The Toronto Maple Leafs moved into their new home, the Maple Leaf Gardens, for the 1931-32 National Hockey League season. MLG took just six months to build and was the venue for a Toronto Stanley Cup victory in April of 1932. In 1955, the arena got its rookie card in the form of the 1955-56 Parkhurst #79 hockey card.
For the 1955-56 season, Parkhurst produced a 79 card series featuring players from just the Montreal Canadiens and Toronto Maple Leafs. The final two cards in the series had the Montreal Forum and MLG on the fronts. Number 79 is valued by Beckett Hockey Monthly at up to $300. The full set is valued at $5000 with a common card at $20. The most valuable card in the 1955-56 series is number 50, the Jacques Plante rookie card, valued at $800.
Back when Maple Leaf Gardens first opened, the NHL consisted of eight teams and the Detroit Red Wings were still called the Detroit Falcons. The Montreal Maroons and New York Americans were still in the league and the NHL was split evenly into the Canadian and American Divisions.
Toronto finished second in the Canadian Division in 1931-32, behind the Montreal Canadiens. However, it was the Maple Leafs and New York Rangers that met in the Stanley Cup finals. Led by Joe Primeau, Busher Jackson and King Clancy, Toronto swept the Rangers in the best of five final. The only game in the series played at MLG was the third and final.
On the back of the 1955-56 Parkhurst card, the seating capacity of Maple Leaf Gardens is stated at 12,586 with standing room for 2,000 more. The arena’s capacity reads like the population of a rust belt town in the United States. The numbers rise until the 1970’s then start to decline. At it’s highest, MLG could fit 16,385. In 1999, the number had dropped to 15,728.
Although Maple Leaf Gardens has only been the primary feature of a hockey card on this one occasion, the interior has been the subject of many an ‘In-Action’ card through the years. Perhaps, the most famous is the 1951-52 Parkhurst hockey card featuring Bill Barilko scoring the winning goal in overtime against Gerry McNeil and the Montreal Canadiens. The goal won the Maple Leafs the Stanley Cup and was the only time Barilko was featured on cardboard.