This unique Hockey Magazine program from 1967 shows an illustration of Toronto Maple Leaf legend Johnny Bower lifting into the air to make a stop. Notice no helmet to assist in the stop. Nicknamed “The China Wall,” he who won four Stanley Cups during his career with the Toronto Maple Leafs. In 2017 he was named one of the “100 Greatest NHL Players” in history.
In the early days, long before cell phones and social media, hockey fans would arrive at their arena anxious to buy the latest game program giving them the latest info they needed to follow their favourite team. The advent of digital design and sophisticated photography has dramatically transformed the look and feel of the classic game-night program that captured the attention of fans. As early as the 1920’s, portraits and caricatures captured the scope of what fans would find at the rink.