# Bobby Baun > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Bobby_Baun > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Bobby_Baun.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bobby_Baun > Source revision: 1276240538 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) {{Short description|Canadian ice hockey player (1936–2023)}} {{Use mdy dates|date=August 2023}} {{more citations needed|date=August 2023}} {{Infobox ice hockey player | name = Bobby Baun | image = Bobby Baun Maple Leafs Chex Cereal card.jpg | image_size = 230px | caption = Baun on a [Chex](/source/Chex) cereal box, c. 1963 | birth_date = {{birth date|1936|9|9}} | birth_place = [Lanigan, Saskatchewan](/source/Lanigan%2C_Saskatchewan), Canada | death_date = {{death date and age|2023|8|14|1936|9|9}} | height_ft = 5 | height_in = 9 | weight_lb = 182 | position = [Defence](/source/Defenceman) | shoots = Right | played_for = [Rochester Americans](/source/Rochester_Americans)
[Toronto Maple Leafs](/source/Toronto_Maple_Leafs)
[Oakland Seals](/source/Oakland_Seals)
[Detroit Red Wings](/source/Detroit_Red_Wings) | career_start = 1956 | career_end = 1973 }} '''Robert Neil Baun''' (September 9, 1936 – August 14, 2023){{cite web | url=https://dailyhive.com/toronto/leafs-bobby-baun-dead | title=Leafs Stanley Cup hero dead at 86 | Offside }} was a Canadian professional [ice hockey](/source/ice_hockey) [defenceman](/source/defenceman_(ice_hockey)) who played in the [National Hockey League](/source/National_Hockey_League) for 17 seasons from [1956](/source/1956%E2%80%9357_NHL_season) to [1973](/source/1972%E2%80%9373_NHL_season). His nickname was "'''Boomer'''". ==Playing career== {{refimprove section|date=August 2023}} Baun played junior hockey with the [Toronto Marlboros](/source/Toronto_Marlboros) of the [Ontario Hockey Association](/source/Ontario_Hockey_Association) from 1952 to 1956, winning the [Memorial Cup](/source/Memorial_Cup) in [1955](/source/1955_Memorial_Cup) and [1956](/source/1956_Memorial_Cup). After turning professional, Baun played most of the 1956–57 season with the [Rochester Americans](/source/Rochester_Americans), the [Toronto Maple Leafs](/source/Toronto_Maple_Leafs) affiliate in the [American Hockey League](/source/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](/source/Stanley_Cup) in 1962, 1963, 1964, and 1967.{{cite news |last1=Davidson |first1=Neil |title=Bobby Baun, who scored OT goal on broken leg to win 1964 Stanley Cup, dead at 86 |url=https://www.cbc.ca/sports/hockey/nhl/bobby-baun-death-maple-leafs-stanley-cup-nhl-1.6936604 |access-date=August 16, 2023 |work=CBC |date=August 15, 2023}} 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.{{cn|date=August 2023}} However, Baun is remembered for his performance in game six of the [1963–64 NHL season](/source/1963%E2%80%9364_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](/source/Overtime_(ice_hockey)) and scored the game-winning goal to even the best-of-seven series at 3-3. The Leafs won the next game 4–0 to secure their third consecutive Stanley Cup championship. Baun 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](/source/Punch_Imlach). That relationship deteriorated even further when Baun was a holdout for the [1965–66 season](/source/1965%E2%80%9366_NHL_season). Baun eventually got a raise, but Imlach never forgot it. A series of injuries further dimmed Imlach's enthusiasm for Baun.{{cn|date=August 2023}} In [1966–67](/source/1966%E2%80%9367_NHL_season), Baun suffered a broken toe. Imlach replaced him with [Larry Hillman](/source/Larry_Hillman) and Baun saw little ice time after that. He was mostly an observer from the bench for the Leafs' 1967 Cup victory,{{cn|date=August 2023}} and refused to participate in the celebrations. thumb|right|Baun with the Maple Leafs in 1965 Before the next season, Baun was left unprotected in the [1967 NHL Expansion Draft](/source/1967_NHL_Expansion_Draft), and was selected by the [Oakland Seals](/source/Oakland_Seals). Baun was one of four members of the [Memorial Cup](/source/Memorial_Cup)-winning Marlboros teams from the mid-1950s to play for the Seals, but the team struggled badly on the ice, particularly on offence, finishing the year with the worst record in the league.{{cn|date=August 2023}} Baun asked to be traded back to an [Original Six](/source/Original_Six) team, and Oakland accommodated his request, dealing him to the [Detroit Red Wings](/source/Detroit_Red_Wings) in May 1968.{{cn|date=August 2023}} Baun played in Detroit for two years but early into the [1970–71 season](/source/1970%E2%80%9371_NHL_season) he found himself at odds with coach [Ned Harkness](/source/Ned_Harkness), and was placed on waivers.{{cn|date=August 2023}} From there, he was claimed by the [Buffalo Sabres](/source/Buffalo_Sabres), managed by Imlach, who immediately traded him to the [St. Louis Blues](/source/St._Louis_Blues). Baun refused to report to St. Louis and nine days later was traded back to the Maple Leafs for [Brit Selby](/source/Brit_Selby). The Leafs benefited from Baun's defensive play, helping [Jacques Plante](/source/Jacques_Plante) to record a 1.88 goals against average in 1970–71. Baun was just as effective the next season. In the fifth game of the [1972–73 season](/source/1972%E2%80%9373_NHL_season), he suffered a neck injury after a hit from [Mickey Redmond](/source/Mickey_Redmond) that ended his NHL career at the age of 36. ==Post-Playing Careers== {{unreferenced section|date=August 2023}} Baun retired as a player and ran a cattle farm, but three years later, he was hired as head coach of the [Toronto Toros](/source/Toronto_Toros) of the [World Hockey Association](/source/World_Hockey_Association). [Mike Nykoluk](/source/Mike_Nykoluk), another member of the Marlboros in the mid-1950s, had been the team's first choice, but he turned the job down. Playing for the Toros were three of Baun's former Leaf teammates: [Frank Mahovlich](/source/Frank_Mahovlich), [Paul Henderson](/source/Paul_Henderson), and [Jim Dorey](/source/Jim_Dorey), as well as future NHL stars [Mark Napier](/source/Mark_Napier_(ice_hockey)) and [Vaclav Nedomansky](/source/Vaclav_Nedomansky). But the Toros under Baun had a disastrous year, finishing the [1975–76 season](/source/1975%E2%80%9376_WHA_season) with the worst record in the league. The Toros even finished 11 points behind the [Minnesota Fighting Saints](/source/Minnesota_Fighting_Saints)—a team that had folded with 21 games left to play in the season. Baun was replaced as coach after the season. He returned to farming - he'd been "hands-on" with 800 hectares near Pickering before coaching. “Don’t call me a gentleman farmer,” he told sportswriter Paul Hunter in 2004. “I had manure on my boots.” Owner of three Tim Horton’s donut franchises (he lent Tim some start-up cash and claimed to have sold Horton on the drive-through concept), Baun’s store at Highway 2 and White’s Road in Pickering did the most business in 1987 of 400 outlets in the fast-food chain. During and after his career, Baun also kept busy as a car salesman, hotel/restaurant owner, real estate agent, and insurance company manager. Baun said he realized his talent for salesmanship back in his Cub Scout youth on the Prairies. When Apple Day came along, Baun had polished his for three days for the best presentation. He saved enough money by age 15 to buy a Cadillac.{{cite news | url=https://torontosun.com/sports/hockey/nhl/toronto-maple-leafs/bobby-boomer-baun-maple-leaf-cup-overtime-hero-dead-at-86 | title=Bobby 'Boomer' Baun, Maple Leaf Cup overtime hero, dead at 86 | newspaper=Torontosun }} "My other careers were a learning experience, sometimes profitable, sometimes not, but I would not trade any of that," Baun wrote in his autobiography. "But in honest reflection, what has affected my life the most was that goal I scored on April 23, 1964."{{Cite web |last=Davidson |first=Neil |date=2023-08-15 |title=Bobby Baun, who scored OT goal on broken leg to win 1964 Stanley Cup, dead at 86 |url=https://www.cbc.ca/sports/hockey/nhl/bobby-baun-death-maple-leafs-stanley-cup-nhl-1.6936604 |website=CBC News}} ==Baun and the NHL pension plan== {{unreferenced section|date=August 2023}} In the 1980s, Baun organized an NHL alumni association and began an investigation into the NHL's pension plan. The plan had been touted to players as the best in professional sports, but after playing in 17 NHL seasons, Baun's pension was only $7,622 a year. Baun received little support from other players, and eventually gave up. Problems with the pension plan were later uncovered through an audit backed by [Carl Brewer](/source/Carl_Brewer_(ice_hockey)).{{Cite web |last=Juan |first=Eric San |date=2023-08-16 |title=Bobby Baun (1936–2023), Toronto Maple Leafs hockey legend |url=https://www.legacy.com/news/celebrity-deaths/bobby-baun-1936-2023-toronto-maple-leafs-hockey-legend/#google_vignette |access-date=2025-02-17 |website=Legacy.com |language=en-US}} ==Awards and honors== On June 1, 2007, Baun was awarded an honorary Doctorate of Laws from the [University of Ontario Institute of Technology](/source/University_of_Ontario_Institute_of_Technology) for his work on and off the ice. He resided in Ajax, Ontario. In 2010, Baun was inducted into the [Ontario Sports Hall of Fame](/source/Ontario_Sports_Hall_of_Fame).{{cite web |title=Bobby Baun |url=http://oshof.ca/index.php/honoured-members/item/16-bobby-baun |website=oshof.ca |publisher=[Ontario Sports Hall of Fame](/source/Ontario_Sports_Hall_of_Fame) |access-date=September 25, 2014 |archive-date=December 29, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141229012043/http://www.oshof.ca/index.php/honoured-members/item/16-bobby-baun |url-status=dead }} ==Personal life and death== Baun was the grandfather of former professional hockey player [Kyle Baun](/source/Kyle_Baun), who played five games in the NHL. Baun died on August 14, 2023, at the age of 86.{{cite news |title=Bobby 'Boomer' Baun, Maple Leaf Cup overtime hero, dead at 86 |url=https://torontosun.com/sports/hockey/nhl/toronto-maple-leafs/bobby-boomer-baun-maple-leaf-cup-overtime-hero-dead-at-86 |access-date=August 15, 2023 |publisher=Toronto Sun |date=August 15, 2023}} ==Career statistics== {| border="0" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="0" style="text-align:center; width:60em;" |- style="background:#e0e0e0;" ! colspan="3" bgcolor="#ffffff" |   ! rowspan="99" bgcolor="#ffffff" |   ! colspan="5" | [Regular season](/source/regular_season) ! rowspan="99" bgcolor="#ffffff" |   ! colspan="5" | [Playoffs](/source/Playoffs) |- style="background:#e0e0e0;" ! [Season](/source/Season_(sports)) ! Team ! League ! GP ! [G](/source/Goal_(ice_hockey)) ! [A](/source/Assist_(ice_hockey)) ! [Pts](/source/Point_(ice_hockey)) ! [PIM](/source/Penalty_(ice_hockey)) ! GP ! G ! A ! Pts ! PIM |- | [1952–53](/source/1952%E2%80%9353_OHA_season)||[Toronto Marlboros](/source/Toronto_Marlboros)||[OHA-Jr.](/source/Ontario_Hockey_League)||16||1||1||2||12||7||0||2||2||6 |- style="background:#f0f0f0;" | [1953–54](/source/1953%E2%80%9354_OHA_season)||Toronto Marlboros||OHA-Jr.||59||2||15||17||63||15||3||0||3||10 |- | [1954–55](/source/1954%E2%80%9355_OHA_season)||Toronto Marlboros||OHA-Jr.||47||3||6||9||99||13||0||1||1||31 |- style="background:#f0f0f0;" | [1954–55](/source/1955_Memorial_Cup)||Toronto Marlboros||[M-Cup](/source/Memorial_Cup)||—||—||—||—||—||11||0||2||2||32 |- | [1955–56](/source/1955%E2%80%9356_OHA_season)||Toronto Marlboros||OHA-Jr.||48||5||14||19||93||11||3||2||5||38 |- style="background:#f0f0f0;" | [1955–56](/source/1956_Memorial_Cup)||Toronto Marlboros||M-Cup||—||—||—||—||—||13||1||1||2||39 |- | [1956–57](/source/1956%E2%80%9357_AHL_season)||[Rochester Americans](/source/Rochester_Americans)||[AHL](/source/American_Hockey_League)||46||2||13||15||117||—||—||—||—||— |- style="background:#f0f0f0;" | [1956–57](/source/1956%E2%80%9357_NHL_season)||[Toronto Maple Leafs](/source/Toronto_Maple_Leafs)||[NHL](/source/National_Hockey_League)||20||0||5||5||37||—||—||—||—||— |- | [1957–58](/source/1957%E2%80%9358_NHL_season)||Toronto Maple Leafs||NHL||67||1||9||10||91||—||—||—||—||— |- style="background:#f0f0f0;" | [1958–59](/source/1958%E2%80%9359_NHL_season)||Toronto Maple Leafs||NHL||51||1||8||9||87||12||0||0||0||24 |- | [1959–60](/source/1959%E2%80%9360_NHL_season)||Toronto Maple Leafs||NHL||61||8||9||17||59||10||1||0||1||17 |- style="background:#f0f0f0;" | [1960–61](/source/1960%E2%80%9361_NHL_season)||Toronto Maple Leafs||NHL||70||1||14||15||70||3||0||0||0||8 |- | [1961–62](/source/1961%E2%80%9362_NHL_season)||Toronto Maple Leafs||NHL||65||4||11||15||94||12||0||3||3||19 |- style="background:#f0f0f0;" | [1962–63](/source/1962%E2%80%9363_NHL_season)||Toronto Maple Leafs||NHL||48||4||8||12||65||10||0||3||3||6 |- | [1963–64](/source/1963%E2%80%9364_NHL_season)||Toronto Maple Leafs||NHL||52||4||14||18||113||14||2||3||5||42 |- style="background:#f0f0f0;" | [1964–65](/source/1964%E2%80%9365_NHL_season)||Toronto Maple Leafs||NHL||70||0||18||18||160||6||0||1||1||14 |- | [1965–66](/source/1965%E2%80%9366_NHL_season)||Toronto Maple Leafs||NHL||44||0||6||6||68||4||0||1||1||8 |- style="background:#f0f0f0;" | [1966–67](/source/1966%E2%80%9367_NHL_season)||Toronto Maple Leafs||NHL||54||2||8||10||83||10||0||0||0||4 |- | [1967–68](/source/1967%E2%80%9368_NHL_season)||[Oakland Seals](/source/Oakland_Seals)||NHL||67||3||10||13||81||—||—||—||—||— |- style="background:#f0f0f0;" | [1968–69](/source/1968%E2%80%9369_NHL_season)||[Detroit Red Wings](/source/Detroit_Red_Wings)||NHL||76||4||16||20||121||—||—||—||—||— |- | [1969–70](/source/1969%E2%80%9370_NHL_season)||Detroit Red Wings||NHL||71||1||18||19||110||4||0||0||0||0 |- style="background:#f0f0f0;" | [1970–71](/source/1970%E2%80%9371_NHL_season)||Detroit Red Wings||NHL||11||0||3||3||24||—||—||—||—||— |- | 1970–71||Toronto Maple Leafs||NHL||58||1||17||18||123||6||0||1||1||19 |- style="background:#f0f0f0;" | [1971–72](/source/1971%E2%80%9372_NHL_season)||Toronto Maple Leafs||NHL||74||2||12||14||101||5||0||0||0||4 |- | [1972–73](/source/1972%E2%80%9373_NHL_season)||Toronto Maple Leafs||NHL||5||1||1||2||4||—||—||—||—||— |- style="background:#e0e0e0;" ! colspan="3" | NHL totals ! 964 ! 37 ! 187 ! 224 ! 1491 ! 96 ! 3 ! 12 ! 15 ! 165 |} ==Coaching record== {| class="wikitable" style="font-size: 95%; text-align:center;" |- ! rowspan="2"|Team || rowspan="2"|Year || colspan="6"|Regular season || Postseason |- ! G || W || L || T || Pts || Finish || Result |- ! [Toronto Toros](/source/Toronto_Toros) || [1975–76](/source/1975%E2%80%9376_WHA_season) | 55 || 15 || 35 || 5 || (35) || 5th in WHA Canadian || Missed playoffs |- ! colspan="2"|Total ! 55 || 15 || 35 || 5 || (35) || || |} ==References== {{Reflist}} * Fischler, Stan. ''Hockey Stars of 1969''. * Lader, Martin and Tim Moriarty. ''Face-off 1973–74''. *[https://torontosun.com/sports/hockey/nhl/toronto-maple-leafs/bobby-boomer-baun-maple-leaf-cup-overtime-hero-dead-at-86 Bobby 'Boomer' Baun, Maple Leafs Stanley Cup overtime hero, dead at 86] ==External links== {{Commons category|Bobby Baun}} * {{Ice hockey stats}} * [https://web.archive.org/web/20080419083137/http://www.legendsofhockey.net/LegendsOfHockey/jsp/SearchPlayer.jsp?player=11937 Legends of Hockey profile] {{s-start}} {{succession box | before = ''Position created'' | title = [California Seals/Oakland Seals captain](/source/California_Golden_Seals) | years = [1967–68](/source/1967%E2%80%9368_NHL_season) | after = [Ted Hampson](/source/Ted_Hampson)}} {{s-end}} {{Authority control}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Baun, Bobby}} Category:1936 births Category:2023 deaths Category:Canadian ice hockey defencemen Category:Canadian people of German descent Category:Detroit Red Wings players Category:Canadian expatriate ice hockey players in the United States Category:Ice hockey people from Saskatchewan Category:Oakland Seals players Category:People from Lanigan, Saskatchewan Category:Rochester Americans players Category:Stanley Cup champions Category:Toronto Maple Leafs players Category:Toronto Marlboros players Category:Toronto Toros Category:20th-century Canadian sportsmen --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Bobby Baun](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bobby_Baun) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bobby_Baun?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.