1954-55 Topps 19 Leo Labine Hockey Card (Front)
1954-55 Topps 19 Leo Labine Hockey Card (Back)
Card Notes
Always rough and ready, 1953-54 was the first full season Leo spent with the Bruins. He split the previous 2 seasons with Boston and Hershey. Leo had a great year with Hershey in 1951-52, scoring 23 goals and 23 assists, this being his 1st year in pro hockey. Last season, out of his total goals, he scored 5 against Chicago and 5 against Detroit.
Details
1954-55 would turn out to be one of the best campaigns of Leo Labine’s National Hockey League career. He led the Boston Bruins with 24 goals and tied for the club’s overall scoring lead with Don McKenney, both with 42 points. His goal total placed him eighth overall in the NHL, 14 behind league co-leaders Bernie Geoffrion and Maurice Richard, both of the Montreal Canadiens.
Labine’s highest single season point total came in 1956-57 when he contributed 47 for the Bruins. That year, he also placed in the top three with 128 penalty minutes, behind Gus Mortson of the Chicago Blackhawks and Lou Fontinato of the New York Rangers.
In all, Leo played in 643 regular season and 60 Stanley Cup playoff games in the NHL between 1951-52 and 1961-62. Most of his NHL career was spent with the Bruins but his last year and half were spent with the Detroit Red Wings. On January 23, 1961, he was shipped to the Motor City along with Vic Stasiuk for Gary Aldcorn, Tom McCarthy and Murray Oliver.