A FITTING TRIBUTE TO THE LATE WOODY DUMART

When the Parkhurst brand was on the drawing board early in 2001, one of the planned insert sets was a 40-card effort entitled Parkhurst Autographs. The set featured an amazing lineup of hockey legends ranging from Gordie Howe to Jean Beliveau to Phil Esposito complete with their signatures. Woody Dumart was included in the set.

Once the cards were printed, they were sent to each of the players but sadly, Dumart passed away before he signed any of them on October 19. Officials at In the Game were now forced to revise their plans.

Rather than simply withdraw the card or replace it with another retired great, a plan was implemented which not only paid proper tribute to Dumart, it also provided something special for collectors. To avoid any further delays during pack-out, special Dumart redemption cards were inserted in packs of Parkhurst.

"Fortunately we had a small supply of Woody Dumart signatures," explained Dr. Brian H. Price, President of In the Game. "We had discussions with Mrs. Dumart and decided to follow through with this tribute to a great player and a fine gentleman.

"It took some ingenuity on the part of our production staff but we were able to use them as 'cut signatures' and literally build a new card of Woody that featured his autograph. Anyone who pulled one of the redemption cards can send it to us in exchange for one of these. I'm quite pleased with the results and I think collectors will be too."

Only 20 of these special signed Dumart cards were produced.

The left winger on Boston's famed "Kraut Line" in the 1930s and 1940s, Dumart played his entire 16-year NHL career with the Bruins, much of it with centreman Milt Schmidt and right winger Bobby Bauer. The three were lifelong friends who hailed from Kitchener and Waterloo, Ontario. It was fitting that all three eventually wound up in the Hall of Fame.

An excellent two-way performer, the 6', 190 lb. Dumart was a five-time 20-goal scorer and was named to the NHL Second All-Star Team three times in 1940, 1941 and 1947. Not only was he a dangerous offensive performer, but Dumart often drew the task of shadowing opponents' top snipers.

The 1939-40 campaign was especially rewarding as Schmidt, Dumart and Bauer finished 1-2-3 in the NHL scoring race that year. Dumart won two Stanley Cups with the Bruins in 1939 and 1941.

Late in the 1941-42 season, all three linemates enlisted in the Royal Canadian Air Force. Dumart subsequently missed three seasons in the prime of his career while serving in the military. By 1945-46, the trio was reunited with Boston and Dumart went on to enjoy his best season in 1946-47 when he scored 24 goals and 52 points in 60 games.

Dumart played with Boston through the 1953-54 season and retired after a short stint with Providence in the AHL in 1954-55. In 772 NHL games, he fired 211 goals and added 218 assists. In 88 career playoff matches, he added another 12 goals and 15 assists. He was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1992.

In the Game, Inc. has produced the Be A Player brands of hockey trading cards since 1998-99. Their lineup of products for 2001-02 includes The Memorabilia Series (released August 2001), Parkhurst (released December 2001), The Signature Series, The Ultimate Memorabilia 2nd Edition, and The Update Series in addition to Between the Pipes.