Lost Rookies; 1983-84 OPC Jacques Cloutier

  The diminutive Jacques Cloutier, who is 5'7', played 12 NHL seasons but didn't get a rookie card until into his ninth season, when Junk Wax exploded.  He spent the majority of his career with the Buffalo Sabres, but never had a card while with them.
  Cloutier was star goalie in the QMJHL and the top underage goalie prospect in the draft.  In the two seasons leading up to the draft, Cloutier had 46 wins and 58(!!) wins for the Trios-Rivieres Draveurs.  He ranks 1st and 2nd in for most Wins in a QMJHL season by a goalie.  He is also the QMJHL career leader in wins with 142.  The Buffalo Sabres drafted Jacques in the 3rd round, 55th overall in the 1979 draft.  He was the fourth goalie drafted and the first underage.  (Fun Fact: Every goalie drafted in 1979 played at least a dozen games.) 
  Cloutier had a disappointing 1979-80 season in the QMJHL, only winning 27 games. After back-to-back 1st team All-Star selections, he was demoted to the 3rd team All-Star.  Cloutier turned pro in 1980-81 but did not make the NHL until the 1981-82 season.  He was called up after Bob Sauve was traded to Detroit.  Cloutier made the most of his opportunity while backing up Don Edwards.  He won his first start on December 20, 1981 against the Hartford Whalers.  Jacques went 5-1-0, .916, and 2.52 before a shot during practice broke his collarbone, causing him to miss the rest of the season.

1982-83 OPC Jacques Cloutier

  Cloutier started the 1982-83 season as the Sabres back-up but digressed from his hot start the previous season.  He finished the season in the minors after going 10-7-6, .858, and 3.50.  On the brightside, Cloutier backstopped the Rochester Americans to a Calder Cup championship in 1983.  On the downside, the Sabres drafted goalie Tom Barrasso fourth overall in the 1983 draft.  The 18 year old Barrasso made the team and became an instant star.  Cloutier played a single NHL over the next two seasons.  During the 1984-85 season, a season-ending injury forced Cloutier to the bench, were he acted as an Assistant Coach for the Rochester Americans.
  Cloutier began the 1985-86 season in the minors was was called up in December.  He earned his first career shutout on March 23, 1986, stopping 30 shots against the Philadelphia Flyers.  The following season he broke camp as the back-up but briefly overcame Barrasso as the starter.  Barrasso struggled early in the season, but eventually got his game together as Cloutier struggled later in the season.  Cloutier played 40 games that season.  His highest single season total as a Sabre. He went 11-19-5, .869 and 3.72.

1989-90 OPC Jacques Cloutier

  Cloutier lost his back-up gig on the Sabres during the 1987-88 season to Darren Puppa.  Although it was Puppa who bounced back and forth between the NHL and AHL, it was Puppa who took over when Barraso was injured in the play-offs. 

1988-89 OPC Jacques Cloutier

  Cloutier started the 1988-89 season in the minors.  He was called up in November after the Sabres traded Barrasso to the Penguins.  Cloutier was once again the Sabres back-up.  That was until starter Darren Puppa went down with a season-ending injury in January.  Cloutier became the starter and held off challenges from Darren Eliot, Darcy Wakaluk, before the Sabres acquired Clint Malarchuk from the Washington Capitals.  Cloutier was the goalie who had to come off the bench to play after Malachuk had his neck cut by a skate.  In his first career play-off start, Cloutier shutout the Boston Bruins.  The Sabres gave him a rest the following night, but he returned to play the final three games of the series.  The Bruins won 4 games to 1.

1989-90 OPC Jacques Cloutier

    With the return of Puppa, and now with Malarchuk also in the fold, Cloutier was the odd man out.  Near the end of the 1989 training camp, he was traded to the Chicago Blackhawks to be reunited wth his AHL coach, Mike Keenan.  He set career bests across the board during the 1989-90 season with 43 games played, 18 wins, 3.09 GAA and two shutouts.  His season was cut short with a knee injury in March.  The Blackhawks made the Campbell Conference final but lost the Edmonton Oilers.  Cloutier did return to play a few games but was already pushed down the depth chart by rookie Eddie Belfour. 
  Cloutier was finally noticed by the card companies, as set sized ballooned with the start of the Junk Wax era.  He had four rookie cards in 1990-91. 
  Seldom used by the Blackhawks during the 90-91 season, Cloutier was traded to the Quebec Nordiques for Tony McKegney at the end of January, 1991.  The Nordiques finished last overall and won the Eric Lindros sweepstakes. Perhaps the trade was too late, but Cloutier did not appear in any of the update sets as Nordique.  I always like OPC Premier so I mocked up a card of Cloutier.

1990-91 OPC Premier Jacques Cloutier

  Cloutier played the next three seasons with the Nordiques but frequently battles injuries.  He retired after the 1993-94 season.  Upon retiring, Cloutier took a job as the Nordiques goalie coach.  He was a coach with the Quebec/Colorado franchise from 1994 to 2009.  He won Two Stanley Cups with the team, in 1996 and 2001.  He is now coaching in the KHL.
  I made Jacques a 1983-84 Lost Rookie.  You may have noticed above, there was a 1982-83 one done as well.  The reason I went with the 1983-84 design was that I was already mostly finished the back when I realized, I could have easily made him a 1982-83 instead.  I stuck with the 83-84 since it was basically done and out of the 1980s sets, this is the one I have made the least of.

1982-83 OPC #399 Jacques Cloutier (RC)

1982-83 OPC #399 Jacques Cloutier (RC)

Lost Rookies: 1988-89 OPC Glenn Healy

  Glenn Healy has become more known as a hockey personality than as a hockey player.  Let's look a closer look at Glenn Healy the hockey player.  Healy attended Western Michigan University in the early 80s and went undrafted by the NHL.  He signed as a free agent with the Los Angeles Kings in 1985.  Healy was called up to the Kings in November of 1985, as starter Bob Janecyk was out with injuries.  Healy played his first NHL game on Novermber 25, 1985, when entered the game in relief of Darren Eliot.  The Kings were down 3-0 to the Hartford Whalers when Healy entered the game during the 1st period.  The game ended 9-0.  Shortly after the Kings made a trade for new starter Roland Melanson and Healy was buried on the depth chart.

  Healy spent the majority of his first two professional seasons in the AHL.  In 1987, Healy broke camp as the back-up goalie for the Kings.  He won his first NHL game on October 28, 1987, a 5-2 victory against the New York Rangers.  His first career shutout was against the Vancouver Canucks on February 28th, 1987.  Healy was used sparingly down the stretch, playing 3 of the teams last 13 games, but took over the starting gig in the play-offs after Melanson gave up 9 goals in the play-offs opener against Calgary.  Healy went 1-3 during four play-off games as the Kings were eliminated in the first round.

  Healy began the 1988 season as the back-up but became the starter after Melanson gave up 11 goals to the Calgary Flames on October 16th.  The 1988-89 season was Wayne Gretzky's first season as a King.  As the season progress, there became a glaring weakness with the Kings - the goaltending.  On February 22nd, the Kings traded a package of players, including back-up Mark Fitzpatrick, to the New York Islanders for Kelly Hrudey.  Healy's days as the #1 in LA were over.

1989-90 OPC Glenn Healy

  And so were his days in LA.  Healy was a free agent in the 1989 off-season and was signed by the New York Islanders, who had to give up a 4th round pick as compensation.  The Islanders now had the Kings duo of goalies from the previous season.  Healy and Fitzpatrick, barring injuries, split the crease with the Islanders over the next four seasons.  Both goalies got rookie cards with the Islanders during the 1990 junk wax boom.  Although neither made the premier set of OPC Premier, who instead included Islanders rookie goalie prospect Jeff Hackett.  So I figure I will add an OPC Premier rookie of Healy for the high-end 1990 junk wax collectors.  Healy set a NHL record, since surpassed, by saving 51 shots in a shutout, against the Vancouver Canucks on January 16, 1990.

1990-91 OPC Premier Glenn Healy

  Healy was a key performer in my favourite all-time hockey moment - David Volek's 1993 game 7 overtime winner.  Healy was the Islanders starting goalie during their surprising run in the 1993 play-offs.  The Islanders 1993 Game 7 series win over the two-time defending Stanley Cup Champs Pittsburgh penguins is one of hockey's greatest play-off upsets. 
  Healy was a impending free agent in the 1993 off-season and was unlikely to resign with the Islanders.  Healy was left unprotected in the 1993 expansion draft was selected as the 3rd goalie overall by the Anahiem Mighty Ducks.  Then the next day there was another phase of the expansion draft.  This time, the three older expansion teams, the San Jose Sharks, Tampa Bay Lightning and Ottawa Senators, were able to pick players from the the two new expansion teams, Anaheim and the Florida Panthers.  This phase was added since the three older expansion teams were historical bad, and were somewhat screwed over in the previous expansion drafts compared to the Ducks and Panthers.  Healy was not protected by the Ducks and was picked up by the Lightning, who then immediately traded him to the New York Rangers, who had lost goalie John Vanbiesbrouck in the expansion draft.  That's four teams in two days for Healy.  He went East coast to West Coast to South Coast to East coast, and in the end just moved across town.
  It was a good move for Healy.  Although he returned to being a back-up goalie, he won a Stanley Cup with the Rangers in 1994.  Healy spent four seasons with the Rangers.  He received his lone career Vezina vote in 1995, in a season he only played 17 games.  Healy signed with the Toronto Maple Leafs in 1997 to serve as the team's back-up.  In 2000, Healy became a frivolity as he became the first known NHL player to be injured by bagpipes.  He was attempting to mend his bagpipes when he cut himself with a pair of scissors.  Healy retired after the 2000-01 season.  Healy was featured sparingly during his last few seasons with the Leafs.  He did get a career capper with Pacific, who were solid in giving players career cappers, in the 2001 set.  I figured I'd do a 2000-01 UD Vintage for Healy since it's a set I really like, and already have a template for.  Not the most flattering picture (someone must be winding up for a slapshot), but surprisingly there was not an abundance of full-body pictures of Healy as a Leaf.

2000-01 UD Vintage Glenn Healy 

  After retiring, Healy was a director in the NHLPA and then a colour commentator for Hockey Night in Canada with CBC.  I would say as a commentator, he was not beloved, but his opinions kept viewers tuned in and kept his career going.  As mentioned earlier, Healy never had a Kings card, so it's fitting that I made him a  Lost Rookie, and in the purple and gold no less.

1988-89 OPC Glenn Healy (RC)

1988-89 OPC Glenn Healy

The Lost Mike Bossy's: 90-91

  Mike Bossy was a gifted goal scorer, who retired early due to back issues.  He played 10 seasons in the NHL and scored 50+ goals in his first nine seasons.  He was the second player in history to score 50 goals in 50 games.  Bossy retired after scoring 573 goals in 752 games.  He holds the NHL career record for average .76 goals per game.  In his final NHL season, 1986-87, Bossy had 29 goals and 56 points in 41 games before missing two week due to his back injury.  He would only score 9 goals and 19 points in his final 22 regular season games.
  If Bossy had been able to play a few more seasons, could he had challenged Gordie Howe's 801 career goals?  If he could have played 6 more seasons and average 40 goals a year, he would have done it.  Granted, if all players had perfect health for their full careers, I am pretty sure the record book would look very different.
  Assuming Bossy's back held up until the junk era, here's his 1990-91 base cards.

90-91 Bowman Mike Bossy

90-91 OPC Mike Bossy

90-91 OPC Premier Mike Bossy

90-91 Pro Set Mike Bossy

90-91 Score Mike Bossy

90-91 Upper Deck Mike Bossy