A pair of 70-71 OPC 'Keepers, and a little more tape

Here are a couple more pick-ups from the 70-71 OPC set. First up is a second year card of Tony Esposito.

70-71 OPC #153 Tony Esposito

Cool front, with Tony smiling. Some tape action which you have all come to expect from my blog.

Here is the back side of the card. It is in pretty decent shape and the write-up points out the phenomenal rookie season Tony had with the Hawks.

70-71 OPC #173 Cesare Maniago

This is a classic looking card to me. Mattress pads strapped to the legs and pillows stuffed under the jersey. This is what goalies used to look like before the Michelin Man brought the Ducks to the Stanley Cup finals.

Once upon a time 6' 3" was considered a large goalie, but by today's standards that is pretty common. Far from a rookie, I still picked this card up because the price was right (2 bucks) and there is a chance I just might chase this set since I already have some of the big name players.

70-71 OPC Bobby Orr Conn Smythe - Maybe time to call this blog tape stained cards?

Funny I know, I may have more tape stained cards than any other collector out there by now. Fact is, there are some amazing deals in my LCS on vintage tape stained cards. This latest offering was less than 10 dollars for a card that is in excellent shape if you can look past the tape. Back side is clean and perfect with a portion of a puzzle.

70-71 OPC #252  Bobby Orr Conn Smythe Award Winner 

Card books for 60 and typically they sell online for every bit of that and more. I don't think I would personally shell out that much for this card so getting one in rough shape is perfect for a guy like me. If it was a regular base card I would go all out, but Trophy cards and stuff like that are pretty low on my collectors list. However, it is the best defenseman of all-time, so all cards of his are somewhat desirable to me.

70-71 OPC Brad Park Rookie

Why my collection is missing are cards pretty much from the 60's to mid 70's. I have some in that range, a few big names like Dryden, Lafleur and Barber but not much else. I am always trying to find cool card and important cards I don't have, but budgets are budgets and it is a marathon not a sprint! 

Here is one that I have been wanting for a while. The topps version of this card had popped up as trade bait once and when I couldn't pull the trigger on the trade I went hunting. Many graded versions of this card exist and are often well above the BV and ungraded ones tended to go for much more reasonable prices (of course). Well I think this one was a steal. Though it isn't in mint condition by any stretch, it is clean and crease free with a little loving on the corners and aging of the white.

The front shows a bright-eyed kid with a future. I think I might have combed my hair like that when I was 10 years old.....but I will never provide photo evidence.

Back side is pretty cool, lots of info in a small space and a neat cartoon player with vitals in large print cover the left part.

Brad Park was a first ballot HOF'er and a 5-time NHL first team all-star. He was often compared to Bobby Orr which I am sure was a blessing and a curse in itself. Brad was named top defenseman and game 8 MVP in the '72 Summit series and even though he never won a Cup, his victory in '72 is every bit as important to many hockey fans.

In his career, Brad scored 213 goals and had 896 points in a solid 1113 game career. Even in his final season, he managed to get 43 points in 67 games for a pretty weak Red Wings team. Brad was even ranked by The Hockey News as the 13th greatest NHL defenseman of all-time and a player of that calibre is ALWAYS welcome in my collection! Now I just need his autograph.

Back Checking - Alex Delvecchio

I have been a huge Alex Delvecchio fan ever since I knew about the game of hockey. I be honest though, my reasons for being his fan have nothing to do with seeing him play. In fact, he was done with the game of hockey years before I was even born. My admiration for Alex began purely based on the fact that he was the best player to come from the same town as me. In fact, he is the most famous NHL'er to come from the Thunder Bay area with maybe one exception, Jack Adams.

Nevertheless, I knew Alex was a household name before I was born and really gave me hope as a kid that maybe I too could make the NHL some day. Well I am getting a little old for some day and frankly my game is pretty weak compared to most NHL'ers so I think that dream has long sailed but my admiration for Alex hasn't!

I am beginning to start collecting cards from Alex's playing days and this is a recent addition to my collection. It is from the 70-71 OPC set and I got a really good deal on it.

Front Side

 Pretty simple front, as you can see the Detroit C is over the right shoulder which appears to be their "thing". He also has a little snow on the roof, but that didn't stop him from scoring 68 points in 69-70 or from playing a few more years.

Back Side

What caught my eye about this card was the first sentence. "Alex is second only to Gordie Howe in all time assists record and third in all time goal scoring (behind Jean Beliveau and Howe). 

Wow. During his time, he certainly was one of the best and if you consider the period from 1917-1970 he was second in all time assists and third in all time goals. That is pretty good company, and if you hear the name Alex Delvecchio, I am pretty sure that doesn't come to mind.

Certainly adds another level of appreciate for someone I admire, maybe it will rub off on someone else.