Leo Boivin

Leo Joseph Boivin (August 2, 1931 – October 16, 2021) was a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman and coach who played 19 seasons in the National Hockey League. From 1952 to 1970 he played for the Toronto Maple Leafs, Boston Bruins, Detroit Red Wings, Pittsburgh Penguins, and Minnesota North Stars.

Born in Prescott, Ontario, Boivin began playing hockey at seven years of age on the rivers and outdoor ice surfaces of Prescott, near Ottawa. He started his junior career in 1948–49 with the Inkerman Rockets of the Ontario Valley Junior Hockey League. Scouted by the Boston Bruins during a pre-season competition, he was signed by the franchise in 1949 and subsequently played two seasons for the Port Arthur Bruins of the Thunder Bay Junior A Hockey League. His rights were traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs on November 16, 1950.

Boivin began the 1951–52 season with the Pittsburgh Hornets of the American Hockey League before being promoted to the Leafs. The Toronto franchise had lost hard-hitting blue-liner Bill Barilko in the summer of 1951, when Barilko disappeared on a fishing trip.