Bobby Baun, a hard-nosed defenceman who entered hockey lore by helping the Toronto Maple Leafs to the 1964 Stanley Cup on a broken leg, has died at the age of 86.

Born Sept. 9, 1936, in Lanigan, Sask., as Robert Neil Baun, he played 17 seasons in the NHL.

The NHL Alumni Association announced his death on Tuesday, but the cause of death was not released.

The five-foot-nine 175-pounder collected 37 goals, 187 assists and 1,489 penalty minutes in 964 regular-season games from 1956 to 1973. He added three goals, 12 assists and 171 penalty minutes in 96 playoff games.

Baun won Stanley Cups with the Leafs in 1962, '63, '64 and '67. But it was in the 1964 final against Detroit that he reached legendary status, when he scored an overtime goal in Game 6 on what was later revealed to be a broken leg.

He spent his first 11 NHL seasons with Toronto before being taken by the Oakland Seals in the 1967 expansion draft. He spent one season with Oakland before going to Detroit the next year. Baun returned to Toronto in 1970 for the final stretch of his playing career.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 15, 2023. More coming.

The Canadian Press