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George Armstong: Toronto’s Chief

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george armstrong rookie card 1952-53 parkhurst toronto maple leafsGeorge Armstrong retired as a player in the National Hockey League after the 1970-71 season. To date, over 40 years later, he remains the player to appear in the most games wearing a Toronto Maple Leafs jersey. Armstrong’s 1952-53 Parkhurst rookie card plays a significant role in the birth of the modern era of the hockey card.

George Armstrong – Player

Armstrong starred as a junior in the OHA. He is one of just five players, to date, to win the Red Tilson Trophy on more than one occasion. The other four in the group are Corey Locke, Brad Boyes, Alyn McCauley and Andre Lacroix. George won the trophy as the OHA’s most valuable player in 1947-48 as a member of the Stratford Kroehlers and in 1949-50 as a member of the Toronto Marlboros.


George Armstrong Collection

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


In his final season of junior, 1949-50, Armstrong scored 64 goals and assisted on 51 more for 115 points over 45 regular season games with the Marlboros. The team competed at the 1950 Allan Cup and won the coveted trophy honouring Canada’s top Senior A team with a four games to one victory over the Calgary Stampeders in the final series. Over the whole Allan Cup playoffs, George scored 19 and totalled 38 points over 17 games.


George’s first two National Hockey League games came in 1949-50, while still a junior. He didn’t become a regular with the Toronto Maple Leafs until 1952-53. In his first two years of pro hockey, Armstrong played in the American Hockey League with the Pittsburgh Hornets.

In his rookie AHL season, Armstrong contributed 13 points over 13 playoff games as the Hornets reached the Calder Cup finals before losing in seven games to the Cleveland Barons. Depsite losing the series, the Hornets outscored their opponents 22-20 over the seven games.

In 1951-52, Armstrong played just 50 games with the Hornets before being called up the Maple Leafs for good. In those 50 games, he led the team with 30 goals and placed third on the team with 59 points. His goal total put his sixth in the whole AHL. The King Clancy coached team went on to capture the Calder Cup championship with a 4-2 victory over the Providence Reds in the finals. George was with the Leafs in the Stanley Cup playoffs as they were swept in four by the Detroit Red Wings.

Over his NHL career, Armstrong played in 1,187 regular season games, all with the Maple Leafs. He scored 296 goals and assisted on 417 for 713 points. George also appeared in 110 Stanley Cup playoff games, contributing another 60 points. He was a part of four Stanley Cup winning teams in Toronto, 1961-62 to 1963-64 and 1966-67. He scored the final goal into an empty net in 1966-67 for what is still the last goal scored by Toronto in a Stanley Cup final series.

Armstrong was captain of the Maple Leafs from 1958-59 to 1968-69. Over his final two seasons in the National Hockey League, he handed over the captaincy to Dave Keon. George was never named to the First or Second All-Star Team but did play in seven All-Star games.

George Armstrong – Coach

After a year away from the game, Armstrong returned in a coaching capacity for the 1972-73 season. From 1972-73 to 1977-78, George was the head coach of his former junior team, the Toronto Marlboros. It proved to be the last of the Marlies glory years.

In his first year behind the bench, the Marlboros dominated the OHA, finishing first overall and earning the Hamilton Spectator Trophy with 47 wins, seven losses and nine ties for 103 points over 63 games. Toronto then rolled through the playoffs and beat out the Peterborough Petes for the Robertson Cup championship. At the Memorial Cup, the Marlboros trounced the Quebec Remparts in the final game, 9-1, to capture the Canadian junior championship.

After an eighth place rebuilding year in 1973-74, the Marlboros were once again on top in 1974-75. The team finished first overall in the OMJHL, once again taking home the Hamilton Spectator. The 1974-75 Toronto Marlboros faced the Hamilton Fincups in the Robertson Cup finals and came away with the championship. At the Memorial Cup, victory once again went to Toronto with a 7-3 victory over the New Westminster Bruins in the final game.

Armstrong returned to the Maple Leafs and was assistant general manager from 1987-88 to 1999-00. In a turbulent 1988-89 season, George took over the reigns as head coach from John Brophy mid-season. Toronto finished the year just one point out of last place overall, ahead of both the Quebec Nordiques and New York Islanders who both occupied the NHL basement.

George Armstrong was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1975. Now in his 80’s, he remains an amateur scout for the Maple Leafs.

George Armstrong – Rookie Card

The George Armstrong rookie card (click link for image of front and back in our virtual collection) appears as number 51 in the 1952-53 Parkhurst set. Behind Tim Horton, Armstrong’s the highest valued RC in the set, equal to the value of the Dickie Moore rookie card. The hockey card is valued at around $25o, or about eight times the value of a common card.

Season Team Lge GP G A Pts PIM
1946-47 Copper Cliff Redmen OHA 9 6 5 11 4
1947-48 Stratford Kroehlers OHA 36 33 40 73 33
1948-49 Toronto Marlboros OHA 39 29 33 62 89
1949-50 Toronto Marlboros OHA 45 64 51 115 74
1949-50 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 2 0 0 0 0
1950-51 Pittsburgh Hornets AHL 71 15 33 48 49
1951-52 Pittsburgh Hornets AHL 50 30 29 59 62
1951-52 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 20 3 3 6 30
1952-53 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 52 14 11 25 54
1953-54 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 63 17 15 32 60
1954-55 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 66 10 18 28 80
1955-56 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 67 16 32 48 97
1956-57 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 54 18 26 44 37
1957-58 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 59 17 25 42 93
1958-59 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 59 20 16 36 37
1959-60 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 70 23 28 51 60
1960-61 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 47 14 19 33 21
1961-62 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 70 21 32 53 27
1962-63 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 70 19 24 43 27
1963-64 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 67 20 17 37 14
1964-65 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 59 15 22 37 14
1965-66 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 70 16 35 51 12
1966-67 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 70 9 24 33 26
1967-68 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 62 13 21 34 4
1968-69 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 53 11 16 27 10
1969-70 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 49 13 15 28 12
1970-71 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 59 7 18 25 6
NHL Totals 1188 296 417 713 721

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