1950-51 in the National Hockey League saw the Detroit Red Wings dominate the regular season, yet lose out in the first round of the playoffs. The second place Toronto Maple Leafs and third place Montreal Canadiens met in the Stanley Cup finals with Toronto coming out on top in five games.
Gordie Howe of the Red Wings was awarded the Art Ross Trophy, leading the league with 86 points, 20 more than second place Maurice Richard of the Montreal Canadiens. In the goals scored department, Howe also edged out Richard but by just one goal.
We celebrate the team points leaders on each of the NHL’s six teams in 1950-51 with their hockey cards from the following season. Why? Because hockey cards are always a summary of the previous season. Besides, Parkhurst began producing hockey cards for the 1951-52 season in a collector’s market that had been dormant for over a decade.
Gordie Howe, in his fifth of many years with Detroit, was awarded his first of six Art Ross Trophies, dominating the points department. The 1951-52 Parkhurst number 66 card serves as the Gordie Howe rookie card and is highly coveted by collectors with a value of $3000.
Maurice ‘Rocket’ Richard was in his ninth season with the Canadiens and his only 50 goal season was six years behind him. He led the Canadiens in goals and points in a mediocre season that saw the team win just 25 of 70 games but still finish third. Like Howe, the 1951-52 Parkhurst hockey card is the Maurice Richard rookie card. Not valued as high as Howe’s, but still extremely valuable, the Richard hockey card is valued at $1500.
Max Bentley led the Maple Leafs with 62 points, just one more than teammate Ted Kennedy. The Joe Primeau coached Maple Leafs finished second, six points behind Detroit, despite losing just 16 of 70 regular season games. Bentley, the one time Hart Trophy winner with the Black Hawks in 1945-46, was nearing the twilight of his NHL career in 1950-51. He would play just three more seasons in the league, two more with Toronto and one with the New York Rangers. His career started in 1940-41 with the Black Hawks and he came to Toronto in a 1947-48 trade.
The 1951-52 Max Bentley Parkhurst hockey card is valued at $100.
The Boston Bruins squeeked into the fourth and final playoff spot, one point ahead of the New York Rangers. Milt Schmidt led the team with 61 points. Schmidt was awarded the Hart Memorial Trophy in 1950-51 as the league’s MVP. Milt played his entire NHL career with the Bruins from 1936-37 to 1954-55. He then went directly behind the bench and was Boston’s head coach until the end of the 1965-66 season.
The 1951-52 Milt Schmidt Parkhurst hockey card is valued at $150.
Roy Conacher led a dismal Chicago Black Hawks team with 50 points. The Hawks finished dead last, 25 points behind fifth place New York and 65 points behind first place Detroit. Chicago won just 13 of 70 games and allowed 79 more goals than the second worst team. It was Conacher’s last full season in an NHL career that started in 1938-39 with the Boston Bruins. He would play just 12 games in 1951-52 with Chicago before calling it quits. He was not far removed from winning the Art Ross Trophy. In 1948-49, he led the NHL with 68 points.
The 1951-52 Roy Conacher Parkhurst hockey card is valued at $80.
Don Raleigh tied Reggie Sinclair for the Rangers lead with just 39 points. Raleigh gets the nod as team leader because he played six less games. The Rangers capped an amazingly mediocre season by missing the post season by just one point. Don Raleigh played in the NHL from 1943-44 to 1955-56, all with the Rangers. The following season, 1951-52, he would lead the Rangers again, this time with 61 points. This total placed him fourth overall in the NHL.
The 1951-52 Parkhurst number 93 card of Don is rated as a common card and is valued at $60.
Raleigh is the only one of the six players to not be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame. Richard and Schmidt entered in 1961, Bentley went in 1966, Howe was inducted in 1972 and Conacher was honoured in 1998.