Wednesday, May 30 Bad break a silver lining By Joy Russo ESPN.com NHL players are known for disclosing their injuries – or the seriousness of them – during the Stanley Cup playoffs. Leafs 4, Wings 3 Date Result Goalie 4/11 Leafs 3, Wings 2 Bower 4/14 Wings 4, Leafs 3 Sawchuk 4/16 Wings 4, Leafs 3 Sawchuk 4/18 Leafs 4, Wings 2 Bower 4/21 Wings 2, Leafs 1 Sawchuk 4/23 Leafs 4, Wings 3 Bower 4/25 Leafs 4, Wings 0 Bower This grit didn't just develop overnight. Players like Toronto's Bob Baun contributed to the "lore" in 1964. For the first time since the NHL's six-team format was established in 1943, both Cup semifinals went seven games. Baun's Maple Leafs and the Red Wings survived, and the matchup would be just as exciting as the preceding series. Toronto took the opener in dramatic fashion and set the tone for the rest of the series. Bob Pulford wristed a shot past Detroit goaltender Terry Sawchuk with just two seconds left in regulation to give the Leafs a 3-2 victory. After the Leafs erased a 3-1 deficit in Game 2, Detroit evened the series with Larry Jeffrey's overtime goal. The Wings gave up a 3-0 lead in Game 3, but Gordie Howe set up Alex Delvecchio's winner with 17 seconds left to give Detroit the series lead. The two teams split Games 4 and 5 and put Detroit one win away from the Cup. But one player's performance in Game 6 produced one of hockey's most legendary moments. The turnaround Like the rest of the series, Game 6 was a nail-biter, and the two teams went into overtime. In the third period, Baun took a slap shot to his right ankle and left the ice on a stretcher. But the defenseman returned to the ice in overtime and scored the winner at the 2:43 mark to force the decisive Game 7. Unlike the rest of the series, Game 7 wasn't even close. With Baun in the lineup, Toronto cruised to a 4-0 win and a third straight Stanley Cup. It wasn't revealed until after series that Baun played with a broken bone above his ankle. The MVP Bob Baun goes down under the "hero" category, but two other players were outstanding in the playoffs for the Maple Leafs Veterans Andy Bathgate and Don McKenney were acquired late in the season from the New York Rangers and combined for nine goals and 12 assists in 14 games for Toronto. Baun finished with two goals and three assists. Joy Russo is a staff editor for ESPN.com Send this story to a friend | Most sent stories