This Old Hockey Card

Blogging has really changed the way I collect.  In fact, I'll go as far as saying the two go hand in hand.  A case in point is the card below.  My knowledge of the history of hockey is pretty weak.  When it comes to names it's mostly the guys on the trophies I'm familiar with, and then don't expect me to pass a test.  Maybe I know a few from a set like Masterpieces.  That partly explains why I've never gone out of my way to collect vintage (for me pre-1968) hockey cards.  The collecting bug in it's many forms can be contagious.  My immunity must have been low last month when I saw this post from forestrydave.   It led me to a search on ebay where I found a very low priced (what I can afford) listing for a card from the same Parkhurst set.  It's pretty beat up but it looks less so in person than in the enlarged scan.  1951-52 Parkies are closer to the size of a tobacco card than a typical modern card, less then 2" x 3".

As luck would have it this bargain bin "mini" was a Blackhawk, so bonus!  McFadden was no Maurice Richard but he is notable.  Born in Belfast in 1920, James Alexander McFadden is one of just a handful of native Irishmen to play in the NHL and he was the most successful.  Until Sergei Makarov won the Calder in 1990,  Jim at 27, was the oldest Rookie of the Year in NHL history.  (Neither would qualify under today's rules.)  Jim won a Stanley Cup as part of the 1949-50 Detroit Red Wings and finished his 7 year, 412 game NHL career  with 100 goals and 142 assists.  He was inducted into the Manitoba Hockey Hall of Fame in 1985.