1953-54 Parkhurst 19 Bert Olmstead Hockey Card (Front)
1953-54 Parkhurst 19 Bert Olmstead Hockey Card (Back)
1953-54 Parkhurst NHL Checklist
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Card Notes
Detroit underestimated him when they traded him to Canadiens for Leo Gravelle in 1950, for he has since turned in a tremendous performance for the Montreal club. He came 9th in the NHL scoring race last season, leading all his teammates except Richard, and earned a forward slot with the alternate “all-star” team.
En Français
Le Détroit le sous-évalua lorsqu’il l’échangea aux Canadiens pour Léo Gravelle en 1950, car, depuis, il a fait des exploits pour le club de Montréal. A la dernière saison, il fut le 9ème dans le pointage de la LN, en tête de tous ses camarades d’équipe, sauf Richard, et il gagna une place d’avant avec l’équipe “toutes étoiles” alternative.
Details
Bert Olmstead’s time in the Detroit Red Wings organization was certainly short. Bert had started his NHL career with the Chicago Blackhawks, putting up decent numbers in his only full season with the club, 1949-50, with 20 goals and 49 points. 15 games into the 1950-51 NHL season, he was traded from Chicago to Detroit on December 2, 1950 with Vic Stasiuk for Steve Black and Lee Fogolin.
However, without playing a single game for the Wings, Olmstead was again traded just 17 days later, this time to the Canadiens for Leo Gravelle. Leo played 18 games for Detroit that year and never played in the NHL again. Bert played with the Habs until 1957-58, winning four Stanley Cup championships.
Olmstead could score goals but was much more comfortable setting them up (usually while playing with the likes of Rocket Richard, Dickie Moore and Jean Beliveau). He led the league with 48 assists in 1954-55 and did it again the following year, this time with a career best 56 helpers.
Between 1948-49 and 1961-62, Bert Olmstead played 848 regular season and 115 playoff games in the National Hockey League with the Blackhawks, Canadiens and Toronto Maple Leafs. He won five Stanley Cups, four with Montreal and one with Toronto. Bert was the first ever head coach of the Oakland Seals and was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1985.