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.