Toronto Maple Leafs fan favourite Eddie “The Entertainer” Shack has died at age 83
Shack won four Stanley Cups while playing for the Maple Leafs
Eddie Shack, adored by Toronto hockey fans for his style of play and colourful antics both on and off the ice, has died of cancer at the age of 83.
The Toronto Maple Leafs announced the news in a tweet Sunday morning.
The Maple Leafs are deeply saddened by the passing of Eddie Shack.
— Toronto Maple Leafs (@MapleLeafs) July 26, 2020
A three-time all star and four-time Stanley Cup champion, Eddie entertained Leafs fans on the ice for nine seasons and for decades off of it. He will be greatly missed.
Our thoughts are with his family. pic.twitter.com/vMz0pznuNv
Shack won four Stanley Cups with the Maple Leafs in the 1960s including the club’s last championship in 1967. He potted the winning goal for Toronto in the 1963 final.
Shack played parts of 17 seasons in the NHL, nine of those years with the Maple Leafs. His pro hockey career began in 1958 and ended in 1975.
He played 1,047 NHL games and scored 239 goals, had 456 points and collected 1,431 penalty minutes.
The Sudbury native also made a name for himself with his bushy moustache and the brands he hawked on television after he ended his playing career.
Probably his most famous selling line was when Shack became a spokesperson for the soft drink company The Pop Shoppe.
“Maybe I didn’t go far in school. But there’s one thing I’ve learned from my mum and dad,” he told a group of kids in a 1978 Pop Shoppe commercial. “Look after the nickels and dimes and the dollars will look after themselves.”
The commercials also brought attention to his rather large nose, in which Shack uttered the line: “I’ve got a nose for value.”
Banner courtesy: @MapleLeafs
