Leo Boivin

Leo Boivin began playing hockey at seven years of age on the rivers and outdoor ice surfaces of Prescott, Ontario, near Ottawa, Ontario. He began his junior career with the Inkerman Rockets where he was spotted by a scout for the Boston Bruins who inked him to a contract. That led to a move to the Port Arthur Bruins for two more seasons. At the end of his Junior career, his rights were traded by Boston to the Toronto Maple Leafs. In 1951–52 he began playing for the American Hockey League (AHL) Pittsburgh Hornets and was promoted to the Toronto Maple Leafs. The Maple Leafs had lost hard-hitting blue liner Bill Barilko in the summer of 1951 when he disappeared on a fishing trip and the Toronto brass felt that Boivin\'s physical style could help fill that void. Boivin only got into two games in the 1951-52 season but joined the Maple Leafs as a regular the following year. Early in the 1…