1973-74 O-Pee-Chee Ken Hodge #26 Boston Bruins

Description

1973-74 O-Pee-Chee Ken Hodge #26 Boston Bruins Big, black and gold, and thoroughly seventies, the 1973-74 O-Pee-Chee Ken Hodge #26 Boston Bruins card puts one of the Big Bad Bruins right in the middle of a crowded net-front scramble against the St. Louis Blues, with the green BRUINS banner and yellow nameplate anchoring the bottom of the classic red-bordered design. This particular copy is the dark grey paper stock variation, the more common back type for the first series of the 1973-74 O-Pee-Chee issue but a must-have for collectors who assemble the set by stock type. Ken Hodge is one of the great supporting-cast stories in hockey history and the card back makes his significance clear. Written bilingually in English and French like every O-Pee-Chee card of the period, it notes that Hodge still holds single-season records for most assists and most points by a right wing, and that he came to Boston as part of the same trade that brought Phil Esposito to the Bruins from Chicago, the 1967 blockbuster that is routinely ranked among the most lopsided deals ever made. His 1972-73 line is printed in the familiar hockey-stick graphic: 73 games, 37 goals, 44 assists, 81 points and 58 penalty minutes. Hodge was the powerful right-side complement on a line with Esposito and Wayne Cashman, using his size to win pucks along the wall and feed the greatest goal scorer of the era from the slot, and he twice hit 100 points himself. He was a member of both Boston's 1970 and 1972 Stanley Cup championship teams, sharing a dressing room with Bobby Orr during the greatest stretch in franchise history. The cartoon panel highlights another distinction, that Ken was the only NHL player at the time born in England, a detail that makes this card a frequent target for novelty and international collectors as well as Bruins fans. This example is the darker grey paper stock, and the reverse is a genuine Canadian O-Pee-Chee bilingual back with the complete French translation, the caption "Ken est le seul natif d'Angleterre dans la L. N. H." beneath the cartoon and "PRINTED IN CANADA" at the lower right; this set uses no puzzle backs. The front photo is dark by design, which is common on Bruins cards from this issue, and the red border remains rich with no fading. Corners show moderate handling, with the upper right and lower right corners lightly rounded and small white fibre showing at the tips, while the left corners are softer than sharp but intact. Edge chipping is visible as fine white flecking along the top edge and the right border, and there is a slightly heavier nick near the middle of the right edge. Centering measures approximately 55/45 to the left and about 50/50 vertically. There is a small light-coloured surface fleck in the photo area near the Bruins crest and a faint print dot in the lower border, but no creases, no wrinkles, no bends and no scratches. The grey reverse is clean, evenly toned, and free of writing, staining and tape. Grade Estimate: EX 5