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Bob Nevin: NHL Workhorse And Longtime Captain Of The N.Y. Rangers

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bob nevin new york rangers 1968-69 o-pee-chee nhl hockey cardBob Nevin starred with the Toronto Marlboros in junior before finding himself among the National Hockey League’s top offensive players in his first full season with the Toronto Maple Leafs. Later, Nevin would win two Stanley Cup championships with the Maple Leafs before heading to the Rangers.

Nevin’s hockey card timeline has some twists. He was inexplicably excluded from the 1973-74 Topps and O-Pee-Chee sets but was included in the 1976-77 O-Pee-Chee WHA set despite playing just 13 games with the Edmonton Oilers that season, his last action in pro hockey.

Junior and Minor Pro
NHL Career
Hockey Card Collection
Rookie Card
Career Stats

Bob Nevin – Junior and Minor Pro

Bob Nevin played four seasons of junior hockey with the Toronto Marlboros from 1954-55 to 1957-58. In his second season, Nevin finished sixth on the OHA Junior A league with 34 goals. Toronto won the OHL championship, beating the Barrie Flyers in the finals. Next up was a Richardson Cup championship with a win over the Montreal Junior Canadiens. Finally, the Marlboros won the Memorial Cup with a win over the Regina Pats.

In 1956-57, Nevin was fourth with 45 goals and tied for fourth in the race for the Eddie Powers Trophy with 74 points.

In his final season, Bob finished ninth with 32 goals, sixth with 39 assists and eighth with 71 points. The Marlboros finished just fourth in the eight team league with a .500 record. Yet, Toronto won the Robertson Cup championship, downing the Hamilton Tiger Cubs in the finals. They then fell to the Ottawa-Hull Canadiens in the Richardson Cup finals.

Nevin’s first pro hockey game came in 1956-57, appearing in a single match with the Rochester Americans in the AHL. He would have an explosive season with the Amerks in 1959-60 before solidifying his place as a regular in the NHL.

In that 1959-60 season, Bob scored 32 and assisted on 42 for 74 points in 71 regular season games. Nevin placed seventh in the American Hockey League in goal scoring and had the tenth highest point total. Rochester reached the Calder Cup finals before bowing to the Springfield Indians.

Bob Nevin – NHL

Bob Nevin played in the National Hockey League from 1957-58 to 1975-76 with the Toronto Maple Leafs, New York Rangers, Minnesota North Stars and Los Angeles Kings. Over that time, he played in 1,128 regular season games, scoring 307 goals and assisting on 419 for 726 points.


Bob Nevin Collection


In the Stanley Cup playoffs, Nevin added 34 points in 84 games. He was a member of two Stanley Cup championship teams with Toronto, 1961-62 and 1962-63. He missed out on a third in 1963-64, traded to the Rangers midseason.

His first NHL action came in 1957-58 while still a junior, he appeared in four games with the Maple Leafs. In 1958-59, he played two more NHL games with Toronto while splitting the rest of the season with Rochester in the AHL and the Chicoutimi Sagueneens of the QHL.

In 1960-61, Bob played his first full season in the National Hockey League and didn’t disappoint. He finished tenth in the league with 37 assists.

In eight seasons, Nevin scored 20 or more goals. He topped out with a personal best of 31 goals in two different seasons. He first accomplished the feat with the Rangers in 1968-69 and did it again with the Kings in 1974-75.

On February 22, 1964, Bob was involved in a blockbuster trade between the Rangers and Maple Leafs. Nevin went to New York with Dick Duff, Bill Collins, Arnie Brown and Rod Seiling. Going to Toronto was Don McKenney and Andy Bathgate.

Bob went on to serve as team captain with the Rangers from 1965-66 to 1970-71. He replaced Camille Henry and was replaced by Vic Hadfield. His captaincy came to an end after the Rangers sent him to Minnesota on May 25, 1971 for a player to be named later. That player turned out to be Bobby Rousseau.

With the Rangers in 1965-66, Nevin finished tied for seventh in the NHL with 29 goals. He equaled the total of two Hockey Hall of Fame legends, Gordie Howe of the Detroit Red Wings and Jean Beliveau of the Montreal Canadiens. He also finished eighth in the race for the Art Ross Trophy with 62 points.

At the end of his career, Nevin jumped to the World Hockey Association. He joined the Edmonton Oilers at the start of the 1976-77 WHA season but played just 13 games. His career ended as a result of a broken collarbone.

Bob Nevin – Rookie Card

The Bob Nevin rookie card appears as number 13 in the 1958-59 Parkhurst NHL hockey card set. He would only play two games with the Maple Leafs that season and would not appear in the NHL again until 1959-60.

As a result, his next hockey card would not come until the 1961-62 Parkhurst set. Nevin’s final card was included in the 1976-77 O-Pee-Chee WHA set as a member of the Edmonton Oilers. He is shown wearing a Los Angeles Kings jersey.

For some reason, Nevin was excluded from the 1973-74 O-Pee-Chee and Topps sets. He played 66 games for the North Stars in 1972-73 and didn’t miss a game with the Kings in 1973-74.

Often, the back of his hockey cards makes some reference to Bob being one of the only hockey players to play with contact lenses. One card even notes there was a delay in a game because they fell out on the ice and there was a search for them. Optometry has come a long, long way.

Bob Nevin Career Stats

Season Team Lge GP G A Pts PIM
1954-55 Toronto Marlboros OHA 3 0 0 0 0
1955-56 Toronto Marlboros OHA 48 34 31 65 34
1956-57 Rochester Americans AHL 1 0 0 0 0
1956-57 Toronto Marlboros OHA 51 45 29 74 52
1957-58 Rochester Americans AHL 1 0 2 2 2
1957-58 Toronto Marlboros OHA 50 32 39 71 29
1957-58 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 4 0 0 0 0
1958-59 Rochester Americans AHL 21 3 3 6 6
1958-59 Chicoutimi Sagueneens QHL 35 16 8 24 12
1958-59 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 2 0 0 0 2
1959-60 Rochester Americans AHL 71 32 42 74 10
1960-61 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 68 21 37 58 13
1961-62 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 69 15 30 45 10
1962-63 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 58 12 21 33 4
1963-64 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 49 7 12 19 26
1963-64 New York Rangers NHL 14 5 4 9 9
1964-65 New York Rangers NHL 64 16 14 30 28
1965-66 New York Rangers NHL 69 29 33 62 10
1966-67 New York Rangers NHL 67 20 24 44 6
1967-68 New York Rangers NHL 74 28 30 58 20
1968-69 New York Rangers NHL 71 31 25 56 14
1969-70 New York Rangers NHL 68 18 19 37 8
1970-71 New York Rangers NHL 78 21 25 46 10
1971-72 Minnesota North Stars NHL 72 15 19 34 6
1972-73 Minnesota North Stars NHL 66 5 13 18 0
1973-74 Los Angeles Kings NHL 78 20 30 50 12
1974-75 Los Angeles Kings NHL 80 31 41 72 19
1975-76 Los Angeles Kings NHL 77 13 42 55 14
1976-77 Edmonton Oilers WHA 13 3 2 5 0
NHL Totals 1128 307 419 726 211
WHA Totals 13 3 2 5 0

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