Des Smith grew up in the Ottawa area and played junior and senior from 1930 to 1935 before moving across the pond to play in Britain for two seasons. In fact he played 19 games with our "hometown" Charlottetown Islanders in the MSHL in 1934-35. Smith then made his NHL debut in the 1937-38 season with the Montreal Maroons. He was traded to the Maroons' cross-town rivals, the Canadiens, but spent the majority of the 1938-39 season with the AHL's New Haven Eagles. The next season saw him dealt yet again, this time to the Blackhawks, who turned around and sent him to the Boston Bruins just 24 games later. It was in Boston that Smith enjoyed his most success. A talented Bruins team that had such players as Bobby Bauer, Milt Schmidt, and Roy Conacher joined Smith in a sweep of the Red Wings to take the Stanley Cup in 1941. He played one more season before retiring from the NHL. His two sons Brian and Gary would both go on to play in the NHL. His 1937-38 OPC rookie, and only, card pictures him as a Maroon. Here is a 1939-40 OPC from his time in Boston.
Oscar "Ossie" Aubuchon started his hockey with the Montreal Jr. Canadiens before moving to Britain to continue his career. After two years with the Brighton Tigers, Aubuchon returned to North America in 1939 playing in the IAHL and AHL. Boston gave him an NHL chance during the 1942-43 season, though he spent most of the year in Providence. Just nine Bruins games into the following season, he was sold to the Rangers where he finished the season as a wartime replacement but then never played in the NHL again. He played two more years of minor pro, then returned to Quebec to play senior hockey until retiring in 1947. He also never had a hockey card issued, here is a 1948-52 Exhibit style Bruins creation.
Norm Calladine was a wartime replacement for those numerous regular Bruins off to war, playing most of 1943-44 and parts of the season before and after. In his one full season, he performed admirably, scoring 16 goals and averaging nearly a point per game. Yet after his excellent year, he played just eleven games with Boston the next season before being demoted and never making it back to the NHL. He also never had a hockey card issued, here is a 1948-52 Exhibit style Bruins creation.
Ab DeMarco Sr. began his route to the NHL through the EHL and IAHL. In the 1938-39 season DeMarco received the call-up to the Chicago Blackhawks where he played two games. In 1939-40, DeMarco played in 18 games with the Blackhawks, picking up five assists. He had a four-game stint with the Toronto Maple Leafs in 1942-43. Later that year he played in three games with the Boston Bruins. He played in three more games with the Bruins the following year before moving on to the New York Rangers where he played out the balance of his NHL career. Despite playing 9 seasons in the NHL he would never get a hockey card issued, here is his 1948-52 Exhibit style Bruins creation.
Jack Schmidt played 45 games for the Boston Bruins in 1942-43. He was better known as a fine scorer for many years in various senior leagues. In 1942 he joined the Bruins for a year after they lost many players to military service, including the entire "Kraut Line". Known to his teammates as "Jackie" Schmidt scored six goals and checked well while helping Boston remain as competitive as possible. It would be his only NHL appearance and did not earn him an NHL card although he was part of the 1951-52 and 1952-53 QSHL sets, here is his 1948-52 Exhibit style Bruins creation.
Lou Angotti didn't make his NHL debut, with the Rangers, until age 26 in 1964. He had a mobile NHL career being traded five times and claimed by teams on two other occasions during a decade of play in the NHL. Angotti was twice owned by the Blues before eventually playing for them in his last year, 1973-74. In one five-day span in June 1969, he was the property of Chicago, Philadelphia, St. Louis, and Pittsburgh !! He spent the '65-66 and '66-67 seasons in Chicago but didn't get a '67-68 card issued.
Glenn Hall was nicknamed "Mr. Goalie" for his consistent and long-lasting success in the National Hockey League. Year after year, Hall was a familiar and intimidating sight in nets across the continent. He hardly missed a game or an award in his 18 NHL seasons and only four times did he finish a season with a losing record. His 84 career shutouts, third of all time, guaranteed his place in the Hockey Hall of Fame as one of the sport's best goaltenders. His only '67-68 card shows him as an All-Star.
Ed Van Impe turned pro with the Calgary Stampeders in 1960-61 before having a lengthy stay with the Buffalo Bisons of the AHL. In 1966-67 Van Impe finally got his break in the Windy City. At age 25, the rookie rearguard had matured sufficiently well to hold down a sixth and seventh defensive spot. As a rookie he picked up his usual 100-plus penalty minutes per season. But when league expansion arrived the following year, Van Impe was left unprotected. Flyers' GM Bud Poile saw a solid prospect in Van Impe and thus picked him off from the Hawks' roster. He spent 9 seasons in the City of Brotherly Love and savored two Stanley Cup victories that represented the peak of his career. Late in the '75-76 campaign, he was traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins where he lasted for only 22 games, retiring in 1976-77. He had a '63-64 Topps rookie card issued as a Blackhawk but would miss out until '68-69 when his 1st Flyer card was issued.
Ed Kachur played hockey for more than two decades. The right-winger was a reliable scorer in junior and the minors, but his NHL career consisted of less than two years of service with the Chicago Black Hawks in the late 1950s. Kachur split the 1956-57 between Shawinigan in the QHL and the Chicago Black Hawks. He spent all of the next season in the NHL then played the remainder of his career in the minors. He would never earn a regular season NHL card, here's his 1957-58 Blackhawks CTNW Rookie.
Jackie Leclair spent three years with the Montreal Canadiens in the 50s. He was a reliable goal scorer and passer who enjoyed most of his success in minors and senior leagues. Leclair scored 11 goals as a rookie while playing on a line with Floyd Curry and Dickie Moore. He also contributed five goals when the Habs reached the finals and lost to the Detroit Red Wings. The next year he scored six goals, played solid defensive hockey and was a member of the Canadiens' Stanley Cup championships. After playing 47 games for Montreal in 1956-57, Leclair was sent down to the Chicoutimi Sagueneens, ending his NHL career. His rookie, and only card, was issued in the '55-56 Parkie series, here's his '57-58 Parkie CTNW creation.
Dave Balon joined the NHL as a New York Ranger in 1960-61 and would play another 13 NHL seasons plus 1 in the WHA. In 1963 he was involved in a much-discussed trade between New York and Montreal, moving with Gump Worsley to the Canadiens for Jacques Plante. He won Cups with the Habs in 1965 and 1966 and led the league in playoff assists with the Minnesota North Stars in 1967. He returned to the Rangers the next year and his savvy play garnered him one of the best plus-minus ratings in the league. When illness began to affect his play, Balon was dealt to the Vancouver Canucks, where he was booed by fans that expected him to score as he had in New York. After a year in the WHA, Balon retired in 1974 to battle Multiple Sclerosis. He did not have a '67-68 hockey card issued, here is his CTNW Topps creation.
Jim Roberts saw his first NHL action with Montreal, picking up 13 games, his first assist, and a run in the playoffs late in the 1963-64 season. The move marked the start of a 16 year big-league career with no return trips to the minors. Over those 16 seasons, Roberts established himself as a dedicated player with a strong commitment to team play. In 1967, after 4 seasons in Montreal, the expansion St. Louis Blues made Roberts their first-ever selection. He joined the club and relished his role as a leader and tireless toiler. He also began to play defense in addition to his wing duties. During the course of his four and a half seasons with the club, his point totals rose and he was awarded the team's captaincy in 1971. But shortly thereafter he returned to the familiar ice of Habs' hockey where he had occasion to enjoy three more league championships. Roberts rejoined the Blues for one final season in 1977-78 and then retired. He did not have a '67-68 hockey card issued, here is his CTNW Topps creation.
Bruce Cline would capture the top rookie award in the American Hockey League in 1956. His AHL success caught the eye of the New York Rangers and he spent half of the next season on Broadway. With the Rangers in 1956-57 he played 30 games scoring 2 goals and five points. That would be his entire NHL career, not enough to earn him a regular season hockey card, here is his 1957-58 Topps CTNW Rookie creation.
Will finish up this post with some 2016-17 Maple Leafs I created for my own collection and a 2015-16 Maple Leaf that got missed last season.
Andrew Campbell was drafted in the 3rd round, 74th overall, by the Los Angeles Kings in the 2008 NHL Entry draft. Campbell would make his professional debut with the AHL’s Manchester Monarchs and would play the better part of 6 years with that team. In his last year with the Monarchs, Campbell was called up by the Kings on April 5, 2014 where he would make his NHL debut in a 2-1 win against the Vancouver Canucks. When the season ended, Campbell signed a one year contract with the Arizona Coyotes and was sent down to their AHL affiliate, the Portland Pirates. However, he would be called up to play for the Coyotes for the last 33 games of the 2014-15 season where he recorded his first NHL point. On July 3, 2015 Campbell signed a 1 year AHL contract with the Toronto Marlies and would make it up for a 6 game stint with the Maple Leafs. His 2014-15 OPC rookie shows him as an L.A. King, here's his 2015-16 Maple Leaf CTNW creation.
Mitch Marner was drafted by Toronto Maple Leafs in round 1, #4 overall, in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft. Sent back to the London Knights after last years tryout camp he won every award possible for the 2015-16 OHA season including a Memorial Cup. Much has been said about Marner’s apparently slight frame, but strength is not really an issue. At about six feet tall and 165 lb., Marner back-squats multiple reps at 375 lb.
Auston Matthews shouldn't need much of a bio following his 4 goal NHL debut performance.
Thanks to John Lehman and Bob Fulton for these Cards That Never Were requests !!
You can purchase these cards, or any of my Missing Link creations, for $10 each postpaid, or $7.95 each for 3 or more. Email me at: [email protected], volume discounts available on larger orders.