1961-62 Andre Pronovost: Mass Hockey Card Confusion

It all started when the Montreal Canadiens traded Andre Pronovost to the Boston Bruins in November, 1960 for Jean-Guy Gendron. A year later, neither Parkhurst or Topps could quite get Pronovost right, in hockey card form.

Just the facts:

• Andre Pronovost appeared in both the 1961-62 Parkhurst and Topps sets – both cards were errors.
• Pronovost played 556 games in the NHL with Montreal, Boston, Detroit and Pittsburgh.
• Andre was a 50 goal scorer with the Muskegon Mohawks of the IHL in 1969-70.
• He was a member of the Stanley Cup champions in his first four years in the NHL.
• Pronovost was traded to Boston for Jean-Guy Gendron in November, 1960.

For 1961-62, Parkhurst and Topps split the six team National Hockey League three teams each, as they typically did. Parkhurst featured players from the Toronto Maple Leafs, Detroit Red Wings and Montreal Canadiens. Topps featured players from the Chicago Black Hawks, New York Rangers and Boston Bruins. Andre Pronovost was a rarity, appearing in both sets. Both cards were errors.

The 1961-62 Parkhurst #51 Andre Pronovost hockey card features him still as a member of the Canadiens. The 1961-62 Topps #5 Andre Pronovost hockey card has him as a member of the Boston Bruins but on the back of the card, his last name is mis-spelled ‘Provonost’. According to Beckett Hockey Monthly, the Parkhurst card is valued at $40. The Topps card is simply a common card and valued at just $12. The Parkhurst error card matches the 1957-58 Andre Pronovost rookie card, Parkhurst #7. Interestingly, there is a lot of mis-information on the world wide web, stating that the UER of the Parkhurst card is the mis-spelling of the name and there is very little mention of the Topps card.

Pronovost played in the National Hockey League from 1956-57 to 1967-68 with the Canadiens, Bruins, Detroit Red Wings and Pittsburgh Penguins. With Pittsburgh, he appeared in just eight regular season and eight playoff games in the team’s inaugural season. In total, he played 556 regular season NHL games, contributing 198 points in a defensive third line role.

In his first four years in the NHL, Pronovost was a member of the Stanley Cup champions in Montreal. He returned to the finals with the Red Wings in 1962-63 and 1963-64 but on both occasions Detroit was beaten by the Toronto Maple Leafs.

In 1969-70, Andre had a chance to prove he was more than just a defensive forward. With the Muskegon Mohawks of the IHL, Pronovost finished second with 50 goals, one of only two 50 goal scorers in the IHL that season. His 107 points placed him fourth in the league. A year and a bit later, Pronovost retired from the game.