Bob Baun 1961-62 Parkhurst #11

There’s some story about a broken leg. Besides that, Bobby Baun was one of the most reliable defensemen in Toronto Maple Leafs history. He was a two time Memorial Cup champion with the Toronto Marlboros and a four time Stanley Cup champion with the Maple Leafs. He also had a forgettable side as a member of the inaugural Oakland Seals and head coach of the hapless and underachieving Toronto Toros of the World Hockey Associations.

Bob Baun – 1961-62 Parkhurst #11

The number 11 card of Bob Baun in the 1961-62 Parkhurst set is valued as a common card. The card celebrates the 1960-61 NHL season when Baun played all 70 games for the Toronto Maple Leafs during the regular season, scoring one goal and assisting on 14 while recording 15 points. The Bob Baun rookie card is much more valuable. The Baun RC appears as number 45 in the 1957-58 Parkhurst set and is valued at five times that of a common card.

Bob Baun – Playing Career

Baun played junior in the OHA from 1952-53 to 1955-56 with the Toronto Marlboros. In his final two years, the team won the Robertson Cup as OHA champions. Also, in both those years the Marlboros were crowned Memorial Cup champions with victories over the Regina Pats in both seasons.

Bob played in the NHL from 1956-57 to 1972-73 with the Maple Leafs, Oakland Seals and Detroit Red Wings. His career ended where it started with a second stint with the Maple Leafs. Over his NHL career, Baun played 964 regular season games, scoring 37 goals and assisting on 187 for 224 points. In the Stanley Cup playoffs, Bob played an additional 96 games, adding 15 points.

His only minor league action came in the 1956-57 season with the Rochester Americans of the American Hockey League. Playing just 46 of the Amerks 64 regular season games, Baun placed ninth in the AHL with 117 PIM.

Baun was part of four Stanley Cup champions with the Maple Leafs. He won with Toronto in three consecutive seasons from 1961-62 to 1963-64. He was also part of the 1966-67 victory over the Montreal Canadiens. Bob also went to the finals twice unsuccessfully. In 1958-59 and 1959-60, the Maple Leafs lost to the dynastic Montreal Canadiens.

He was never among the leaders in scoring categories but did find himself in the top ten for penalty minutes in the NHL. In 1963-64, he placed tenth with 113 PIM. The following year, he placed fourth with 160 PIM, behind Carl Brewer, Ted Lindsay and Pierre Pilote.

Bob was picked up by the Oakland Seals in the third round of the 1967 NHL Expansion Draft, 18^th overall. He stayed with the Seals just one season before being traded to the Detroit Red Wings on May 27, 1968. He was sent to the Red Wings with Ron Harris in exchange for Gary Jarrett, Doug Roberts, Howie Young and Chris Worthy.

Bob Baun – Head Coach 

Baun’s coaching career was limited to the 1975-76 season. He took on the role of head coach with the Toronto Toros of the World Hockey Association. With stars like Frank Mahovlich and Paul Henderson, it was surprising that the Toros were last overall among teams that completed the full season. They even finished with less points than the Minnesota Fighting Saints, a team that folded after 59 games.

In 1976-77, the Toros moved to Alabama and became the Birmingham Bulls. Baun was not with the team. Instead, Gilles Leger started the year behind the bench and was replaced by Pat Kelly early on.

Bob Nevin 1961-62 Parkhurst #10

 

The number 10 card in the 1961-62 Parkhurst set belongs to Bob Nevin of the Toronto Maple Leafs. Nevin is part of what I like to call hockey’s shadow world, in that his career was bordering on Hockey Hall of Fame potential, yet he is mostly unknown by today’s hockey fans outside of New York.

Bob Nevin – 1961-62 Parkhurst #10

1960-61 was Nevin’s first full season in the National Hockey League but the 1961-62 Parkhurst hockey card was not his rookie card. The Bob Nevin rookie card appears as number 13 in the 1958-59 Parkhurst set and is valued at just less than twice that of a common card. The 1961-62 Parkhurst card is valued as a common and is Nevin’s second time on cardboard.

Bob played four games for Toronto in 1957-58 and two more in 1958-59, therefore retaining his rookie status for the 1960-61 season. Over 68 regular season games, Nevin scored 21 goals and assisted on 37 for 58 points. He was second on the Maple Leafs for goals and assists while placing third for points. Bob was runner-up to teammate Dave Keon in the voting for the Calder Trophy as NHL rookie of the year.

Bob Nevin – Junior and Minor Pro

Bob played parts of four seasons in the OHA with the Toronto Marlboros from 1954-55 to 1957-58. In 1955-56, he was sixth in the league for goals while the Marlboros were crowned Memorial Cup champions. The following year, his 45 goals put him fourth in the league while he tied for fourth in the race for the Eddie Powers Trophy with 74 points. In his final season, Nevin placed ninth in the OHA for goals, sixth for assists and eighth for points.

Nevin played two full seasons in the minors before becoming a regular in the NHL. In 1958-59, he split his season between the Chicoutimi Sagueneens of the QHL and the Rochester Americans of the AHL. The following year, he played exclusively with Rochester.

With the 1959-60 Amerks, Bob scored 32 goals and assisted on 42 for 74 points over 71 regular season games. He placed seventh in the league for goals and tenth for points. Rochester reached the Calder Cup finals before falling to the Springfield Indians four games to one, despite only being outscored 17-16 on the series. In the playoffs, Nevin played 12 games, scoring six goals and assisting on four.

Bob Nevin – NHL 

Nevin played 1,128 regular season games in the NHL between 1957-58 and 1975-76 with the Maple Leafs, New York Rangers, Minnesota North Stars and Los Angeles Kings. Over that time, he scored 307 goals and assisted on 419 for 726 points. He played an additional 84 games in the Stanley Cup playoffs, recording another 34 points.

Bob was a Stanley Cup champion twice with Toronto in 1961-62 and 1962-63. His best individual success came after moving over to the New York Rangers. Nevin was team captain for the Rangers from 1965-66 to 1970-71. In 1965-66, he scored 29 and assisted on 33 for 62 points over 69 games. His 29 goals tied him for seventh in the NHL with Gordie Howe of the Detroit Red Wings and Jean Beliveau of the Montreal Canadiens. His 62 points placed him eighth in the race for the Art Ross Trophy.

Twice during his NHL career, Nevin scored 31 goals in a season. The first time was with the Rangers in 1968-69 and the second was with the Los Angeles Kings in 1974-75. Bob ended his career playing 13 games in the WHA with the Edmonton Oilers in 1976-77.