Hockey stick owned by Toronto Maple Leafs legend Bill Barilko hits auction block

A piece of hockey history is on the auction block — a signed stick owned by Bill Barilko, the Toronto Maple Leafs defenceman who scored the Stanley Cup-winning goal in overtime in 1951.

The National Hockey League's website shows Barilko, born in Timmins, Ont., played 252 games in his career. He spent all of his five seasons with the Toronto Maple Leafs.

For many, Barilko's goal against the Montreal Canadiens on April 21, 1951 is one of hockey's most celebrated. It was also Barilko's last, as in August of the same year, he died when a plane he was in went down while on a fishing trip to James Bay. The Leafs didn't win another Cup until 1962. Six weeks after that win, the crash site and Barilko's body were located.

His story inspired The Tragically Hip song Fifty-Mission Cap.

The game-issued stick from the 1950-51 season is being auctioned off by Miller and Miller Auctions based out of New Hamburg, Ont. Benjamin Pernfuss is the consignment director in the sports category at Miller and Miller and called it a "unique find."

"It's one of those items that gives you a rush when you hold it in your hand, just knowing that you're touching a piece of history," Pernfuss told CBC Kitchener-Waterloo's The Morning Edition.

"Every day, I'm in different people's collections and seeing items and it's not every day that I see something I haven't seen before. But this is one of those items and it really brought me a lot of joy to source it and and offer for sale."

LISTEN | The radio call from 1951 when Bill Barilko won the Leafs the Cup:

Listen to the radio call from 1951 when Bill Barilko won the Leafs the Cup

The stick is stamped number five, which indicates it was issued to Barilko because that was his number for the 1950-51