Garth Boesch began his career as a hockey player with the Notre Dame Hounds, for which he was active from 1937 to 1940 in the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League . He then played for two seasons for the Regina Rangers from the SSHL and a year for the Lethbridge Maple Leafs from the Alberta Senior Hockey League . After the defender had suspended ice hockey in the 1943/44 season, he played for Winnipeg RCAF in the WNDHL in the 1944/45 season. He then moved to the Pittsburgh Hornets from the American Hockey League , for which he scored a total of 28 scorer points, including 15 goals, in 49 games in the 1945/46 season. In the summer of 1946, the Canadian was signed by the Toronto Maple Leafs from the National Hockey League , with whom he won the prestigious Stanley Cup three times in a row in 1947, 1948 and 1949 . He also took part in 1948 and 1949 with the Maple Leafs in the NHL All-Star Game , where he ended his career in 1950.
Boesch was one of three NHL players with a mustache in the 1940s . In the Leafs, he usually formed a defender duo with Bill Barilko , with whom he formed the so-called " Maginot Line ". The two dropped to their knees when they tried to block shots on goal. Boesch was considered one of the most underrated defenders in NHL history. On May 14, 1998, Boesch died of a heart condition at the age of 77.
Garth Boesch 