Parade of 53-54 Parkhurst Day 5 - Eddie Sandford

Eddie Sandford is a player who I didn't know much about before doing this post but afterwards learned that it takes many players to make a team successful and sometimes the best one on the team are the most reliable ones and reliability is what Ed Sandford always brought to the table. 

Ed broke into the league in 47-48 at the age of 19 and would last 503 games and leave the NHL when he was 27. Each season he played except for one which saw him play just 10 games, Ed would score between 10-16 goals each and every year of his career. The highlight of his playing career would likely have been 1953 when he played in the Stanley Cup finals against the Canadiens. Ed had a career postseason which saw him score 8 goals in 8 games but unfortunately the Habs were just too much for the Bruins and they would win the series 4-1. 

Eddie would play another couple seasons and eventually hang up his skates after a season split between the Hawks and the Wings. Eddie would rejoin the Bruins and work for them in a variety of different capacities. 

1953-54 Parkhurst Eddie Sandford

This card is sharp! Maybe not the corners, but the colouring and lack of creases make it a great looking card. I also love the action shot and the inclusion of a couple other players and a few folks in the stands. This really is just one beautiful piece of cardboard in my eyes. 

Here is the backside. As you can see it is not the best centering but I assure you it is at least cut straight. My scanner and the penny sleeve the card is in created a bit of an optical illusion here. Thank you so much for stopping by! For all those out there who care, Happy Canada Day!

Parade of 53-54 Parkhurst Day 4 - Sid Smith

Growing up in Ontario and living in Canada the Maple Leafs have always been around me in terms of television, media and just general conversation. However given that I am a member of the under 40 years of age demographic, the 1993 season was probably their best year and best chance to win the Cup since I have been alive. What I find neat is when I collect and complete older sets is imagining how different the world was at that time (when the Leafs were on top). 

This brings us to Day 3 and Mr. Sid Smith. Sid won three Cups with the Leafs with the last one being in 1951 which was a couple of seasons before this card was printed. If the Conn Smythe Trophy existed back in 1951 Sid would likely have been a finalist. Sid was the Leafs leading goal scorer during that playoff run and finished one goal behind the Rocket who had 8. Max Bentley lead the team in points and playoffs in points with 13 just 3 ahead of Sid Smith. 

Sid was a very good player during his time in the league and arguably would make the Hall of Very Good if one existed. He scored 20 or more goals six times in his career and finished in the top 10 in scoring three times. His best season was when they won the Cup in 50-51 when he finished with 30 goals and 51 points. Sid would eventually leave the NHL and move to the Ontario Senior league but before he hung up his skates for good he helped lead Team Canada to a Gold Medal a the 1958 World Hockey Championships were he'd score 9 goals and 14 points in 7 games. 

1953-54 Parkhurst Sid Smith

As you can see from the front, the card is a bit worn but what is very great is the colouring on the front still looks like it might have when it emerged from the pack 64 years ago. A few creases and rounded corners indicate it was probably played with a bit before it when into a box somewhere for a long period of time.

Here's the back side of the card. As you can read he was definitely a contender each season for the Lady Byng and would actually win twice in his career. Sid would also finish in the top five in voting for the award another four times.

Well thanks for stopping by, only a few more to go in this parade before I get a chance to update and share some other cards from my collection.

Parade of 53-54 Parkhurst Day 3 - Dave Creighton

Next up in the parade is Dave Creighton. Much like one of my heroes Alex Delvecchio, Dave was born in what would be known today as Thunder Bay. Dave would be born on the Port Arthur side rather than the Fort William which means little today but back in the day I am sure there would have been a little rivalry. 

Dave had a very respectable NHL career playing in over 600 games over the course of 12 years. His best offensive season was in 57-58 when he scored 52 points in 70 games. Dave would also score 20 goals twice and had over 15 goals in 6 different seasons and finish with 140 goals and 314 points in his career. Dave never won the Stanley Cup but did play for it in 52-53 when the Bruins lost to the Habs 4 games to 1. Dave did have one other accomplishment and that was he was a father to a former NHLer Adam Creighton. 

53-54 Parkhurst Dave Creighton

Here is the front side of the card. While Dave had been in the league for a few years, this is only his second NHL card with the first being from the previous 52-53 seasons. This card features a neat action shot where you can almost see the whole puck as it arrives on his stick (or just left his stick).

Here is the back side of the card. Much like the front, it has been well loved and handled but still in acceptable shape despite the mis-cut.

Thanks for stopping by and I hope to continue the parade over the next couple days!

Parade of 53-54 Parkhurst Day 2 - Jimmy Thomson

Day two and the parade continues! This time we have a stop in Toronto with card number 8 which features NHL legend and player's advocate Jimmy Thomson.

53-54 Parkhurst Jimmy Thomson

I really like this card for a few reasons. First off like his rookie card, it clearly demonstrates an action photo which was translated into a piece of art. Second of all, look at his face, the detail and concentration also indicate this isn't just a posed shot. 

Another thing I love about this card is the write-up on the back. Just take a moment to read through it! I am sure the same thing popped out to you as it did me. In all just a pretty cool piece of NHL cardboard.

Jimmy was an excellent and reliable NHL player who spent 13 seasons in the NHL and from the sounds of things could have played longer if not for some issues with Conn Smythe and Jimmy's desire to start a player's union. During his playing career Jimmy would win the Memorial Cup and 4 Stanley Cups. In addition to these team accomplishments, he would also be named to the NHL second all-star team twice. Sadly Jimmy did pass away back in 1991 but his legacy in the NHLPA will live on in his honour.

Parade of 53-54 Parkhurst Day 1 - Bill Dineen

It's been a few years since I have last updated my progress on the 53-54 Parkhurst set. I have added a few more since that time and thought I would share them all in a parade of Parkhurst cards. When I last took count I believe I was at 24 based on my previous post and I will have that number over 30 by the end of it all so please enjoy the next few posts!

53-54 Parkhurst Bill Dineen UER RC

I know what you're thinking, it says Al Arbour on here and you are correct. The Hall of Fame head coach has an error of a RC. It seems Parkhurst put a picture on Bill Dineen on his card instead of Al and his very distinctive glasses. Al's pic does appear in the set but it's on card number 38 instead and it's on Bill Dineen's card. Based on the Beckett and collectors in general despite this card stating everything about Al Arbour, it's considered to be Bill Dineen's rookie.

Here is the back side of the card which again talks about Al and his abilities with the puck. Bill started off in the NHL before eventually becoming an AHL star. Bill managed to hit double digits in goals 3 out of his 5 NHL seasons as a player. Bill Dineen was also a coach like Al and was also a successful coach like Al. Bill won two Avco Cups (WHA) and coached for a small period of time in the AHL and NHL. Bill did have a couple sons who would go on to play in the NHL most notably Kevin Dineen who also like Al and his father Bill would spend time coaching in the AHL and NHL. Kevin currently is an assistant coach with the Blackhawks and Bill sadly passed away about two years ago. Bill was inducted into the WHA Hall of Fame in 2010 and will forever be the face of this "Alger Arbour" card.

Seeing Double - 1953-54 Parkhurst Edition

I am sure when these cards came out 60 years ago, someone noticed this right away. But as I was thumbing through my partially finished 53-54 Parkhurst set I noticed something. Check it out:

53-54 Parkhurst Cal Gardner #99

 Front Side
Its a rough looking card, but I do like it a great deal regardless and probably won't look to upgrade for my set.

 Back side
Some staining, sadly I don't think they are wax stains but rather glue from being pasted into some book after spending time push-pinned to a wall.

53-54 Parkhurst Milt Schmidt #92

 Front side
This card is without a doubt the finest conditioned card I own from the set. Its spectacular and I am still amazed I bought it for under 30 dollars.

Back side
Here is the back side of the card. Stats are very similar between Milt and Cal. Both had 11 goals but Cal had an extra assist in the two extra games he played. Cal also had twice as many PIMs.

Did you notice what I noticed?

Cal and Milt are sharing the exact same body in the exact same picture. The only difference between the two card besides autographs is Cal's head is on Milt's body. Everything is pretty much the exact same. So wondering why Parkhurst would do such a thing, I did some research and during the 52-53 season, Cal scored 11 goals and 24 assists for the Chicago Black Hawks and NOT the Boston Bruins. So, Parkhurst may not have had an action photo of Cal to work with at the time of production so they placed his head on the body of Milt Schmidt. Neat approach to fixing a problem and while I am not sure if it is better than air-brushing, I do know Upper Deck tried the same thing nearly 40 years later with Eric Lindros.

- Image borrowed from shoeboxlegends

So as far as my own 53-54 Parkhurst set goes, I am still stalled at 24/105 but it isn't because I have lost steam, but rather I have been trying to focus on some other sets first and finish them off before I spread myself and funds too thin.