The Rookie Card Class of the 1962-63 Parkhurst Set

In 1962-63, Parkhurst’s run at the hockey card market was nearing an end. The next year would mark the last set for the company. 1962-63 wasn’t an explosive set for Parkhurst. Gordie Howe led the way with two cards now valued at $250 each. The rookie card class was decent but lacked any future Hockey Hall of Fame members.

The top three rookie cards in the set all belonged to members of the Montreal Canadiens. All three were promising prospects, joining the team after the 1950’s dynasty led by Maurice ‘Rocket’ Richard.

J.C. Tremblay

J.C. Tremblay played his first games for the Canadiens in 1959-60 but didn’t become a regular on the point unitl the 1961-62 season. Other than 11 games with the Habs during that 1959-60 season, Tremblay spent most of his time in the EPHL with the Hull-Ottawa Canadiens. In Hull, J.C. earned league Most Valuable Player honours with 25 goals and 56 points over 55 games.

Tremblay played nearly 800 games in the NHL, all with Montreal. He played an additional 108 in the playoffs and was part of five Stanley Cup winning teams. He stood out in 1970-71 playoffs as the Habs knocked off the mighty Boston Bruins in the first round and marched to a Cup victory. Tremblay played in 20 games and contributed 17 points.

J.C. jumped to the World Hockey Association for the league’s inaugural season, 1972-73, and remained until its demise after the 1978-79 season. He chose to retire at that point instead of returning to the NHL. His WHA days were all spent with the Quebec Nordiques. Tremblay won the Dennis A. Murphy Trophy in 1972-73 and 1974-75 as the WHA’s top defenseman. The Nordiques won the Avco Cup in 1976-77 as the league’s playoff champion.

The J.C. Tremblay rookie card is number 54 in the 1962-63 Parkhurst set. The card is valued at $60.

Gilles Tremblay

Gilles Tremblay played for the Canadiens from 1960-61 to 1968-69. At the time that Bobby Clarke was starting to make his mark in the NHL, despite his asthma, Tremblay’s career ended early in 1968-69 because of the same condition. In his first full season, 1961-62, Gilles scored 32 goals in 70 games for Montreal to place fifth in the NHL.

Gilles played a total of 509 regular season and 48 playoff games in the National Hockey League, all with the Canadiens. He was on the roster for four Stanley Cup winning teams but did not appear in any games during the 1964-65 and 1968-69 playoffs.

The Gilles Tremblay rookie card appears as number 46 in the 1962-63 Parkhurst set. The card is valued at $40.

Bobby Rousseau

On paper, of the these three Canadiens rookies, Bobby Rousseau enjoyed the most success over his NHL career. He started with the Habs in 1960-61 and became a regular in 1961-62. He played with the Habs until the end of the 1969-70 season. After one year with the Minnesota North Stars, he finished out his career with the New York Rangers, retiring after eight games in 1974-75.

In 1961-62, Rousseau was awarded the Calder Memorial Trophy as the NHL’s top rookie. He scored 21 goals and assisted on 24 more over 70 games. Like Gilles Tremblay, he was a member of four Stanley Cup champion teams in Montreal. In 1965-66, he scored 30 goals and totalled 78 points. His goal total placed him tied for fifth in the NHL and the 78 points were good enough to tie him for second. In both cases, he shared identical totals with Stan Mikita of the Chicago Black Hawks.

The following year, 1966-67, Bobby again found himself in the race for the Art Ross Trophy, finishing sixth in the league with 63 points. His assist total of 44 placed him tied for fourth. However, his goal scoring dropped to just 19 goals.

In total, Rousseau played 942 regular season and 128 playoff games in the NHL during his career. His best playoff year for sheer numbers came in 1971-72 as a member of the Rangers. New York made it to the Stanley Cup finals before losing to the powerhouse Boston Bruins. Bobby contributed 17 points over 16 games.

The Bobby Rousseau rookie card is number 47 in the 1962-63 Parkhurst set. Despite his success, his card is the lowest valued of the three at $25.

As for the 1962-63 Parkhurst set, there were 55 cards produced with a common card now valued at $12. The complete set is valued at $2000. Both the number 30 and 31 cards featuring Gordie Howe of the Detroit Red Wings are valued at $250 each and are the most valuable player cards in the set.