The Quebec Senior Hockey League existed in some form from 1937-38 to 1958-59. It was primarily an amateur league until 1953 when it opted to turn pro. In 1952-53, St. Lawrence Sales produced a set of hockey cards that featured 108 of the league’s players, including two that would become legendary stars in the National Hockey League.
The 1952-53 set featured players in the third of three seasons that the league was coined the Quebec Senior Hockey League (Major). The ‘Major’ designation meant that the league’s champion could compete for the Alexander Cup against the best of the Canadian Maritime provinces. The Alexander Cup existed for just four seasons, 1950-51 to 1953-54. It was won by QSHL teams for the first two with the Valleyfield Braves winning in 1950-51 and the Quebec Aces winning the following year. The Halifax Atlantics won in the only other two seasons.
For those three seasons, the QSHL remained with the same seven teams. Along with the Braves and Aces, there was also the Chicoutimi Sagueneens, Montreal Royals, Ottawa Senators, Shawinigan Falls Cataractes and Sherbrooke Saints. The Sagueneens and Cataractes live on in name in the present day QMJHL. Of course, Valleyfield was the regular season and playoff champ in 1950-51 with Quebec doing the same the following year. In 1952-53, it was Chicoutimi that took both titles.
The 1952-53 St. Lawrence Sales QSHL hockey card set featured Jacques Plante of the Montreal Royals and Jean Beliveau of the Quebec Aces. The Plante card was number 1 in the set, while Beliveau was number 39.
Jacques Plante played in the QSHL for several seasons with 1952-53 being his last. That season was split between the Royals, the AHL’s Buffalo Bisons and the Montreal Canadiens. The following year, Jacques split between just the Bisons and Canadiens. The rest is truly history with Plante playing in the NHL until the end of the 1972-73 season. He was a seven time Vezina Trophy winner and won the Hart Memorial Trophy in 1961-62. He played for the Canadiens, New York Rangers, St. Louis Blues, Toronto Maple Leafs and Boston Bruins along with a season with the Edmonton Oilers of the WHA in 1974-75.
The 1952-53 Plante card is considered a pre-rookie card. The Jacques Plante rookie card did not appear until 1955-56 as number 50 in the Parkhurst set.
1952-53 also marked the end of Jean Beliveau’s career in the QSHL. Jean scored 50 goals in 57 regular season games with the Aces and scored an impressive five goals in three games with the Canadiens. The following year he was a full-time centre with the Habs and remained with the club until retiring after the 1970-71 season. Beliveau was a two-time recipient of the Hart Trophy during his career as well as winning the Art Ross Trophy and Conn Smythe Trophy once each.
The Jean Beliveau NHL rookie card came as part of the 1953-54 Parkhurst set (number 27).
As for the QSHL, the league began as the Montreal Senior Group in 1927-28 and retained that name until the end of the 1936-37 season. The league remained the same but the name changed to the Quebec Senior Hockey League for 1937-38. In 1953-54, the league went pro as the Quebec Hockey League but lasted just six seasons. Following the demise of the QHL, the Quebec Aces joined the AHL, while the Montreal Royals and Trois Rivieres Lions joined the Eastern Professional Hockey League. The EPHL lasted just four years.
The 1952-53 QSHL hockey cards can be regularly found on eBay. A common card typically goes for around $10, while the Plante and Beliveau cards fetch hundreds of dollars.