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1961-62 Andre Pronovost: Mass Hockey Card Confusion

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andre pronovost 1961-62 parkhurstIt all started when the Montreal Canadiens traded Andre Pronovost to the Boston Bruins in November, 1960 for Jean-Guy Gendron. A year later, neither Parkhurst or Topps could quite get Pronovost right, in hockey card form.

Just the facts:

  • Andre Pronovost appeared in both the 1961-62 Parkhurst and Topps sets – both cards were errors.
  • Pronovost played 556 games in the NHL with Montreal, Boston, Detroit and Pittsburgh.
  • Andre was a 50 goal scorer with the Muskegon Mohawks of the IHL in 1969-70.
  • He was a member of the Stanley Cup champions in his first four years in the NHL.
  • Pronovost was traded to Boston for Jean-Guy Gendron in November, 1960.

For 1961-62, Parkhurst and Topps split the six team National Hockey League three teams each, as they typically did. Parkhurst featured players from the Toronto Maple Leafs, Detroit Red Wings and Montreal Canadiens. Topps featured players from the Chicago Black Hawks, New York Rangers and Boston Bruins. Andre Pronovost was a rarity, appearing in both sets. Both cards were errors.

The 1961-62 Parkhurst #51 Andre Pronovost hockey card features him still as a member of the Canadiens. The 1961-62 Topps #5 Andre Pronovost hockey card has him as a member of the Boston Bruins but on the back of the card, his last name is mis-spelled ‘Provonost’. According to Beckett Hockey Monthly, the Parkhurst card is valued at $40. The Topps card is simply a common card and valued at just $12. The Parkhurst error card matches the 1957-58 Andre Pronovost rookie card, Parkhurst #7. Interestingly, there is a lot of mis-information on the world wide web, stating that the UER of the Parkhurst card is the mis-spelling of the name and there is very little mention of the Topps card.

andre pronovost 1961-62 toppsPronovost played in the National Hockey League from 1956-57 to 1967-68 with the Canadiens, Bruins, Detroit Red Wings and Pittsburgh Penguins. With Pittsburgh, he appeared in just eight regular season and eight playoff games in the team’s inaugural season. In total, he played 556 regular season NHL games, contributing 198 points in a defensive third line role.

In his first four years in the NHL, Pronovost was a member of the Stanley Cup champions in Montreal. He returned to the finals with the Red Wings in 1962-63 and 1963-64 but on both occasions Detroit was beaten by the Toronto Maple Leafs.

In 1969-70, Andre had a chance to prove he was more than just a defensive forward. With the Muskegon Mohawks of the IHL, Pronovost finished second with 50 goals, one of only two 50 goal scorers in the IHL that season. His 107 points placed him fourth in the league. A year and a bit later, Pronovost retired from the game.

Season Team Lge GP G A Pts PIM
1953-54 Verdun Junior Canadiens QPJHL 54 31 46 77 28
1954-55 Montreal Junior Canadiens QPJHL 42 22 13 35 60
1955-56 Shawinigan Falls Cataracts QHL 3 0 1 1 4
1956-57 Montreal Canadiens NHL 64 10 11 21 58
1956-57 Shawinigan Falls Cataracts QHL 7 2 2 4 11
1957-58 Montreal Canadiens NHL 66 16 12 28 55
1958-59 Montreal Canadiens NHL 70 9 14 23 48
1959-60 Montreal Canadiens NHL 69 12 19 31 61
1960-61 Montreal Canadiens NHL 21 1 5 6 4
1960-61 Boston Bruins NHL 47 11 11 22 30
1961-62 Boston Bruins NHL 70 15 8 23 74
1962-63 Boston Bruins NHL 21 0 2 2 6
1962-63 Detroit Red Wings NHL 47 13 5 18 18
1963-64 Detroit Red Wings NHL 70 7 16 23 54
1964-65 Detroit Red Wings NHL 3 0 1 1 0
1964-65 Pittsburgh Hornets AHL 22 2 5 7 4
1964-65 Memphis Wings CPHL 55 23 38 61 75
1965-66 Pittsburgh Hornets AHL 72 25 21 46 64
1966-67 Memphis Wings CPHL 70 25 42 67 85
1967-68 Memphis South Stars CPHL 60 20 18 38 43
1967-68 Minnesota North Stars NHL 8 0 0 0 0
1968-69 Baltimore Clippers AHL 25 1 4 5 2
1968-69 Phoenix Roadrunners WHL 51 18 14 32 31
1969-70 Muskegon Mohawks IHL 71 50 57 107 55
1970-71 Muskegon Mohawks IHL 60 18 24 42 24
1971-72 Jersey Devils EHL 5 2 1 3 2
NHL Totals 556 94 104 198 408

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