Joe Paterson: Q&A

  First post in a long time, but I have a very good reason for returning to the blog.  Former NHLer Joe Paterson reached out to me after reading my post about him.  On a past post, I highlighted Joe Paterson's career, and made up a rookie card of him as a Los Angeles King.  I mentioned in the post I didn't make a Red Wings card since I couldn't find any Red Wings pictures of him.  He contacted me and offered to send a few pictures.  I did up a few Red Wings cards for him and he was also gracious enough to answer some questions, and sent some pictures for the Blog.  


Cardboard & Me: What is your earliest hockey memory?

Joe Paterson: We played pond hockey , on the street with skates on and at the school all out door hockey.

C&M: Growing up, who was your favorite team or player? 

Joe Paterson: Toronto Maple Leafs was favorite team & #8 Jim Dorey favorite player (LD) for the Leafs

A young Joe Paterson on the left

C&M Did you collect Hockey cards when you a child or teenager?  Did you have a favorite set or card?  If you didn't collect hockey cards, was there something else you collected?

Joe Paterson: Yes, we collected hockey cards and would make trades and put them on our bikes to make noise with the spokes! (and I wish I still had them)  My favorite cards were action cards and not the head shots unless it was a Gordie Howe card. 

C&M: You were drafted in the 5th round by the Red Wings in 1979.  Draft day was a lot different back then.  What were your expectations heading into the draft?

Joe Paterson: Not even sure I would get drafted.

C&M: How did you find out you were drafted?

Joe Paterson: Teams would call you the next day after the draft!

C&M: How was your that first game?  Any memories that really stick out?

Joe Paterson: Can’t remember first game but I remember first NHL training camp was so fast and a blur! 

C&M: What was it like playing for Mike Keenan?   Did he have any influence on your coaching style?

Joe Paterson: Mike Keenan was tough but I enjoyed playing for him! He really held his players accountable, if you didn’t have a good first shift or not ready to play! He sat you! Star players had a little longer leash. 

C&M: Points wise, you had the most success run of your NHL career playing on a line with Marcel Dionne and Dave Taylor.  What has it like getting a chance to be on a line with two future HHOfers? 

Joe Paterson:  Playing with Taylor & Dionne was the best, both first class guys who treated me real well!  I liked that Dionne always talked to me on the ice on the bench & we roomed together on the road!  He would tell me to let him carry the puck from the d-zone and through the neutral zone 

& go to the net with my stick on the ice ! He’s underrated and at the time just the one team in the west !

C&M: You made an appearance on the sitcom "Who's the Boss", how did that opportunity come about?

Joe Paterson: 😂 That was fun ! Tony Danza was a huge hockey fan and played baseball with player agent Ron Salcer -so Ron asked us as the show was about hockey . Fun time to be on the set for a week!

C&M: Compared to your first NHL game, how were the nerves taping the show?  

Joe Paterson: The show is done twice - in front of a live audience at the end of the week on a Friday - they record both shows then splice and put the best one together! We really didn’t have a lot of lines & Tony Danza is a real character.  Great person who made us laugh. One episode takes a week to do produce!

  (The Who's the Boss episode was S4E3, and titled "There Goes the Bride".  Joe Paterson and Dave Taylor are part of the scene starting at 10:00 mark. It was previously available online but has since been taken down)

Joe, Moana, and Dave

C&M: Who are some players you played with or against that are underrated and deserves more recognition?   Any minor leaguers that you were surprised they didn't become a NHL regular?

Joe Paterson: Marcel Dionne. He deserves more!! What a great player & a small guy playing in a big league  (in terms of the size of players) and now you can’t hook and hold and box guys out like back when he played, it's a penalty. 

C&M: After your playing career, you have been a coach and also a scout.   At what point in your career, did you start thinking about being a coach?  How was the transition to being behind the bench?

Joe Paterson: Toward the end of my career as an older player in the minors I enjoyed sharing experience with the young guys ! 

C&M: Out of all the jerseys, you wore in the NHL and minors, or also coached, which ones stick out as the best and worst?

Joe Paterson: All the sweaters are great , but my first sweater with the Detroit red Wings, being original 6 team and the history ! It was such an honor to put the sweater on.

Joe Paterson wearing the Red Wings Jersey.

C&M: You never had an official NHL rookie card.  Was this something you were aware of, or looked for, while playing?

Joe Paterson: Yes I knew I never had a card & always wanted one!

C&M: Did you keep any memorabilia from your career?  if so, what are some of the items you kept?

Joe Paterson: I still have a puck collection from when I was a kid & would add to it 100 -150 pucks. And a Gretzky stick ! Most of my sweaters from the teams I played with! 

C&M: Do you get many requests for autographs through the mail?  An approximate number per month or year?  What are some of the memorable items fans have mailed you? 

Joe Paterson: I maybe get one or two cards a month in the mail to sign or a puck! 

_____

Currently, Joe is an assistant coach for the Adirondack Junior Thunder in the Eastern Hockey League Premier.  Outside of the rink, he keeps busy by playing pond hockey and painting.  

I am always pleasantly surprised when I see one of my custom cards pop up in a Facebook group or when someone actually comment show they enjoyed the blog on one of those posts. Although to have an ex-NHLer reach out is real honour.  Thank you Mr. Paterson.

Lost Rookies: 1988-89 OPC Ken Baumgartner

   Ken "Bomber" Baumgartner was one of my favourite players when I was a child.  I was an Islanders fan and they didn't have much on go other than Lafontaine and the truculence of Baumgartner and Mick Vukota.  Looking back, it's shocking to see that Baumgartner was an Islander for only about two seasons.

  Ken played his junior hockey with the Prince Albert Raiders of the WHL.  He was selected as the Scholastic Player of the Year in 1984 and won a Memorial Cup in 1985, which included a fight with Bob Probert that spilled into the penalty box. The Sabres used their last pick, 245th overall, in the 1985 NHL Entry Draft to draft Baumgartner.  

  Baumgartner never played for the Sabres as he was traded to the Los Angeles Kings in January of 1986 as part of a five player deal.  Ken finished his junior career in 1986, and like many young adults, visited Europe.  Ken was a dual-citizen of Canada and Switzerland.  He played the 1986 season in the Swiss league.  It was a change of pace for Baumgartner as fighting was not part of the European game.  Although he still managed to rack up 85 PIM in 36 games.  He attributes his time in the Swiss leagues as key to him making the NHL.  Instead of focusing on fighting, he had to focus on playing a complete game.  He returned to North America at the end of the Swiss season and began his career in the Kings organization.

  Ken made his NHL debut on January 4th, 1987 and immediately went to work, earning the first penalty of the game, then later starting a line brawl after a elbowing New Jersey Devils' captain, Kirk Muller.  For his first career game, he accumulating 19 PIM, including a game misconduct.  He scored his first career goal on March 19, 1988 against Glen Hanlon of the Detroit Red Wings.  In the 1988-89 season, Ken set a career high with 286 PIM, while only playing in 49 games.  In two seasons and a bit, Ken played 91 games for the Kings, notching 10 points and 501 PIM.  That's an average of more then 5 PIM per game!

1989-90 OPC Ken Baumgartner

  The Kings traded Baumgartner and Hubie McDonough to the New York Islanders for struggling sniper, Mikko Makela on Novermber 29, 1989.  The trade jumpstarted the Islanders.  The Isles were 5-18-3 before the trade but went 23-6-3 after the trade was made.  The momentum wore off as the Isles went on a 1-14-5 run and found themselves in last place in the division.  The team rallied for the last two games of the season, winning both, including against the Philadelphia Flyers in their last game of the season.  The final standings in the Patrick Division had the Flyers last with 71 points, the Pittsburgh Penguins in 5th with 72 points, and the Islanders with the last playoffs spot at 73 points.

  Although the first place New York Rangers made quick work of the Islanders in five games during the first round, game one at Madison Square Gardens was a memorable, and controversial, one.  With a little over a minute to play, the Islanders leading scorer Pat Lafontaine, 54 goals and 105 points, was the recipient of a shoulder to head check from James Patrick.  A clean hit in 1990; a game misconduct in 2020.  Lafontaine suffered a concussion and was carried off the ice on a stretcher.  The Rangers fans cheered, as John Cougar Mellencamp's Hurts So Good was played in the arena while Lafontaine laid on the ice.  Outside the arena, Ranger fans rocked the Ambulance that Lafontaine was in.  Inside, it was still a one goal game, with the Rangers leading 2-1 with a minute and change to play.  

  After an Islanders icing with two seconds left to play, and still down by one, Islanders coach, and HHOFer, Al Arbour, sent a message.  He sent his top 4 PIM leaders onto the ice, Baumgartner, Vukota, Gerald Diduck and Gary Nylund, as well as Bryan Trottier (No wonder Trottier was bitter at the Islanders when he left).  The Rangers countered with their heavyweights including Chris Nilan, Kris King, and Mark Janssens.  The Rangers lined their players up near the blue-line instead of the face-off circle to show they weren't looking to fight.  Instead of lining up for the face-off, Baumgartner skated in circles like a caged animal waiting for the puck to drop, getting wound up to charge the Ranger players.  The brawl was a black-eye for hockey, as well as for Al Arbour.  The NHL suspended Vukota for 10 games, and Baumgartner for one.  The Islanders were fined $25,000.  Lafontaine would miss three games before returning to play in the series game 5 finale. 

1991-92 OPC Ken Baumgartner

 

  Baumgartner played another season and half for the Islanders before being traded.  His career totals as an Islanders were 175 games played, 13 points, and 678 PIM.  He was traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs at the 1992 trade deadline.  On December 9, 1995, Baumgartner scored a goal against the Dallas Stars.  He did not score again until, two franchises later, October 10, 1998.  He had a goalless drought of 194 games, which just outside of the top 10 all-time in the NHL.  In 1997-98, while playing for the Boston Bruins, Baumgartner had zero goals and one assist in 82 games.  Baumgartner retired following the 1998-99 season.

  Baumgartner's career numbers, 54 points, 2242 PIM in 696 games, and on-ice actions scream GOON!  Juxtapose that with his off-ice accomplishments.  He was the 1984 WHL Scholastic Player of the year.  During his playing days he attended Hofstra University and earned a degree in business.  He was the Vice-president in the NHLPA union.  After retiring he earned a MBA at Harvard and works in Finance.  Not the type of guy who basically fought for a living or dying his skin yellow and with a mohawk.

  Baumgartner's first NHL card was during the 1990-91 junk wax boom.  He never did have one as a Los Angeles King other than a team-issued card.  So here is Ken Baumgartner's 1988-89 OPC rookie card with a picture from this fight with McSorley.

1988-89 OPC #276 Ken Baumgartner (RC)

1988-89 OPC #276 Ken Baumgartner (RC)

Lost Cards: 1988-89 OPC Willi Plett

  Willi Plett is the career leader in all statistical categories for players born in Paraguay.  Willi Plett is the only player born in Paraguay to play in the NHL.  His parents immigrated from Russia to Germany and then to Paraguay after World War II.  Willi born in 1955, moved with his family to Canada in 1956.

  Drafted in the 5th round, 80th overall, in the 1975 Draft, by the Atlanta Flames, Plett made his debut on December 17, 1975 against the Minnesota North Stars, notching two shots on goal in a 3-2 loss.  Plett played 4 games for the Flames in 1975-76, without scoring a point or a penalty minute.  He spent the majority of the season with the Tulsa Oilers of the CHL.  Plett had 9 points in 9 play-off games as the Oilers won the Adams Cup as CHL Champions.

  Plett made a big impact with Flames in 1976-77, culminating with winning the Calder Trophy as the league's top rookie.  Willi began the season in the CHL but was recalled after scoring 12pts and 68 PIM in 14 games.  His first career NHL goal came against Gary Simmons of the Cleveland Barons on November 12, 1976 in a 3-3 tie.  Plett scored 7 goals and 7 assists in his first 10 games.  For the season, Plett scored 33 goals, 56 points and 123 PIM.  He led the Flames, and all NHL rookies in goals.  

  Plett was rewarded with a fitting rookie card from OPC, with him pictured sitting in the penalty box.

  The next three seasons were a bit of a disappointment for Plett, as his scoring totals dipped from his rookie season.  He had 43 points in both 77-78 and 78-79 before dropping to 32 in 80-81.  In the same stretch his PIM increased each season, a trend that would continue during his tenure with the Flames franchise.  The Flames were a disappointment in Atlanta as well.  Although they were better than .500 in the regular season during Plett's four seasons, the team lost in the first round each year, going a cumulative 2-10 in those four play-offs.  Off the ice, the situation was more dire, as the team struggled to have 10,000 home attendance for its games and were playing in an out-of-date arena.

  The team was sold and relocated to Calgary for the 1980-81 season.  OPC gave the team the airbrush treatment for its set, removing the logo from the jerseys.  A few seasons later when the Colorado Rockies moved to New Jersey, OPC took a set of early or pre-season photos and had all the players in their new uniforms.  I'm going to give Plett the Rockies/Devils treatment and update his 1980-81 card in a Calgary Flames jersey.

1980-81 OPC Willi Plett

  The move to Calgary seemed to energize the team and Plett.  In Calgary's first NHL game, Plett a goal and two assists.  Plett set, or tied, career highs in several categories, including goals, 38, and points, 68.  He seemed to particularly like playing in Calgary, scoring 25 goals and 46 points in 38 home games.  The Flames finally won a play-off round, with Plett scoring the series winner in double-overtime, as they advanced all the way to the Conference Final.  Plett had 12 points in 15 play-off games.

  There was a dip in Plett's scoring the next season, as he dropped to 21 goals and 57 points.  Plett set a Flames record, since broken, with 288 PIM.  The Flames as a team regressed, as they dropped from 92 points to 75 in the regular season, and were swept in the first round by the Vancouver Canucks.

  In the 1982 offseason, Plett, along with a 4th round draft pick, was traded to the Minnesota North Stars for Steve Christoff, Bill Nyrop, and a 2nd round draft pick.  It's a unremarkable trade as neither of the draft picks amounted to anything, Nyrop opted to play in Germany instead of Calgary and Christoff was dealt away after a season.  

  Plett score a goal and assist in his first game as a North Star and two minutes into his in second game, he got suspended for 7 games for a retaliatory lumberjack chop with his stick to the back of Greg Stefan's head.  Plett finished the season with 25 goals, 39 points, 170 PIM in 73 games.  Prior to this season, Plett had increased his PIM total in each of his 6 full seasons as a Flame.  Plett had a card in the 1983-84 OPC set.  It turned out to be his last during his career.

  Decreasing PIM was a trend that found Plett being a healthy scratch from the Stars line-up early in the 1983-84 season.  Plett and coach Dave Mahoney were having differing views as to Plett's style of play and amount of ice time.  16 games into the season, Plett had 6 points and 25 PIM.  Frustrated by Plett's decreasing truculence, Plett was benched.  Plett must have hot the message.  After retruning to the line-up, Plett had 33 points and 291 PIM in 55 games.  He set a career high with 316 PIM during the 1983-84 season.  

1984-85 OPC Willi Plett

  The following season was marred by injuries for Plett.  He missed time due to shoulder and groin injuries, which would resurface during the rest of his NHL career.  In 47 games, Plett scored 14 goals, 28 points and 157 PIM.  He had a good play-offs, scoring nine points and 67 PIM in nine games.

1985-86 OPC Willi Plett

  The 1985-86 season saw the continued decline of Plett's offensive numbers, while shoulder injuries continued to limited him.  Plett scored 10 goals, 17 points and 231 PIM in 59 games. 

1986-87 OPC Willi Plett

    The trend continues as Plett fails to score double-digits in goals for the first time in his career.  He has 6 goals, 11 points and 261 PIM in 67 games played.

1987-88 OPC Willi Plett

   Plett's time in the Black and Blue Norris Division had taken a toll on him.  In the 1987 offseason, the North Stars signed up and coming enforcer Basil McRae as a free agent.  As the beginning of training camp, Plett was traded to the New York Rangers.  Plett never played a regular season game with the Rangers, as he seemed a bit hesitant to fight during the preseason.  He was left unprotected for the waiver draft and was picked up by the Boston Bruins.  

  Plett set career lows in goals, assists and points, while racking up 170 PIM in 65 games.  Willi had a bit of a resurgence in the 1988 play-offs, with points and 74 PIM in 17 games.  The Bruins lost in the Stanley Cup final against the Edmonton Oilers.  Willi retired in the 1988 offseason.  

  His career started out with a lot of promise.  He was one of the top power forwards in the game at the turn of decade in 1980.  Injuries and age caught up with him.  Willi was the NHL career play-off PIM leader when he retired.  He is currently 5th on the list.  

  OPC/Topps dropped Willi pretty quickly after his trade to the North Stars.  It's really surprising he didn't get a card in the 19854-85 set, the last of the decade to have 396 cards.  By the time he was in Boston, he was shell of his former self and had been long off of OPC's radar.  I did this picture and design used on another blog, but it didn't give Willie an authentic 1988 OPC treatment as it didn't list his entire career stats on the back.  With the lack of an official career caper and missing in action in the OPC sets for the last half of his career, I decided I would do a Lost Card career caper of Willi Plett.  

1988-89 OPC #274 Willi Plett

1988-89 OPC #274 Willi Plett

Lost Rookies: 1986-87 OPC Jay Miller

  When I think of 1980s enforcers, I think of Jay Miller.  Miller and Bruins had legendary battles against Chris Nilan and John Kordic of the Montreal Canadiens.  So I was surprised when I learned Miller never had a rookie card until the 1990 Junk Wax boom, after he was traded to the Los Angeles Kings.  And even then, only Upper Deck was the only set that included Miller in 1990.  So that makes Jay a perfect candidate for the Lost Cards and Lost Rookies.
  Miller was originally drafted 66th overall by the Quebec Nordiques in the 1980 NHL Entry draft. Three picks later, the Oilers draft Jarri Kurri at 69th overall.  Miller was attending the University of New Hampshire and continued to play there until he graduated in 1983.  He played a handful of games with the Fredicton Express, the Nordiques AJL affiliate, before being traded to the Minnesota North Stars.  After a season in the North Stars minor league system, he was released.
  Miller, who was born near Boston, attended the Boston Bruins 1985 training camp and impressed the team with his toughness.  He was signed to a contract on October 1st, 1985 was sent to the minors to begin the season.  After notching 10 points and 113 PIM in 18 games, he was called up to the NHL.  In his first NHL game, on November 23, 1985, Miller fights Dave Brown.  He scores his first career goal against Tom Barrasso of the Buffalo Sabres on December 2nd, 1985.  Miller finishes his rookie season with 3 goals, 0 assists and 178 PIM in 46 games.

1987-88 OPC Jay Miller

  Miller played 3 and half seasons with the Bruins. He was at the forefront of many Adam division battles.  During his his three full seasons with the Bruins, he had 436 PIM in 79 games, for 5.5 PIM per game, against Adam division opponents.  Against all other divisions, he had 254 PIM in 100 games or 2.5 PIM per game.  Divisional play was fierce during the late 1980s.  Miller was on the ice for the NHL's last in-game bench clearing brawl, Bruins versus the Quebec Nordiques on February 26, 1987.
  Miller set a career high with 304 PIM during the 1987-88 season.  Good for 6th highest in the NHL that season.  The Bruins made it to the Stanley Cup finals, but lost in 1988.  Miller was injured in the first round but returned in the third round.  He still managed to accumulate 124 PIM in 12 games, which led all players.

1988-89 OPC Jay Miller 

  Miller was traded to the Los Angeles Kings during the 1988-89 season.  He was the future considerations in a Bobby Carpenter for Steve Kasper deal.  Miller finished the season 6th in PIM, with 301.

1989-90 OPC Jay Miller

  Playing as Wayne Gretzky's bodyguard came with perks.  Miller set a career high with 10 goals in 1989-90 and then with 20 points in 1990-91.  Miller, now 32, was battling a bacterial infection during the 1992 training camp was cut by the Los Angeles Kings.  Unable to get signed by another team, Miller retired.

1992-93 OPC Jay Miller

  Over his seven year career, Miller only got seven NHL cards.  None as a Bruin, and none during the 1992-93 sets.  His 1990-91 Upper Deck is his lone rookie card, which is odd for a player during the junk wax boom.  So he has a career capper above, but below is his 1986-87 OPC Lost Rookie.

1986-87 OPC #277 Jay Miller (RC)

1986-87 OPC #277 Jay Miller (RC)

The Lost Cards: 1988-89 Ed Hospodar

  Ed "Boxcar" Hospodar played 9 seasons in the NHL.  He racked up 1314 PIM in 450 games plus and additional 206 PIM in 46 play-off games.  He earned the nickname Boxcar due to his bodychecks.  It was like being hit by a Boxcar, and it rhymed with his last name.  It was in the play-offs that his more memorable moments occurred, the good and the infamous.
  Hospodar was drafted 34th overall by the New York Rangers in the 1979 Entry Draft, sandwiched between goalies Pat Riggin (Lost Cards), and Pelle Lindbergh, (Lost Cards).  Hospodar made his NHL debut on November 21, 1979.  It was a good debut as he notched an assist, and was a +3 in a 6-4 loss.  For the season, he played 20 games, had one assist, and 76 PIM.  Ed scored his first play-off goal against the Atlanta Flames in Game 4 of the first round.  It was the game-winning goal in the Atlanta Flames last game in Atlanta.  The team relocated during the summer.  Ed likes to joke that he knocked the Flames out of Atlanta.  He received a rookie with OPC in the 1980-81 set.
  The 1980-81 season was Ed's best season.  He scored his first NHL regular season goal against Ron Grahame of the Los Angeles Kings in a 6-3 loss on November 2, 1980.  Ed finished the season setting career highs in goals, 5, assists, 14, points, 19, a plus 10 and 219 PIM.  He set a single period play-off record on April 9th, 1981 with 39 PIM in the first period against the Los Angeles Kings.  At the end of the first period a brawl broke out as the teams were leaving the ice.  As seen in the video, he escalates the brawl by fighting Marcel Dionne and later on takes on Dionne and goalie Mario Lessard at the same time.  As part of his 39 PIM, Hospodar received two game misconducts.  Hospodar set a Rangers play-offs record with 93 PIM in 1981.
  Hospodar continued to mix things up in the 1981-82 season, but added to Clark Gillies reputation as the leagues best fighter when Gillies broke Hospodar's jaw.  Hospodar missed almost 2 months.  When he returned, he mixed it up less and played some of his best hockey, notching 6 points in 11 games.
  The Rangers traded Hospodar in the offseason to the Harford Whalers for Kent-Erik Andersson.  Hospodar played two seasons with the Whalers.  He scored one goal, ten points and 362 PIM in 131 games as a Whaler.  Hospodar never had a Topps card and his last OPC card was in the 1981-82 set.  I wanted to feature Hospodar in the 83-84 OPC design but the Whalers wore the Cooperalls that season and I couldn't find a good picture of Ed in them.  So instead, he gets the 84-85 treatment.

1984-85 OPC Ed Hospodar

  Hospodar was released by the Whalers in the 1984 offseason.  He signed with the Philadelphia Flyers.  Hospodar fit in well with the Broad Street Bullies.  He played in the 1985 Stanley Cup Finals against the Edmonton Oilers, a series the Flyers lost in five games.  In the 1985-86 season, Hospodar exploded, by his standards, for four points in a five game stretch.  Immediately afterwards he was dealt to the Minnesota North Stars in a four player deal, Hospodar, and Todd Bergen (Lost Rookie) in exchange for Dave Richter (Lost Rookie) and Bo Berglund.  Hospodar played out the season in Minnesota before being released in the offseason.
  Hospodar re-signed with the Philadelphia Flyers during the 1986 offseason.  He had another Hospodarian season, 45 games, 4 points and 136 PIM.  He was used sparingly in the 1987 play-offs, playing only 5 games in first three rounds.  Although he was a scratch for the Wales Conference Finals Game 6 against the Montreal Canadiens, he played a major role in inciting a rule changing brawl.
  Shayne Corson and Claude Lemieux of the Montreal Canadiens had made a ritual out of staying on the ice during pre-game warm-up until the other team had vacated.  They then played a game of pass and shot the puck into the opponents empty net.  The Flyers felt this was disrespectful and warned Lemieux and Corson not to do it.  For the Game 6 warms-ups Hospodar and Chico Resch (Lost Cards), stayed on the ice until Corson and Lemieux left, without shooting the puck into the Flyers net.  It was a ruse.  As the two Flyers left the ice, Corson and Lemieux, who had been hiding in the hall, skated back on the ice and shoot the puck into the flyers net before Hospodar and Resch could stop them.  Hospodar was able to grab Lemieux and started wailing on him as Claude turtled.  Resch held off Corson.  It wasn't long until the players from both dressing rooms, in various states of undress, streamed onto the ice.  Doug Crossman, from the Flyers, was on the ice in his flip-flops.  The brawl went on for about 10 minutes.  At one point it was petering out until Corson jumped a Flyer and it started up again.  Eventually the players wore themselves out and the officials took the ice to facilitate the players returning to their dressing rooms.  One player who was notably missing in fracas was goalie Ron Hextall.  According to Keenan, he locked Hextall in the equipment cage once the brawl started.  The Flyers went on to win the game, and the series.  They lost in the Stanley Cup Finals in seven games against the Edmonton Oilers.

  Hospodar was suspended for the remainder of the play-offs.  In the off-season the NHL drafted new rules regarding leaving the bench and the number of players who can dress for pre-game warm-ups.  Mike Keenan, the Flyers coach had dressed 24 skaters, 6 more than needed, for the warm-ups.

1987-88 OPC Ed Hospodar

  The Flyers left Hospodar unprotected in the 1987 waiver draft and he  was selected by the Buffalo Sabres.  In 1987-88, his final NHL season, Hospodar had one point and 98 PIM in 42 games.  He started the 1988-89 season in the AHL, but retired after playing five games.

1988-89 OPC #272 Ed Hospodar 

1988-89 OPC #273 Ed Hospodar

Lost Rookies: 1986-87 OPC Gerard Gallant

  Gerard Gallant was one of Steve Yzerman's bodyguards during the late 80s and early 90s.  He scored 30+ goals and 200+ PIM in four straight seasons.  He set career highs with 39 goals and 93 points in 1988.  It was good enough for Gerard to be named as a NHL's 2nd Team All-Star.
  During Gerard's second season, 1985-86, Dirk Graham broke Gerard's jaw in a fight.  Gallant missed six weeks and returned to play wearing a football-style hockey helmet.  The same season, Gallant was involved in another serious injury, as he accidentally stepped on Borje Salming's face with his skate.  After the stitches, Salming look like an evil mastermind from a spy movie, feline and all.
  Gallant's career took off after he was put on a line with Steve Yzerman in 1986, which coincided with Gallant's four straight 30 goal seasons.  He was one of the top left wingers in the NHL as the 1980s came to a close.  In November of 1990, Gallant suffered a back injury.  This injury curtailed Gallant's career.  The injury resurfaced throughout the rest of Gallant's career.  His offensive production declined and he lost his spot on Yzerman's wing.
  The Red Wings did not make a contract offer to Gallant in 1993, making him a free agent.  Gallant signed with the Tampa Bay Lightening.  Back injuries continued to nag Gallant as he only scored 13 points and 74 PIM in 51 games with the Lightening in 1993-94.  The following season, Gallant only played one game in the NHL.  Gallant was determined to continue playing and returned to Detroit, this time as a member of the Detroit Vipers of the IHL.  Only 3 games into the season, Gallant re-injured his back.  This was finally enough for Gallant to retire.
  During his career, Gallant had 211 goals, 480 points and 1674 PIM in 615 career games.  He also had 9 Gordie Howe Hat Tricks, including four in 1987-88.  Although today, he is best known as a NHL coach.  In 2018 he coached the expansion team the Vegas Golden Knights to the Stanley Cup Finals.  He won the Jack Adams trophy as the best NHL coach in 2018.
  Gallant's rookie card was part of the 1987-88 OPC set.  Normally, I wouldn't do a Lost Rookie for a player who had a RC with the same team during their first three seasons, but the image of Gallant wearing his football-style helmet makes a good picture on cardboard.  I did a 86-87 Lost Rookie instead of a 85-86 since the fight and broken jaw happened during the 85-86 season and thus wouldn't show up until the 86-87 set.

1986-87 OPC #276 Gerard Gallant (RC)

1986-87 OPC #276 Gerard Gallant (RC)

Lost Rookies: 1984-85 OPC Ken Daneyko

  Ken Daneyko is not the typical player I would feature on a Lost Rookies post.  While it did take OPC six seasons before they included him in a set, Daneyko played 20 seasons in the NHL, all with the New Jersey Devils.  So there are plenty of card of Daneyko in a  Devils uniform around, although his 1989-90 OPC rookie was a dreaded warm-up shot.
  The early pictures of a baby-faced Ken Daneyko quite surprised me.  For some reason, I always assumed Ken Daneyko was born as a balding stubbly grizzled faced middle-aged man.  It was also a suggestion made by gregory, who also runs a blog that features quite a bit of hockey.  So with that motivation, here we go with the Lost Rookie of Ken Daneyko.
  One of the interesting things about Daneyko is that he started with the club in the Mickey Mouse years and lasted until the Devils were 3x Stanley Cup champs.  Daneyko was the epitome of the crease-clearer defenceman.  In 20 seasons, Daneyko scored 36 goals, 178 points, and had 2516 PIM in 1283 games played.  Daneyko once went 256 regular season games without scoring a goal (1999-2002).  He is the Devils/Rockies/Scouts franchise career leader in games played and PIM.
  As for that interesting bit mentioned above, Daneyko was injured about two weeks before the "Mickey Mouse" game against the Oilers in 1983.  His injury cost him the majority of the 1983-84 season, including any chance of returning to the Devils that season.  He only played one game with the Devils in 1984-85.  So he somewhat missed the Mickey Mouse era.
  Daneyko's final NHL game was the game 7 victory in the 2003 Stanley Cup finals over the Anaheim Mighty Ducks.  Earlier in the play-offs, he had suffered a rib injury, which caused him to miss 10 of the Devils final 14 play-off games, including the first six games of the Finals.  Prior to the injury, Daneyko had played in all 165 Scout/Rockies/Devils franchise play-off games.  He returned to play his final NHL game in game 7, a 3-0 victory, for the Devils third Stanley Cup in 10 seasons.
  Daneyko won the Bill Masterson trophy in 2001 for Perseverance.  Daneyko had troubles with alcohol which culminated during the 1997-98 season.  He was granted a leave of absence while he checked into rehab.  He beat his demons and would go on to help the Devils to win Cups in 2000 and 2003.
  It's incredible to think a player could spend 20 seasons with the same franchise in the free agent era, especially when that player isn't a HHOF calibre player.  It shows quite a bit of loyalty by the Devils and by Daneyko.

1984-85 OPC #404 Ken Daneyko (RC)

1984-85 OPC #404 Ken Daneyko (RC)

I also found this picture of Ken Daneyko.  This is exactly how I pictured a baby faced Ken Daneyko.   An angry face full of stubble.  This was how I assumed Daneyko looked on the day he was born, except he would be missing his two front teeth. 

1987-88 OPC Ken Daneyko

Lost Cards: 1986-87 OPC Jimmy Mann

  I am not sure why, but for some reason I equate Jimmy Mann to being the ultimate draft bust.  Mann was the first player ever selected by the Winnipeg Jets in a NHL Entry draft.  The Jets joined the NHL after the WHA folded, and lost many of their stars to NHL teams, who had owned their NHL rights.  The Jets got to restock via an expansion draft but Jets and the other ex-WHA teams were shuffled to the end of the draft order for the NHL Entry Draft.  The Jets got the 19th overall pick in the 1979 draft and selected Jimmy Mann of the QMJHL's Sherbrooke Canadiens.
  It's odd that I considered a player selected 19th overall, who played over 200 career games, the ultimate draft bust.  It's true that the next two players selected were Michel Goulet and Kevin Lowe.  It's true that Mann's 30 career points is about 130 less than the second lowest total of players drafted in the first round.  It's true that Mann is only one of two players selected in the first round that played less than 590 career games.  Although it's also true there are many players in other drafts years selected higher than 19th overall whom never played a single game in the NHL.  So I really have no idea how I equated Jimmy Mann as the ultimate draft bust.  It's a notion that formed as a child and I can't remember why.
  Mann put up some decent numbers in junior to backup his high draft position.  He had back-to-back 80+ points and 260 PIM with the Sherbrooke Castors.  He was a QMJHL First Team All-star in 1979 and had 14 goals and 26 points in 12 play-off games.
  Mann joined the Jets for the 1979-80 season.  He scored his first career goal against Curt Ridley of the Vancouver Canucks.  It was a powerplay goal and the game winner in a 5-3 victory.  It was the last time he scored a powerplay or game-wining goal in his career.  Mann led the NHL in PIM, 287, during his rookie season.  Mann had career highs across the board in his rookie season with 3 goals, 5 assists, 8 points, and 287 PIM in 72 games played.  In his second season, Mann led the Jets in PIM, 105, while playing in 37 games.
  Mann would become infamous in 1982.  On January 13, 1982, Mann sucker punched Paul Gardner.  Gardner missed 21 games due to a broken jaw.  Mann was suspended 10 games and charged, and convicted of assault.  At the time, it was one the sixth longest suspension in NHL History.  Gardner had earlier cross-checked the Jets Doug Smail in the face.  In retaliation, Jets coach, Tom Watt, send Jimmy Mann over the boards to send Gardner a message.
  Mann's reputation was tarnished as he had gone from prospect to enforcer to goon.  Mann spent another season and a half with Jets, scoring one goal, 2 assists and 134 PIM in 68 games after the incident.  He was sent down to the minors in November of 1983 and stayed there until he was traded to the Quebec Nordiques for a 5th round draft pick.  Mann would be used sparingly with the Nordiques.  Although part of the team, he was not dressed during the infamous Good Friday brawl between the Nordiques and Canadiens in the second round of the 1984 play-offs.
  Mann suffered a serious abdominal injury in December of 1984.  He returned to the team late in the season but the injury nagged him for the next few seasons and was severe enough for him to miss the entire 86-87.  Mann signed as free agent with the Pittsburgh Penguins for the 87-88 season.  It was an injury plagued season as Mann missed time due to elbow and groin injuries.  He accumulated 53 PIM in 9 games the Penguins and also 61 PIM in 10 games in the minors.  After spending the 88-89 season in the minors, Mann retired.
  Certainly looking back, Mann did not live up to his potential but I also feel he doesn't live up to my labeling him as the ultimate Draft Bust.  There are some top 10 picks who never played a NHL game and plenty of top 5 picks never played a full season.
  Mann's career in cards turned out to be a bust.  After getting cards in his first two seasons, the 80-81 and 81-82 set, Mann disappeared from OPC.  Mann took notice of this and actually blamed Alan Eagleson, NHLPA head and agent for Paul Gardner, for blackballing him from the hockey sets.  The story is also covered in Hockey Card Stories.  I agree that Mann was not cardboard worthy after the 81-82 release, but that's where I come in.  I couldn't find a decent picture of Mann as a Penguins so his Lost Card will be him as a Nordique.

1986-87 OPC #275 Jimmy Mann

1986-87 OPC #275 Jimmy Mann

  Update 12/15/19:  Bonus Mann
 

1982-83 OPC Jimmy Mann

Lost Rookies: 1984-85 OPC Dave Richter

  At 6'5" and 220lbs, Dave Richter was a big man.  He was the classic clear the front of the net defender.  He was on the ice for his truculence and to stick up for his teammates, not speed or offense.  He played 365 games over 9 seasons but only got a single NHL card.
  Drafted by the Minnesota North Stars in the 10th round, 205th overall, only 5 players were drafted after Dave in the 1980 draft.  Dave graduated from Michigan University and made his NHL debut on March 13, 1982 against the St. Louis Blues.  He spent the majority of the 82-83 season in the minors but became a semi-regular with the North Stars in 1983-84. On December 12, 1983, he scored his first career NHL goal against Glen Hanlon (a previous Lost Card recipient) of the New York Rangers in a 6-4 loss.  Richter finished the season with 2 goals, 5 points, and 132 PIM in 42 games.  Richter had another semi-regular season with the North Stars, playing in 55 games, netting 10 points and was second on the team with 221 PIM.
  Ritcher, who misses games every season due to minor injuries, started the season injured but finally became a regular with the North Stars until he was traded to the Philadelphia Flyers at the end of November, 1985.  The trade brought Todd Bergen to the North Stars, who was covered in a previous Lost Rookies.  Richter's style seemed like a perfect match for the Flyers, as he become the resident tough guy on defence.  Instead, his time with the Flyers was short.  Richter had 2 assists, and 138 PIM in 50 games.  The Flyers were the top team in Wales conference, 110pts, but were upset by the New York Rangers, 78pts, in the first round of the play-offs.  Richter was traded to the Vancouver Canucks in the off-season.
  Richter had a career year with the Canucks in 86-87, setting career highs in games, 78, assists, 15, and points, 17, while tying a career high in goals with two.  He also let loose on offensive by setting a career high with 35 shots, including a four shot outburst against the New York Rangers.  OPC took notice of the burly dman accomplishments and bestowed a rookie card upon Richter.
  Richter returned to earth the next season with 6 points in 49 games.  He did set a career high in PIM, with 224.  His season was cut short when he was suspended 10 games for leaving the penalty box to join a fight.  After getting into a fight earlier in the period, Richter was still in the box when the period ended with a skirmish breaking out in the Islanders end.  Richter joined the fray, instead of staying in the box or headed to his team's bench.  Richter got into a fight, got suspended and then got traded in the off-season.
  Richter was traded to the St. Louis Blues for defenceman Robert Nordmark and a 2nd round draft pick in the 1990 draft, which seems a lot to trade for a third pairing defenceman. Although the Blues were desperate to toughen up.  The 1990 draft pick later went back to the Blues in a multi-player trade that sent the Blues 1991 2nd round draft pick to the Canucks.  So they basically traded the Blues back their 1990 2nd rounder for the Blues 1991 2nd rounder.  The Canucks then traded the 1991 second round pick to the Montreal Canadiens for Jyrki Lumme.  So the Canucks basically traded Richter for Nordmark, and Lumme.   It's amazing how much, and the many ways, the Blues contributed to the Canucks 1994 Stanley Cup run.

1989-90 OPC Dave Richter

  Richter Played a season and two games for the Blues.  He made his final NHL appearance in the 1989-90 season and retired after spending 1990-91 in the minors.  He never had a card made of him during the 1990 junk wax boom.
  To rectify an OPC omissions of the Dave Richter, I mocked up this 1984-85 OPC Dave Richter Lost Rookie card.  I also made a 89-90 OPC card of Richter as a Blue above.  I couldn't find any reasonable Flyers pictures of Richter, so I wasn't able to add a Flyers card as well.

1984-85 OPC #403 Dave Richter

1984-85 OPC #403 Dave Richter

Lost Rookies: 1984-85 OPC Marty McSorley

  Marty McSorley will most likely be remember for one of three things, being Wayne Gretzky's bodyguard, an illegal stick, or his career-ending slash on Donald Brasheur.
  McSorley was passed over in the 1981 and 1982 NHL drafts, allowing him to sign a contract with the Pittsburgh Penguins as a free agent.  McSorley made his debut on October 8, 1983, and had his first career NHL fight against Tom Laidlaw of the New York Rangers, 3 minutes into the game.  On Januray20th 1984, McSorley scored against Steve Weeks of the New York Rangers for his first career NHL goal.  He finished the season with 2 goals, 9 points and 224 PIM in 74 games.  Marty started the 1984-85 season, the Penguins' Mario Lemieux era, with the club but was sent down after a month.  He finished the season playing 15 games, 0 points and 15 PIM.
  Marty's big break came the following offseason when he was traded as part of a package to the Edmonton Oilers for goalie Gilles Meloche.  Marty joined Dave Semenko and Kevin McClelland as a Wayne Gretzky bodyguard.  On January 2nd, 1986 against the Calgary Flames, McSorley and McClelland combined for a unique Gordie Howe Hat Trick.  They both achieved Gordie Howe Hat Tricks, from the same plays.  McSorley and McClelland had an assist on the other's goal, and then both got fighting majors at the same time during a line brawl.  McSorley spent the next three seasons with the Oilers, wining Stanley Cups in 1987 and 1988.  During his time with the Oilers, McSorley was often employed as a winger.
  When Gretzky was traded to the Los Angeles Kings in August of 1988, his bodyguard, McSorley was part of the package.  McSorley had his best seasons in Los Angeles.  He led the league in +/- in 1990-91 with a +48, and set career highs in goals, 15 in 89-90 and 92-93, and points, 41pts in 92-93.  McSorley had the all-time 5th highest PIM total for a single season in 1992-93, with 399.  Marty assisted on Gretzky's record setting 802nd career goal.  Unfortunately, McSorley's time with the Kings would end on a low note.  With the Kings up one game to none in the series, and also up 2-1 in the game two of the Stanley Cup Finals against the Montreal Canadiens, McSorley was penalized for using an illegal stick.  The penalty was called with less than two minutes left in the game.  Eric Desjardins scored the game tying goal on the powerplay, and then scored the winner in overtime.  The Canadiens swept the rest of series and won the Stanley Cup.
  The Kings traded McSorley in the 1993 offseason to the Pittsburgh Penguins for Shawn MacEachern.  Several months into the season, the same players returned to their teams as part of a four player trade.  McSorley played two seasons with the Kings during his second tour of duty with the team before being traded to the New York Rangers at the 1996 trade deadline.  The following offseason McSorley signed with the San Jose Sharks as a free agent.  Two seasons later, McSorley made his return to Edmonton, again as a free agent.  Marty spent a single season in Edmonton before moving on via free agency to the Boston Bruins.
  On February 21st, 2000, McSorley played his last NHL game.  McSorley and Donald Brashear were regular combatants, having fought against each other six times during their careers.  McSorley and Brashear had a fight in the 1st period of the Bruins and Vancouver Canucks games of February 21st.  McSorley attempted to start another fight with Brashear a few times during the game, but Brashear did not want to fight.  As the game was able to come to an end, a 5-2 loss for the Bruins, McSorley followed Brashear up the ice looking for a fight, as Brashear continued to skate away from McSorley, Marty slashed Brashear on the side of the head.  The slash, combined with his head hitting the ice, knocked Brashear out.  Brashear missed 20 games due to injury, while McSorley was suspended for the remainder of the season, 23 games, and play-offs.
  McSorley was also charged by the RCMP for assault with a weapon.  McSorley claimed he was trying to hit Brashear on the shoulder and not the head.  McSorley was found guily and given a 18 month conditional discharge.  After the trial, the NHL increased McSorley's suspension to a full year, ending on February 21, 2001.  It is the longest suspension for an on-ice incident in NHL history.  The suspension was honoured by the IIHF as McSorley attempted but failed to gain employment overseas in 2000. McSorley joined the Grand Rapids Griffiths of the IHL in February of 2001, and was ejected for fighting in his first game.  Marty retired at the end of the season.
  McSorley was a tough competitor and a good teammate.  He played with three franchises twice, Penguins, Oilers, Kings, showing he was welcomed back by his teams.  Although McSorley has the fourth highest total career PIM in history, 3381, he was more than just a goon.  Unfortunately, McSorley will be best remembered for his illegal stick and slash to Brashear's head.
  Marty's rookie card was part of the 1987-88 OPC set.  His next cards wouldn't be until the 1990 junk wax explosion.  I am not a big fan of the 87-88 picture used for McSorley as it is a warm-up picture, sans helmet.  Although McSorley was also know for his blonde surfer's haircut during his career.  So I did up a quick 86-87 OPC for Marty with an action shot.

1986-87 OPC Marty McSorley

  Back to the main event, McSorley's Lost Rookie.  From the 1984-85 OPC set, McSorley as a rookie during his first tour of duty with the Penguins, with a cameo by long-time NHL linesman, Kevin Collins.  Collins was a NHL Linesman from 1977 to 2004.

1984-85 OPC #402 Marty McSorley (RC)

1984-85 OPC #402 Marty McSorley