1962-63 Parkhurst: A Tale of 2 Tremblays

The 1962-63 Parkhurst set featured players from the Montreal Canadiens, Toronto Maple Leafs and Detroit Red Wings. It was a stale time in the NHL and the rosters of all three teams were set with little movement.

In that Parkhurst set, there are just three significant rookie cards, all belonging to players from the Canadiens. Although not related, two of three had the last name Tremblay.

J.C. Tremblay – NHL

The J.C. Tremblay rookie card was a bit of a long time coming. Maybe, if he’d played for the Rangers, Black Hawks or Bruins, Topps might have had him on cardboard earlier. Topps was typically more likely to gamble on a first year player than Parkhurst. Tremblay saw his first NHL action with the Habs in 1959-60, appearing in eleven games. He became a regular with the team midway through the 1960-61 season.

Jean-Claude played 794 regular season games in the National Hockey League between 1959-60 and 1971-72, all with Montreal. The defenseman scored 57 goals and assisted on 306 for 363 points in that time. He also appeared in 108 playoff games with the Canadiens, adding another 65 points. Those 108 games were part of five Stanley Cup championships J.C. would be involved in.

J.C. Tremblay – WHA

The Bobby Orr of the World Hockey Association? Not quite. Maybe, the Denis Potvin. Tremblay jumped to the WHA for the league’s inaugural season in 1972-73 and remained with the Quebec Nordiques until they were swallowed up by the NHL after 1978-79. Tremblay did not return to the NHL for an encore performance.

Twice, he was awarded the Dennis A. Murphy Trophy as the WHA’s top defenseman, in 1972-73 and 1974-75. In 1972-73, he led the WHA in assists with 75. He repeated the feat in 1975-76, leading the league with 77 assists. 1976-77 brought J.C. one last championship with the Nordiques winning the Avco World Trophy with a victory over the Winnipeg Jets in seven games.

On the international front, Tremblay was on the Canadian roster for the 1972 Summit Series with the Soviet Union. However, once he signed with Quebec in the WHA, he was no longer allowed to participate. J.C. did get his chance, playing on the all-WHA Canada team against the USSR in the 1974 Summit Series.

The J.C. Tremblay rookie card appears as number 54 in the 1962-63 Parkhurst set. The first Tremblay hockey card is valued at around five times that of a common card. Unfortunately, Tremblay passed away in 1994 after a battle with cancer.

Gilles Tremblay

45 games for the Canadiens in 1960-61 was just a bit too many to keep his Calder Trophy eligibility for the following season. However, Tremblay’s 32 goals in 70 games in 1961-62 was pretty impressive for someone in their first true full season in the Original 6 NHL. Gilles placed fifth in the league for goals, just one goal away from a log jam in second place. it would mark the first of five times he would surpass the 20 goal plateau in his nine years in the NHL.

Over his career, Tremblay appeared in 509 regular season National Hockey League games between 1960-61 and 1968-69, all with Montreal. He scored 168 goals and assisted on 162 for 330 points. In the playoffs, he played an additional 48 games, adding 23 points. He played on three Stanley Cup champion teams in Montreal and should have played on four, if not for injuries during the 1964-65 season.

Gilles was forced to retire 44 games into the 1968-69 season due to severe asthma. He moved to the broadcast booth and was awared the Foster Hewitt Award in 2002. Currently, Tremblay is the head scout of the Charlottetown Islanders of the QMJHL.

The Gilles Tremblay rookie card appears as number 46 in that 1962-63 Parkhurst set. The card is valued at around three and half times that of a common card.