George Armstrong retired as a player in the National Hockey League after the 1970-71 season. To date, over 40 years later, he remains the player to appear in the most games wearing a Toronto Maple Leafs jersey. Armstrong’s 1952-53 Parkhurst rookie card plays a significant role in the birth of the modern era of the hockey card.
George Armstrong – Player
Armstrong starred as a junior in the OHA. He is one of just five players, to date, to win the Red Tilson Trophy on more than one occasion. The other four in the group are Corey Locke, Brad Boyes, Alyn McCauley and Andre Lacroix. George won the trophy as the OHA’s most valuable player in 1947-48 as a member of the Stratford Kroehlers and in 1949-50 as a member of the Toronto Marlboros.
George Armstrong Collection
In his final season of junior, 1949-50, Armstrong scored 64 goals and assisted on 51 more for 115 points over 45 regular season games with the Marlboros. The team competed at the 1950 Allan Cup and won the coveted trophy honouring Canada’s top Senior A team with a four games to one victory over the Calgary Stampeders in the final series. Over the whole Allan Cup playoffs, George scored 19 and totalled 38 points over 17 games.
George’s first two National Hockey League games came in 1949-50, while still a junior. He didn’t become a regular with the Toronto Maple Leafs until 1952-53. In his first two years of pro hockey, Armstrong played in the American Hockey League with the Pittsburgh Hornets.
In his rookie AHL season, Armstrong contributed 13 points over 13 playoff games as the Hornets reached the Calder Cup finals before losing in seven games to the Cleveland Barons. Depsite losing the series, the Hornets outscored their opponents 22-20 over the seven games.
In 1951-52, Armstrong played just 50 games with the Hornets before being called up the Maple Leafs for good. In those 50 games, he led the team with 30 goals and placed third on the team with 59 points. His goal total put his sixth in the whole AHL. The King Clancy coached team went on to capture the Calder Cup championship with a 4-2 victory over the Providence Reds in the finals. George was with the Leafs in the Stanley Cup playoffs as they were swept in four by the Detroit Red Wings.
Over his NHL career, Armstrong played in 1,187 regular season games, all with the Maple Leafs. He scored 296 goals and assisted on 417 for 713 points. George also appeared in 110 Stanley Cup playoff games, contributing another 60 points. He was a part of four Stanley Cup winning teams in Toronto, 1961-62 to 1963-64 and 1966-67. He scored the final goal into an empty net in 1966-67 for what is still the last goal scored by Toronto in a Stanley Cup final series.
Armstrong was captain of the Maple Leafs from 1958-59 to 1968-69. Over his final two seasons in the National Hockey League, he handed over the captaincy to Dave Keon. George was never named to the First or Second All-Star Team but did play in seven All-Star games.
George Armstrong – Coach
After a year away from the game, Armstrong returned in a coaching capacity for the 1972-73 season. From 1972-73 to 1977-78, George was the head coach of his former junior team, the Toronto Marlboros. It proved to be the last of the Marlies glory years.
In his first year behind the bench, the Marlboros dominated the OHA, finishing first overall and earning the Hamilton Spectator Trophy with 47 wins, seven losses and nine ties for 103 points over 63 games. Toronto then rolled through the playoffs and beat out the Peterborough Petes for the Robertson Cup championship. At the Memorial Cup, the Marlboros trounced the Quebec Remparts in the final game, 9-1, to capture the Canadian junior championship.
After an eighth place rebuilding year in 1973-74, the Marlboros were once again on top in 1974-75. The team finished first overall in the OMJHL, once again taking home the Hamilton Spectator. The 1974-75 Toronto Marlboros faced the Hamilton Fincups in the Robertson Cup finals and came away with the championship. At the Memorial Cup, victory once again went to Toronto with a 7-3 victory over the New Westminster Bruins in the final game.
Armstrong returned to the Maple Leafs and was assistant general manager from 1987-88 to 1999-00. In a turbulent 1988-89 season, George took over the reigns as head coach from John Brophy mid-season. Toronto finished the year just one point out of last place overall, ahead of both the Quebec Nordiques and New York Islanders who both occupied the NHL basement.
George Armstrong was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1975. Now in his 80’s, he remains an amateur scout for the Maple Leafs.
George Armstrong – Rookie Card
The George Armstrong rookie card (click link for image of front and back in our virtual collection) appears as number 51 in the 1952-53 Parkhurst set. Behind Tim Horton, Armstrong’s the highest valued RC in the set, equal to the value of the Dickie Moore rookie card. The hockey card is valued at around $25o, or about eight times the value of a common card.
| Season | Team | Lge | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM |
| 1946-47 | Copper Cliff Redmen | OHA | 9 | 6 | 5 | 11 | 4 |
| 1947-48 | Stratford Kroehlers | OHA | 36 | 33 | 40 | 73 | 33 |
| 1948-49 | Toronto Marlboros | OHA | 39 | 29 | 33 | 62 | 89 |
| 1949-50 | Toronto Marlboros | OHA | 45 | 64 | 51 | 115 | 74 |
| 1949-50 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1950-51 | Pittsburgh Hornets | AHL | 71 | 15 | 33 | 48 | 49 |
| 1951-52 | Pittsburgh Hornets | AHL | 50 | 30 | 29 | 59 | 62 |
| 1951-52 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 20 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 30 |
| 1952-53 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 52 | 14 | 11 | 25 | 54 |
| 1953-54 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 63 | 17 | 15 | 32 | 60 |
| 1954-55 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 66 | 10 | 18 | 28 | 80 |
| 1955-56 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 67 | 16 | 32 | 48 | 97 |
| 1956-57 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 54 | 18 | 26 | 44 | 37 |
| 1957-58 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 59 | 17 | 25 | 42 | 93 |
| 1958-59 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 59 | 20 | 16 | 36 | 37 |
| 1959-60 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 70 | 23 | 28 | 51 | 60 |
| 1960-61 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 47 | 14 | 19 | 33 | 21 |
| 1961-62 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 70 | 21 | 32 | 53 | 27 |
| 1962-63 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 70 | 19 | 24 | 43 | 27 |
| 1963-64 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 67 | 20 | 17 | 37 | 14 |
| 1964-65 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 59 | 15 | 22 | 37 | 14 |
| 1965-66 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 70 | 16 | 35 | 51 | 12 |
| 1966-67 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 70 | 9 | 24 | 33 | 26 |
| 1967-68 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 62 | 13 | 21 | 34 | 4 |
| 1968-69 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 53 | 11 | 16 | 27 | 10 |
| 1969-70 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 49 | 13 | 15 | 28 | 12 |
| 1970-71 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 59 | 7 | 18 | 25 | 6 |
| NHL Totals | 1188 | 296 | 417 | 713 | 721 |