Bobby Orr 1972-73 O-Pee-Chee 129

Number 129 in the 1972-73 O-Pee-Chee NHL set is the regular card of Bobby Orr. The other Orr card in the set is an action card. In the 1972-73 Topps set, there is a regular Bobby Orr hockey card and one showing him as a First Team All-Star.

On the back, it's not the only time O-Pee-Chee referred to him as 'Mr. Everything'. The card noted that he was MVP over the past three seasons. In fact, these would be the only three times that Orr would win the Hart Trophy despite his incredible success. It also notes that 'Bobby relaxes by going fishing'. This is a pastime he notes passionately in his autobiography, Orr: My Story.

 

As per the back of the 1972-73 O-Pee-Chee #129:

“Mr. Everything” in the NHL is destined to become one of the greatest stars in the league history. Acknowledged to be leader of the fearsome Boston attack. Bobby has been in the NHL's most valuable player three straight years.

Bobby Orr 1971-72

As noted on the back of the card, Orr scored 37 and assisted on 80 for 117 points over 76 regular season games in 1971-72. Bobby led the league in assists with 13 more than teammate Phil Esposito. He finished second in the race for the Art Ross Trophy, behind just Esposito and his 133 points. Orr came away with the Hart Trophy, Norris Trophy and Conn Smythe Trophy.

 

In the playoffs, Bobby scored five and assisted on 19 for 24 points over 15 games. The Bruins took five games to dispatch the Toronto Maple Leafs in the opening round before sweeping the St. Louis Blues in the semi-finals. Boston met up with the New York Rangers in the finals and six games later hoisted the Stanley Cup for the second time in three years.

Bobby Orr 1972-73

Orr caught the injury bug and appeared in just 63 regular season games for the Bruins in 1972-73. Yet, he still chalked up 29 goals and 72 assists for 101 points. His assist total was three behind NHL leader Phil Esposito. Bobby placed third in the league for points, three behind Bobby Clarke of the Philadelphia Flyers and 29 behind Esposito. He was one point ahead of Rick MacLeish of the Flyers.

Without Gerry Cheevers in net, the Bruins fell in the opening round to the Rangers. New York won easily four games to one, outscoring Boston 22-11. In goal was Ed Johnston as the number with Jacques Plante, Ross Brooks and John Adams all seeing action.

Bobby Orr 1974-75 O-Pee-Chee 100

He was in the prime of his career. Who would think that Bobby Orr had just one season of productive hockey left. His 1974-75 O-Pee-Chee number 100 hockey card shows the greatest hockey player in the National Hockey League at the time. A defenseman coming off a 122 point season and heading into a 135 point campaign.

Bobby Orr 1973-74

In 1973-74, Orr scored 32 and assisted on 90 for 122 points. Bobby was second to Phil Esposito's 145 points. Along with teammate Ken Hodge, they were the only three to break 100 points that season. Another teammate Wayne Cashman rounded out an all Boston top four. Orr's 90 assists led the NHL.

Bobby came away with his seventh consecutive Norris Trophy as the league's top defenseman. This fact is noted on the back of the 1974-75 O-Pee-Chee card. He would win again in 1974-75 and the streak would end at eight. Orr was denied both the Art Ross Trophy and Hart Trophy with both going to Phil Esposito.

The Bruins swept the Toronto Maple Leafs in the opening round before taking out the Chicago Blackhawks in the semi-finals. In the Stanley Cup finals, Boston lost in six to the Philadelphia Flyers. In the playoffs, Orr scored four and assisted on 14 for 18 points over 16 games.

 

 

As per the back of the 1974-75 O-Pee-Chee 100 Bobby Orr hockey card:

Boston's “Mr. Everything” and the biggest gate attraction in the NHL. Bobby can do wonders with the puck. Despite being a defenseman, he is always near the top of the league's scoring columns. He is the best puck rusher in the NHL. His style has virtually changed the game. He's destined to become perhaps the greatest player in hockey history.

Bobby Orr 1974-75

It would turn out to be his swansong year. Orr played all 80 regular season games for the Bruins, scoring 46 and assisting on 89 for 135 points. He won the Art Ross Trophy as the NHL's top scorer. Bobby was also honoured with the Norris Trophy one last time and the Lester B. Pearson Trophy as league MVP as voted by the players. However, it was Bobby Clarke of the Flyers taking home the Hart Trophy.

Orr's 46 goals put his sixth in the league with Esposito leading the way with 61. His 89 assists tied him for the lead with Bobby Clarke. Bobby had an eight point edge over Esposito in points.

In Don Cherry's first year as Boston's head coach, the Bruins finished fifth overall in the 18 team league. However, the team fell in the preliminary round to the Chicago Blackhawks. Orr had a goal and five assists over the three game series.

After 1974-75, Orr's career fizzled due to countless knee operations. He played just ten games for the Bruins in 1975-76, 20 games for the Blackhawks in 1976-77 and six games for Chicago in 1978-79.

Bobby Orr 1967-68 Topps 92

The 1967-68 Topps 92 hockey card is the second featuring Bobby Orr, following his 1966-67 Topps rookie card. This is one of three cards showing Orr in the set, one honours him for winning the Calder Trophy as the National Hockey League's rookie of the year and the other shows him as a Second Team All-Star. He was joined on the Second Team blue line by Tim Horton of the Toronto Maple Leafs while Harry Howell of the New York Rangers and Pierre Pilote of the Chicago Blackhawks took First Team honours.

Bobby Orr - 1966-67

The back of the card shows his stats from the 1966-67 NHL season. Over 61 games in his rookie season, Bobby scored 13 and assisted on 28 for 41 points. His 102 penalty minutes placed him sixth in the league.

As per the back of the 1967-68 Topps 92 hockey card:

Bobby came from Junior 'A' to the Bruins last year with more publicity than any rookie in the NHL had ever received. Bobby responded by being named NHL 'rookie of the year', and in spite of his young age (19 years) he has already taken over as 'leader' of the Boston team.

Bobby Orr – 1967-68

In 1967-68, Orr played just 46 games during the regular season, hampered by his first of many knee operations. Still, he scored eleven and assisted on 20 for 31 points. Despite missing so many games, Bobby won the Norris Trophy as the NHL's top defenseman for the first of eight consecutive times.

He was with the Bruins as they qualified for the Stanley Cup playoffs for the first time since 1958-59. Orr played in all four games as Boston was swept in the opening round by the Montreal Canadiens. It was the first playoff series for the Bruins since losing 4-3 to the Toronto Maple Leafs in the first round of the 1958-59 playoffs. In that series, Milt Schmidt's Bruins actually outscored the Maple Leafs 21-20.

As for the 1967-68 Habs, they moved on the Stanley Cup finals and swept the expansion St. Louis Blues in four games for the championship.

Bobby Orr 1966-67 Topps 35

It all began for Bobby Orr in the hockey card world with the 1966-67 Topps card number 35. Orr's rookie card has become one of the most coveted pieces of cardboard for any sports card collector. In anticipation of a long and prosperous career, the rookie card came out before Bobby had even played his first season in the National Hockey League.

Oshawa Generals - 1965-66

The stats section on the back of the card is blank because Orr played the 1965-66 season in the OHA Junior A (now the Ontario Hockey League) with the Oshawa Generals. It was his last of four years with the team and his most successful. Over his career with the Generals, Bobby scored 107 and assisted on 173 for 280 points over 193 regular season games – unheard of numbers for a defenseman at the time.

In his 1965-66 season, Bobby scored 38 and assisted on 56 for 94 points over just 47 games. At the time, each team in the nine team league played a 48 game regular season schedule. He was named a First Team All-Star defenseman but there were no other personal accolades. The Max Kaminsky Trophy for the league's top blue liner would not start to be awarded until 1969-70. The Red Tilson Trophy for most valuable player went to Andre Lacroix of the Peterborough Petes in 1965-66.

Oshawa had a modest regular season, placing fourth in the nine team league. In the playoffs, they knocked off the St. Catherines Blackhawks and Montreal Junior Canadiens to earn a meeting with the Kitchener Rangers in the finals. The Generals came out on top in five games for the championship. In the OHA playoffs, Orr had nine goals and 19 assists over 17 games.

The next stop was the Eastern Canada Memorial Cup playoffs. Oshawa beat the Shawinigan Falls Bruins in the finals three games to one to capture the George Richardson Trophy. In the Memorial Cup finals, the Generals met their match, losing to the Edmonton Oil Kings. Over the Memorial Cup playoffs, Bobby added another 12 goals and 24 assists over just 12 games.

Boston Bruins 1966-67

 

 

From the back of his 1966-67 Topps rookie card:

Bobby came to the Bruins direct from the Oshawa Generals Junior 'A' club. He is the most publicized junior in many years and certainly will become one of the future stars in the NHL. A rushing defenseman who can set up goals as well as score them.

With the Bruins in 1966-67, Orr scored 13 and assisted on 28 for 41 points while appearing in 61 of Boston's 70 regular season games. His point total was good for third on the Bruins, behind Johnny Bucyk (48) and Pit Martin (42). Of course, Martin would soon be gone to the Chicago Blackhawks in the trade that brought Phil Esposito to the Bruins.

Bobby won the Calder Trophy as NHL rookie of the year but was denied the Norris Trophy as the league's top defenseman. That award went to Harry Howell of the New York Rangers. Orr would win the Calder over the next eight consecutive seasons.

As for the Bruins, 1966-67 was the last of eight consecutive seasons missing the post season. Starting in 1967-68, the team would qualify for the playoffs every year until 1996-97.

Bobby Orr Hockey Card Collage

Most of the Bobby Orr collection is covered and a bit more. This collection together has enough value to buy a decent vehicle. If you're looking for the full size version, simply keep clicking the image after a click or two, the original 17mb picture will come on the screen.

The collage makes for a fitting first post to this website dedicated to Bobby Orr hockey cards. Over time, each and every one of his cards from his playing days will be covered in detail. I say, cards during his playing days. That means from his 1966-67 Topps rookie card to his 1978-79 O-Pee-Chee special collector's card and everything in between.

There have been hundreds of hockey cards dedicated to Bobby Orr since his retirement. They will not be covered here, at least initially.

This is not a sales site. We will not have any of the collection directly up for sale on the site. However, just a note of transparency, we will be providing image links to eBay and Amazon for specific cards being covered. Yes, these will be affiliate links. It's an opportunity for us to provide the readers with options to buy these classic cards. If cards are purchased through these links, there is no extra cost to the buyer and we stand to make a small amount of money to help keep the site alive.

Thanks for dropping by and stay tuned for more to come!