In the world of hockey cards, there are some sets that are absolute duds (1991-92 Score) and there are some that are iconic from the moment the sheets were cut. This week’s goalie card of the week is from the legendary 71-72 OPC set and we will be looking at Gump Worsley. While Gump is nowhere near the most important goalie card in the set (Ken Dryden has that honour), but Gump does embody what most of the cards in the set look like so he was the logical choice for a goalie card of the week.
71/72 Gump Worsley Front
The set itself features primarily an oval “framed” picture with the team name at the top and the name of the player and team logo on the bottom. Almost all the pictures are studio shots but there are some exceptions like this one. There are also All-Star cards and tribute cards in the set. While the design is timeless, the rookies in the set are what really solidify this set for the ages. Rookies include the aforementioned Ken Dryden and Hall of Famers like Guy Lafleur and Marcel Dionne. Also in the set are rookies of Rick MacLeish, Butch Goring, Reggie Leach, Terry Crisp and Craig Patrick.
As you can see from the photo, Gump is by no means a spring chicken and was around 41-42 years old when this photo was taken. With that being said, he would go on to play a couple more seasons in the NHL before hanging up his skates in 1974. I think this card is just fun, when you look at the photo of Gump, try not smiling. I dare you, you could hate Gump and the North Stars but the look on his face is infectious. Personally I smile every time I look at this.
71/72 OPC Gump Worsley Back
Here is the back side of the card. There are lots of things missing from his line of stats on the back. Gump first played pro back in 1949 but that was for New Haven in the AHL. Gump, then joined that NHL in 1952 with the New York Rangers, won rookie of the year and then was back in the minors again. The strange thing about his career was the number of times he would bounce between the NHL and the AHL./WHL while still putting up good enough numbers to get himself in to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1980. What makes this set very fun is you get a comic, stats and write-up on the back of every standard base card which makes both sides of the card equally enjoyable to look at.
Header Image is from hhof.com
