The Forgotten: Bob Mason

Bob Mason played in 145 career NHL games, played in the Olympics and was a member of Team USA for the 1987 Canada Cup.   Yet he has a total of 2 NHL cards.  Those cards are from the 2004-05 ITG Franchise set, almost 14 years after his last NHL game.  Bob Mason couldn't even crack the 1990-91 Pro Set edition.  So we'll right those wrongs and present to you the 1984-85 OPC Bob Mason rookie card.  Bob Mason is best known for his spread eagle stance after allowing the series winning goal in quadruple overtime in Game 7 versus the New York Islander in 1987.   Sport is cruel, as there is always a loser, no matter how well they played.  Today Mr Mason is in his 10th year as the goaltending coach for the Minnesota Wild.  He has helped the Wild win a William Jennings trophy and a Wild goalie has led the league in save percentage twice during his tenure.  

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Update: July 27, 2020

  Mason played several years in the NHL without a card, so I thought I would revisit this post and make a few more cards for Mason - to fill in the blanks.  First thing I needed to do was update the 84-85 OPC with a more appropriate picture.  It's fairly obvious based on the gear and helmet, that this was a more timely picture for his 84-85 card.  For three seasons, starting in 83-84, Mason bounced between the NHL and AHL, spending most of his time in the AHL.  The 1986-87 season was his first full season in the NHL.  He bounced around the league for his final five seasons, with a different team each year.  He only played a handful of games with the Vancouver Canucks in 1990-91, but I wasn't able to find a decent picture to use for a card.  So I am still on the lookout for that.

1984-85 OPC Bob Mason (RC) 

1987-88 OPC Bob Mason

1988-89 OPC Bob Mason 

1989-90 OPC Bob Mason

1990-91 Pro Set Bob Mason

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Update October 9, 2021

  

  I finally stumbled across a picture of Bob Mason as a Vancouver Canuck that is usable for a card... although just barely.  There was some debate over who this was.  In the end it was easy to tell as Bob Mason catches with his right hand, which is a rarity for Vancouver Canucks goalies who wore #31 during the era that the Canucks wore those jerseys.  So now the Bob Mason, the original Lost card on this blog, collection is complete.

1991-92 OPC Bob Mason