1961-62 Topps Hockey Class B Rookie Card
The 1961-62 Topps game consists of 66 hockey cards featuring players from the Boston Bruins, Chicago Black Hawks, and New York Rangers. The highest value hockey cards in the game belong to Bobby Hull and Stan Mikita, both of the Blackhawks. The highest value rookie cards belong to Jean Ratelle and Rod Gilbert, both of the New York Rangers.
Between those cards and the commons at the bottom of the stack are the five-player rookie cards that aren’t quite all-stars but are slightly better than mediocre. These five cards are worth between $25 and $40. The names are familiar to hockey fans, even if they can’t place who they played with or what they accomplished during their careers.
Ted Green – Boston Bruins
Green played one game for the Bruins in 1960-61 and started for Boston from 1961-62 to 1971-72, with the exception of the 1969-70 season when he didn’t play. During his NHL career, Ted played in 620 regular season games, scoring 48 goals and assisting in 206 for 254 points. He played an additional 31 in the playoffs, adding 12 points.
He missed the 1969-70 Stanley Cup championship with Boston, but was there in 1971-72 to get his only Stanley Cup ring. After that, he jumped to the World Hockey Association for the 1972-73 season and remained in the rebel league to the end, retiring after the 1978-79 season.
In the WHA, Green was a member of three Avco World Trophy championships. In his first year, he played for the champion New England Whalers. He moved on to the Winnipeg Jets and won the championship in Manitoba in 1975-76 and 1977-78. Ted did not play for Winnipeg in the 1978-79 playoffs when the Jets clinched the final championship before the league ceased to exist.
Dallas Smith – Boston Bruins
The number 4 card in the 1961-62 Topps set belongs to defenseman Dallas Smith. Smith played sparingly with the Boston Bruins from 1959-60 to 1966-67 before becoming a blue line regular. He continued with the Bruins through 1976-77 and then played 29 games with the Rangers in 1977-78 before ending his career.
In all, Dallas played 890 regular season games in the National Hockey League, scoring 55 goals and totaling 307 points. He played an additional 86 playoff games, contributing 32 points. Smith was there for both Stanley Cup championships in 1969-70 and 1971-72.
Orland Kurtenbach – Boston Bruins
Kurtenbach played just ten games with the New York Rangers in 1960-61 and eight with the Boston Bruins in 1961-62. He is shown with the Bruins on the 1961-62 Topps card. He was a regular in the NHL from 1963-64 to 1973-74 with the Rangers, Bruins, Toronto Maple Leafs and Vancouver Canucks. Orland played in 639 regular season games, totaling 332 points. He played just 19 playoff games.
Outside of the NHL, Kurtenbach received some praise in professional hockey. In 1957-58, he was honored as WHL Rookie of the Year with the Vancouver Canucks. In 1975-76, he received the Jake Milford Trophy for CHL Coach of the Year, leading the Tulsa Oilers to a championship. Kurtenbach returned to Vancouver as head coach for the 1977-78 season.
Pat Stapleton – Boston Bruins
1961-62 was Stapleton’s first year in the NHL and he appeared in 69 of 70 games for the Bruins. Pat played in the NHL from 1961-62 to 1972-73 with Boston and the Chicago Blackhawks, appearing in 635 regular season and 65 playoff games.
Stapleton jumped ship to the WHA for the 1973-74 season. He played 372 games in the WHA between 1973-74 and 1977-78 with the Chicago Cougars, Indianapolis Racers and Cincinnati Stingers.
Denis Dejordy – Chicago Black Hawks
DeJordy did not appear in the NHL until the 1962-63 season and even then only played five games for Chicago. The following year, he played just six more. Denis lasted in the NHL until the 1973-74 season, playing for the Blackhawks, Los Angeles Kings, Montreal Canadiens, and Detroit Red Wings.
In 1962-63 Denis played most of the season with the Buffalo Bisons in the American Hockey League. He was honored with the Les Cunningham Award as AHL MVP. Buffalo was crowned Calder Cup champion. In 1966-67, DeJordy shared Vezina Trophy honors with the great Glenn Hall while playing in the most games of Chicago’s two goalkeepers. In 1970-71, Denis appeared in 60 of 78 games with the Kings.