Ron Stewart 1961-62 Parkhurst #6

Number 6 in the 1961-62 Parkhurst hockey card set belongs to Ron Stewart of the Toronto Maple Leafs. Not quite Hockey Hall of Fame material, Stewart is as close as it gets and deserves an honourable mention. Ron won a Memorial Cup and three Stanley Cup championships as a player, while winning the Calder Cup in the American Hockey League as a head coach.

Ron Stewart 1961-62 Parkhurst #6

The 1961-62 Parkhurst Ron Stewart hockey card is valued as a common card and occurred at the halfway point of his National Hockey League career. The Ron Stewart rookie card appears as number 94 in the 1952-53 Parkhurst set and is also valued as a common card.

The back of the 1961-62 card celebrates Stewart’s 1960-61 NHL season. He played in just 51 of Toronto’s 70 regular season games, scoring 13 goals and assisting on 12 for 25 points. Ron sat just eight minutes in the penalty box all season. However, teammate Dave Keon was awarded the Lady Byng Trophy with just three minor penalties over the full 70 game schedule. In the playoffs, Stewart played five games and scored one goal.

Ron Stewart – Junior Hockey

Ron played in the OHA from 1949-50 to 1951-52 with the Toronto Marlboros, Barrie Flyers, Guelph Biltmores and Windsor Spitfires. He switched to the Flyers from Toronto midway through the 1951-52 season and joined the Biltmores for the 1951-52 playoffs. Stewart played just two games with the Spitfires, also in that 1951-52 season.

Stewart helped the Biltmore Mad Hatters win the Robertson Cup as OHA playoff champions. The team advanced to the Memorial Cup finals against the Regina Pats. Guelph easily won the Canadian junior hockey title, sweeping Regina in four games. On that Guelph team were future New York Rangers greats Andy Bathgate, Harry Howell and Dean Prentice.

Ron Stewart – NHL

Stewart played 1,353 regular season games in the National Hockey League between 1952-53 and 1972-73. Over that time, he scored 276 goals and assisted on 253 for 529 points. Ron also played 119 games in the Stanley Cup playoffs, adding 35 points. His 1,353 NHL games still ranks him 44^th on the all-time list.

Over his career, Stewart played for the Maple Leafs, Boston Bruins, St. Louis Blues, New York Rangers, Vancouver Canucks and New York Islanders. He was a three time Stanley Cup champion with Toronto from 1961-62 to 1963-64.

In June, 1965, Ron valued highly by the Boston Bruins. Toronto sent Stewart to the Bruins for Andy Hebenton, Orland Kurtenbach and Pat Stapleton. By the 1967 NHL Expansion Draft, Boston had devalued Stewart enough to leave him unprotected. The St. Louis Blues took him down in the 15^th round, 90^th overall.

Ron Stewart – Coach 

Stewart’s coaching career was short but fairly sweet. In 1973-74, immediately after retiring as a player, Ron took over the head coaching duties for the Portland Buckaroos of the WHL. The Buckaroos placed fourth in the six team league over the regular season. In the playoffs, Portland reached the finals before falling in five games to the Phoenix Roadrunners. Interestingly, on the team was Andy Hebenton, one of the players Stewart was traded to Boston for back in 1965.

The following year, 1974-75, Ron took over the head coaching job for the Springfield Kings of the American Hockey League. In February, the team changed its name back to the Indians. The Springfield Indians placed fourth in the five team AHL Northern Division but would have placed first in the Southern Division and therefore finished fourth overall in the ten team league. Stewart’s squad once again reached the playoff finals and Springfield captured the Calder Cup championship over the New Haven Nighthawks in five games.

Stewart spent one year as a head coach in the National Hockey League. In 1977-78, he coached the Los Angeles Kings. L.A. placed third in the strong Norris Division with the Triple Crown Line just starting to come together. In the best of three preliminary round, the Kings were swept in two by the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Dave Keon 1961-62 Parkhurst #5

Dave Keon was the highlight of the 1961-62 Parkhurst hockey card set and, really, the highlight of the 1960-61 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL season. Fresh off a stellar junior career with Toronto St. Michael’s, Keon was raring to go, jumping straight into a starting role in the National Hockey League.

Dave Keon – 1961-62 Parkhurst #5

Number 5 in the 1961-62 Parkhurst set is the Dave Keon rookie card. The card is easily the highest valued rookie card in the set and equal to Gordie Howe of the Detroit Red Wings as the highest overall card in the 51 card collection. Keon’s first ever appearance on cardboard is valued at over 16 times that of a common card.

The back of the card celebrates Keon’s 1960-61 rookie season. Playing the full 70 game regular season schedule for Toronto, Keon scored 20 goals and assisted on 25 for 45 points. For his efforts, Dave was awarded the Calder Trophy as the top rookie in the National Hockey League.

Interestingly, Keon sat just six minutes in the penalty box but was not awarded the Lady Byng Trophy as the NHL’s most gentlemanly. That accolade went to Dave’s Toronto teammate, Red Kelly. Yes, it’s not strictly an award for the least PIM but Kelly sat 12 minutes while playing in just 64 games. Keon got his retribution, winning consecutive Lady Byng Trophies in 1961-62 and 1962-63.

Dave Keon – NHL

Keon played in the NHL from 1960-61 to 1974-75, all with the Toronto Maple Leafs, before jumping to the World Hockey Association. After the WHA ceased to exist after the 1978-79 season, Dave returned to the NHL but this time with the Hartford Whalers. He spent three years with the NHL Whalers before retiring from the game.

Over his NHL career, Keon played in 1,296 regular season games, scoring 396 goals and assisting on 590 for 986 points. Dave still ranks 53^rd all-time for most NHL regular season games played. In the playoffs, he played an additional 93 games, scoring 32 and assisting on 36 for 68 points.

A four time Stanley Cup champion, Keon enjoyed early success with the Maple Leafs winning three consecutive championships between 1961-62 and 1963-64. His fourth Cup came in 1966-67 when the Maple Leafs won their last ever championship. Dave was awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP. Over 12 games in the playoffs that year, Keon scored three and assisted on five for eight points.

Dave served as team captain with the Maple Leafs from 1969-70 until the end of the 1974-75 season. In his final year in the NHL, 1981-82, Keon was captain of the Hartford Whalers. In 1986, Dave Keon was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame. 

Dave Keon – WHA

Between 1975-76 and 1978-79, Keon played in 301 regular season games in the World Hockey Association. He scored 102 and assisted on 189 for 291 points. Dave played in an additional 36 playoff games, adding 36 points.

During his WHA career, Keon played for the Minnesota Fighting Saints, Indianapolis Racers and New England Whalers. However, his greatest success came with the Whalers. The team reached the Avco World Trophy finals in 1977-78 before being swept in four by the Winnipeg Jets.

Bert Olmstead 1961-62 Parkhurst #4

Bert Olmstead quietly got his name on the Stanley Cup five times and found his way into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1985. The man who retired from the game rather than play for the New York Rangers, became the first ever coach of the Oakland Seals when the NHL expanded to 12 teams for the 1967-68 season.

Bert Olmstead - 1961-62 Parkhurst #4

The 1961-62 Parkhurst card was the second last hockey card produced of Bert during his playing career, in his last season in the National Hockey League. He appeared on number 57 of the 1962-63 Topps set as a member of the New York Rangers, although he never played a game with New York and retired before the season started.

The 1961-62 card is valued as a common card. Olmstead’s 1951-52 Parkhurst rookie card has a book value of $125. The 1961-62 Parkhurst hockey card celebrates the 1960-61 season when Bert scored 18 goals and assisted on 34 for 52 points over 67 games with the Toronto Maple Leafs. Olmstead was fourth on the team for points.

Bert Olmstead - NHL Player

Olmstead played in the National Hockey League from 1948-49 to 1961-62 with the Chicago Blackhawks, Montreal Canadiens and Toronto Maple Leafs. Over his career, Bert played 848 regular season games, scoring 181 goals and assisting on 421 for 602 points. In the Stanley Cup playoffs, he played an additional 115 games, adding 59 points.

Bert’s first full season came in 1949-50 with the Blackhawks. He played the full 70 game schedule, scoring 20 goals and assisting on 29 for 49 points. The following year was interesting for Olmstead. On December 3, 1950, he was traded to the Detroit Red Wings from Chicago. However, without playing a game for Detroit, he was traded on December 17 to the Montreal Canadiens for Leo Gravelle. This means, at some point, Olmstead was property of every Original 6 team, except for Boston, but only played for three.

Olmstead showed off his talents as a playmaker with the Canadiens in 1954-55. Over the full 70 game schedule, Bert scored just ten goals but assisted on 48 for 58 points. He led the league in assists with five more than teammate Doug Harvey. Olmstead also placed seventh in the NHL for points and seventh for penalty minutes.

The following year, the numbers increased. In 1955-56, Bert scored 14 and assisted on 56 for 70 points over 70 games. He was once again the NHL assist leader, nine ahead of Andy Bathgate of the New York Rangers. At the time, the 56 assists was a new NHL single season record. Olmstead’s 70 points placed him fourth in the race for the Art Ross Trophy behind teammate Jean Beliveau, Gordie Howe of the Red Wings and teammate Maurice ‘Rocket’ Richard.

In that 1955-56 season, Bert had an eight point game. The feat was a league record, tying him with Rocket Richard. The record stood until 1976 when Darryl Sittler of the Toronto Maple Leafs totalled ten points in a game against the Boston Bruins.

Olmstead won four Stanley Cup championships with the Canadiens, 1952-53, 1955-56, 1956-57 and 1957-58. He also won a Stanley Cup championship in his final year as a player, 1961-62. In 1985, Bert Olmstead was finally inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame.

Bert Olmstead – Head Coach 

Olmstead had a short three year career in coaching. In 1965-66 and 1966-67, he was head coach of the Vancouver Canucks of the WHL. In 1967-68, Bert was the first ever coach of the Oakland Seals in the NHL.

In 1965-66, the Canucks placed third in the six team Western Hockey League. In the playoffs, Vancouver lost the opening round in seven games to the Portland Buckaroos. In spite of the loss, the Canucks outscored the Buckaroos 28-27 on the series.

The following year, Vancouver placed third in the now seven team league. The Canucks reached the WHL finals before being swept in four games by the Seattle Totems.

His year as a head coach in the National Hockey League lasted 64 games. With the team winning just eleven games and totalling 47 points under his leadership, Olmstead resigned.

Johnny Bower 1961-62 Parkhurst #3

John Kiszkan is one of the most loved hockey players in Toronto Maple Leafs history. Perhaps, Kiszkan can be found within a list of top ten National Hockey League goaltenders of all-time. Seemingly old before he was young, John Kiszkan is better known as Johnny Bower and is one of very to belong to both the Hockey Hall of Fame and AHL Hall of Fame.

Johnny Bower – 1961-62 Parkhurst #3

The third card in the 51 card 1961-62 Parkhurst NHL set belongs to Bower. Valued at four times that of a common card, it is the lowest valued hockey card of the big three goalies found in the set. Jacques Plante of the Montreal Canadiens leads the way, followed by Terry Sawchuk of the Detroit Red Wings.

The back of the card celebrates Bower’s stats from the 1960-61 National Hockey League season. It was Johnny’s third year as the number one goalie for the Maple Leafs. He played in 58 games, recording a 2.50 goals against average, two shutouts and a .923 save percentage. He was backed up that year by a young Cesare Maniago who played seven games and Gerry McNamara who played in five games.

Johnny Bower – Minor Pro

From 1945-46 to 1952-53, Bower played in the AHL before getting his first shot at the NHL in 1953-54. It was in his first year that the name change from Kiszkan to Bower occurred. He was returned to the WHL for most of the 1954-55 season, playing 63 games for the Vancouver Canucks and just five in the NHL with the Rangers. Johnny then spent the next three years in the AHL before going back up to the NHL for good.

Best known as a four time Stanley Cup champion with the Maple Leafs, Bower was also part of four Calder Cup winning teams in the American Hockey League. His first three came with the Cleveland Barons while, ironically, his fourth came as a member of the Providence Reds, beating Cleveland in the finals.

In 1947-48, the Barons swept the Buffalo Bisons in four in the finals. In 1950-51 and 1952-53, Cleveland met up with the Pittsburgh Hornets in the finals, winning both with each series going the full seven games. In 1955-56, it was Bower’s last run at the Calder Cup with Providence sweeping Cleveland in four.

Bower was awarded both the Harry ‘Hap’ Holmes Memorial Award as the AHL’s top goalie and the Les Cunningham Award as the AHL’s MVP on three occasions. In 1956-57 and 1957-58, he was awarded both in the same season. In 1956-57 with the Reds, Johnny played in 57 games, posting four shutouts and a GAA of 2.42. The following year, he returned to the Cleveland Barons, playing in 64 games with eight shutouts and a 2.19 GAA.

In 2006, the American Hockey League inaugurated their own Hall of Fame. Johnny Bower was inducted in that first year.

Johnny Bower – NHL

Because he spent most of his NHL career with Toronto and the Maple Leafs were one of the first teams to introduce a real two goalie system, the only year Johnny played each game for his NHL team was in his rookie year with the Rangers. In 1953-54, Bower played in all 70 games for New York, earning five shutouts and a 2.60 goals against average. However, it was teammate Camille Henry that was honoured with the Calder Trophy as NHL rookie of the year.

His NHL action would be severely reduced over the next several seasons. Johnny played five games with the Rangers in 1954-55 and just two games with the club in 1956-57. After being picked up by the Maple Leafs, Bower found regular work starting in 1958-59. He remained Toronto’s top goalie for the next decade.

With Toronto, he won four Stanley Cup champions. After the three-peat from 1961-62 to 1963-64, Bower took one last championship with the Maple Leafs in 1966-67. However, in that 1966-67 season, he shared the load equally with Terry Sawchuk.

By the 1968-69 season, Bower’s time between the pipes was reduced to just 20 games with Bruce Gamble taking over the number one spot. In his final year, 1969-70, Johnny played just one game, a 6-3 loss to the Montreal Canadiens on December 10, 1969. That year, Gamble was still number one but Marv Edwards had taken over as the number two guy. In an interesting twist, Gerry McNamara, who had backed up Bower in 1960-61 with five appearances, played two games for the Maple Leafs. Those would be the only seven NHL games McNamara would ever play.

Johnny was the recipient of the Vezina Trophy in 1960-61 and 1964-65. That, in itself, is an interesting fact. Those were the two years surrounding Toronto’s three year run at the Stanley Cup but Bower did not win the reward while the Maple Leafs were champions.

In 1976, Johnny Bower was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame. In March, 1995, the Toronto Maple Leafs honoured, but did not retire, number one for Johnny and Turk Broda.

 

Frank Mahovlich 1961-62 Parkhurst #2

Card number 2 of 51 in the 1961-62 Parkhurst hockey card set belongs to Frank Mahovlich of the Toronto Maple Leafs. Book value for the Mahovlich card is $80, making it of equal value with Henri Richard and Jean Beliveau from the same season. This is a far cry from the $500 book value of the 1957-58 Parkhurst Frank Mahovlich rookie card, a treasure for all vintage hockey cards collectors.

The back of the card celebrates Mahovlich’s 1960-61 season with the Maple Leafs. Frank scored 48 goals and assisted on 36 for 84 points while playing the full 70 game regular season schedule. He led Toronto in goals and points. His goal total was second in the National Hockey League, behind Bernie Geoffrion of the Montreal Canadiens. Bernie became the second player to ever score 50 goals in a NHL season with exactly 50. Mahovlich’s 84 points placed him third behind Geoffrion and Jean Beliveau.

Frank Mahovlich – Playing Career

Frank played parts of four seasons in the OHA Junior A with Toronto St. Michael’s from 1953-54 to 1956-57. In his final year, he was awarded the Red Tilson Trophy as league MVP. Over 49 regular season games with St. Michael’s, Mahovlich scored 52 goals and assisted on 36 for 88 points. He placed first in the league for goals, tied for seventh in assists and third in the race for the Eddie Powers Trophy behind Bill Sweeney and Eddie Shack, both of the Guelph Biltmore Mad Hatters.

The following year, Mahovlich was the 1957-58 recipient of the Calder Trophy as NHL rookie of the year. On a last place Toronto Maple Leafs team, Frank managed to score 20 goals and total 36 points over 67 games.

Frank played in the NHL until 1973-74, also appearing with the Detroit Red Wings and Montreal Canadiens. He played 1,181 regular season NHL games, scoring 533 goals and assisting on 570 for 1,103 points. Mahovlich also played in 137 playoff games, scoring 51 goals and assisting on 67 for 118 points. He was a member of six Stanley Cup champions, four with Toronto and two with Montreal.

His personal high for goals came in 1968-69 with the Red Wings. Frank scored 49 goals over 76 games and tied for second in the league with Phil Esposito of the Boston Bruins, nine goals behind Bobby Hull of the Chicago Blackhawks.

Mahovlich jumped to the World Hockey Association for the 1974-75 season and stayed for four years before retiring from the games. His first two years were with the Toronto Toros before moving with the franchise to Birmingham and playing two more years with the Birmingham Bulls. Over his WHA career, Frank scored 89 goals and assisted on 143 for 232 points over 237 games. He appeared in just nine playoff games, adding five points.

Frank Mahovlich – Honours and Accolades 

Frank played for Canada at the 1972 Summit Series against the Soviet Union. He then played for Canada again on an all-WHA team at the 1974 Summit Series. He appeared in six games at each of the showdowns.

Mahovlich was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1981. Nine years later, Frank was honoured by the Canada Sports Hall of Fame. In 2001, the Toronto Maple Leafs honoured his number 27.

Tim Horton 1961-62 Parkhurst #1

Tim Horton was going into his tenth full season with the Toronto Maple Leafs for his 1961-62 National Hockey League season. Although never the recipient of an individual award during his NHL playing days, Horton has been inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame, has his number retired by two NHL teams and is still among the top 25 for most games played during a career.

Tim Horton 1961-62 Parkhurst #1

The first card in the 51 card 1961-62 Parkhurst hockey card set belongs to Tim Horton. The Horton hockey card is the second most valuable in the set, behind the equally valued Gordie Howe card and the Dave Keon rookie card. Book value for the card is set at $200.

The back of the card shows Tim’s stats from the 1960-61 NHL season. He played 57 regular season games on the point for the Toronto Maple Leafs, scoring six goals and assisting on 15 for 21 points. Toronto finished second overall in the six team league but were upset in the opening round by the Detroit Red Wings. The Maple Leafs won the first game of the series in overtime before the Red Wings won the next four.

Tim Horton – Playing Career

Although he was a regular 1952-53, Horton played in the NHL as far back as 1949-50. Horton played until his death near the end of the 1973-74 season. Tim played for the Maple Leafs, New York Rangers, Pittsburgh Penguins and Buffalo Sabres. Over that time, he played in 1,445 regular season games, scoring 115 and assisting on 403 for 518 points. He still stands 21^st overall for most regular season games played during a NHL career, 14 games more than Mike Gartner and eleven less than Glen Wesley.

From 1961 to 1968, Tim played 486 consecutive games. It was the most by a defenseman until Karlis Skrastins of the Colorado Avalanche topped the mark in 2007. Skrastins died in the Lokomotiv Yaroslavl plane crash.

With the Maple Leafs, Horton was a member of four Stanley Cup winning teams. He played an important role in Toronto’s three consecutive championships from 1961-62 to 1963-64. Tim was also there for the 1966-67 victory, the last time the Maple Leafs were even in a Stanley Cup final series. In the 1961-62 playoffs, Horton scored three goals and assisted on 13 for 16 points over 12 games. The 16 points remained a team record for defensemen until Ian Turnbull broke it in the 1970’s.  

Before his NHL career took off, Horton had an outstanding season in the American Hockey League with the King Clancy coached Pittsburgh Hornets in 1951-52. Pittsburgh reached the finals against the Providence Reds and won the Calder Cup championship in six games. During the regular season, Tim placed third in the AHL with 146 PIM. He would never play in the minors again after that season.

Tim Horton was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1977. Nearly two decades later, his number 7 was honoured by the Maple Leafs and his number 2 was retired by the Buffalo Sabres.