Vintage Set Needs

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Wednesday, June 25, 2014

I just can't let it go

Flipping through the cable channels and I keep coming across Fox LA's (or whatever the channel is) "Kings Stanley Cup Parade" show. Ugh.

So to counterbalance the negative vibes I'm shuffling through more of Chris' vintage Rangers cards that came last week. Behold the magic:



Now THAT is a 'well loved' card. But kind of like with my first college girlfriend, I don't really mind. This is a '54-'55 Nick Mickoski. He played for the Rangers from 1947 through 1955. During his career he played for the Blackhawks, Bruins and Wings in addition to the Blueshirts, all four of the U.S. based NHL teams. Ironically the '54 Topps set contained players from only those four teams. Parkhust issued a (equally sweet) set of nothing but Leafs and Habs. I love the cartoon and the reference to Mickoski as "Tricky Nick".



This 1961 Topps Albert 'Junior' Langlois is the card that Chris promised to send me in the first place. He said he'd add a friend of two. Boy, did he ever. Langlois played for the Rangers and several other clubs during a career that lasted into the late '60s. 

And here is something I hadn't noticed until now. Look at the background photo Topps used. The Wings player seen on the right hand side is wearing one of those rudimentary 'helmets'. Hockey players have worn helmets since the 1930s in one form of another but that leather one doesn't show up much. 




These next cards are of players that I'm very familiar with. Harry Howell play f-o-r-e-v-e-r! 24 seasons overall, 17 with the Rangers. I remember seeing him play for New Jersey during the WHA's days here in Houston (I actually spoke to him once!) and wondering how the hell he could still skate.



Every team, since the dawn of hockey time, has had a guy the fans love to, well, maybe not hate, but wish he was traded or cut. Rod Seiling was that guy on my Rangers teams in the late 60s. I don't know why everyone wanted him gone. He was a solid defensive blueliner.


Gilles Villemure was Eddie Giacomin's back-up for awhile and commentators always pulled out the 'he could start for most teams' business. And it was probably true. He got more and more playing time as Giacomin aged and he shared the Vezina Trophy with Eddie G. in 1971. But when the Rangers traded Giacomin (that hurts me even to think about it today) Villemure got the job and he wasn't quite as good as he had been as a platoon goalie.

Oh, and he looks like my ex-uncle Ralph.




Al MacNeil played for the Rangers and the Houston Apollos and I'm sure I saw him play for both teams I really don't remember him except as the coach who was canned by the Canadiens after winning a Cup in the early '70s.

So there's another handful of the great vintage hockey cardboard I got from Chris.
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18 comments:

  1. AnonymousJune 25, 2014 at 6:53 AM

    I don't get it... Did your first college girlfriend have scuffs and rounded corners?

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  2. CaptKirk42June 25, 2014 at 3:00 PM

    Cool vintage ice. I often wish that the Capitals were older than '74. Love the vintage. I bet that Mickoski or maybe the Howel has that slight musty cardboard smell going on.

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  3. AnonymousJune 25, 2014 at 3:38 PM

    It's funny in looking at those, but I can remember where I got most of them. With the exception of the Seiling and the Langlois, they came from a little coin and card shop in Burlington, ON, that we used to pass on the way to visit my grandparents back in the mid-80s. There was about a 25-minute drive beyond the shop and I'd spend it poring over the backs of whatever I got and then my grandfather would tell me about the players once we got there. I actually remember picking up the Howell and Mickoski (I'd nab any '54 Topps as they were hard to find) and the MacNeil because he was the first coach of the Flames in Calgary. Nice to see them up online.

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  4. Mark HoyleJune 25, 2014 at 5:09 PM

    Is the Langlois one of those cards where they popped his head on somebody else's body

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    Replies
    1. AnonymousJune 25, 2014 at 8:30 PM

      He looks like a painted card to me. Probably a Habs shot.

      Delete
    2. CommishbobJune 25, 2014 at 9:11 PM

      I google imaged him and saw a bunch of photos that look awfully close to this. His 1960 Parkie looks like the same shot.

      And for some reason the links I inserted are not working. Thanks Blogger!

      Delete
  5. AnonymousJune 26, 2014 at 4:11 PM

    The guy in the helmet is probably defenseman Warren Godfrey.

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    Replies
    1. 1967ersJune 26, 2014 at 4:14 PM

      and the guy behind him really looks like Bernie Geoffrion of the Habs. A number of these background shots come from either Leaf games of Hab games, which is interesting because Topps didn't have the rights to either of them.

      I want to say the Wing at left is Alex Delvecchio, but it doesn't look quite right.

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    2. CommishbobJune 26, 2014 at 4:18 PM

      I tried to find a pic of him in a helmet but nothing showed up. I did find that he played professionally from '49 through 1968. And he was in the NHL for much of the 60s. I wish I could remember him.

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    3. AnonymousJune 26, 2014 at 4:20 PM

      Link resolves to the set page (darned PSA), but it's card 37 in that set.

      Delete
    4. AnonymousJune 26, 2014 at 4:22 PM

      Godfrey? It might not show up in a search, but a lot of his cards refer to him as "the helmeted blueliner." He was enough of an early adopter that it was worth noting. Charlie Burns usually wears his helmet on his early cards.

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    5. CommishbobJune 26, 2014 at 4:22 PM

      Parkhurst got a lot of use from that Langlois shot! (Thanks, Chris. I found him on the PSA page).

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    6. CommishbobJune 26, 2014 at 4:26 PM

      re: Boomer Geoffrian. Mmmmmmmmmmmmaybe. ;-)

      edit:

      ok, I got to looking at pics of Boomer from his Monteal days. Yup, looks like it may very well be him. I always picture him as a Ranger when he was older and grayer. Here he sure looks like the guy in the background:

      Boomer G

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    7. AnonymousJune 26, 2014 at 4:26 PM

      Parkhurst used the same pictures of every player from 1960-61 through 1962-63 unless they were traded or retired. They were really mailing it in at the end. :)

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    8. CommishbobJune 26, 2014 at 4:28 PM

      re: Godfrey... you nailed it. I missed seeing that pic.

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    9. AnonymousJune 26, 2014 at 4:32 PM

      The HHOF has a pretty solid gallery of anyone who played in the fifties and sixties. Late forties, too.

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    10. AnonymousJune 26, 2014 at 4:37 PM

      For the other one, it's likely either a centre or a left winger coming back on the play and if it's not Delvecchio, it's either Parker MacDonald or Vic Stasiuk. THey're the only other left-hand shots who looked vaguely like that.

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