
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| Born |
September 9, 1936 Lanigan, SK, CAN |
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| Height | 5 ft 9 in (175 cm) | ||
| Weight | 182 lb (83 kg; 13 st 0 lb) | ||
| Position | Defence | ||
| Shot | Right | ||
| Played for |
AHL Rochester Americans NHL Toronto Maple Leafs Oakland Seals Detroit Red Wings |
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| Playing career | 1956–1973 | ||
Robert Neil "Bob, Boomer" Baun (born September 9, 1936) is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman who played in the National Hockey League for 17 seasons from 1956–57 to 1972–73.
Baun played junior hockey with the Toronto Marlboros of the Ontario Hockey Association from 1952 to 1956, winning the Memorial Cup in 1955 and 1956. After turning professional, Baun played most of the 1956–57 season with the Rochester Americans, the Toronto Maple Leafs affiliate in the American Hockey League. They would be the only minor league games Baun would ever play. He was called up to the Leafs during the season and played in Toronto for the next 11 seasons, winning the Stanley Cup in 1962, 1963, 1964, and 1967.
Baun was one of the hardest and cleanest hitters of his time. He was not considered an offensive threat as a defenceman, never scoring more than 20 points in a season in the NHL. His highest single-season goal total was eight in 1959–60. However, Baun is remembered for his performance in game six of the 1963–64 NHL season Stanley Cup finals against the Detroit Red Wings. On April 23, 1964, having fractured his ankle earlier in the game, he returned in overtime and scored the game-winning goal. The Leafs won the next game 4–0 to win the best of seven series, and secure their third consecutive Stanley Cup championship.
He developed a reputation for understanding the business side of playing in the NHL in the years before there was a players' union. Eventually, other players sought Baun's advice about their contracts and salaries, which eroded his relationship with Leafs' general manager Punch Imlach. That relationship deteriorated even further when Baun was a holdout for the 1965–66 season. Baun eventually got a raise, but Imlach never forgot it. A series of injuries further dimmed Imlach's enthusiasm for Baun. In 1966–67, Baun suffered a broken toe. Imlach replaced him with Larry Hillman and Baun saw little ice time after that. He was mostly an observer from the bench for the Leafs' 1967 Cup victory, and refused to participate in the celebrations.
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