PSA Hell: 1972-73 Goalie Rookie Cards

The 1972-73 Topps and O-Pee-Chee hockey sets have just about everything I love about vintage goalie rookie cards. The retro design is fantastic, but the centring looks like the guy operating the cutting machine had somewhere else to be.

Visually, this set is unmistakably early 1970s. The cards have tan borders surrounding player photographs placed against bright, solid-colour backgrounds. A brown strip carries the player's name and team logo, while the team name runs vertically along the side.

It's simple, colorful and wonderfully dated.

The 72 O-Pee-Chee set was also huge for its time, expanding to 340 cards and even incorporating 52 players from the brand-new WHA.

For goalie collectors, though, 1972-73 was an absolute monster rookie year.

There's Jim Rutherford #15, decades before he became better known as the executive building Stanley Cup teams.

There's Gilles Meloche #112, photographed before a long NHL career that would include plenty of nights facing far more rubber than any goalie should reasonably have been asked to stop.

Then there's Dan Bouchard #203, another rookie who would go on to a long NHL career, particularly with the Atlanta Flames.

Not Done Yet.

Ron Low #258. Michel Belhumeur #273. Wayne Stephenson #275.

That's an incredible group of goalie rookies hiding in one vintage set. Low and Stephenson are both recognized as rookie issues, as is Belhumeur.

For my Goalie Archive, that's what makes 1972-73 special. These aren't necessarily million-dollar rookie cards. They're cards of goalies who became part of the fabric of 1970s NHL hockey.

But finding high-grade PSA or SGC copies can be another matter entirely.

The centring on this set is brutal.

These cards can shift noticeably left, right, high, or low. Corners were also subject to chipping.

The problem becomes especially interesting with cards like Ron Low. PSA's feature on the set specifically identifies Low as one of the tougher rookies to find in high grade and notes that cards in the #210-289 range can be particularly challenging in top condition. I have a PSA 7 and am quite happy with it.

For goalie rookie card collectors, 1972-73 wasn't just a good year.

It was a goalie rookie factory with one little hiccup— find one that's actually centred to get a high grade..