1973-74 O-Pee-Chee Boston Bruins #93 Team Card Boston Bruins

Description

1973-74 O-Pee-Chee Boston Bruins #93 Team Card Boston Bruins Team cards are where vintage sets tell their history in one frame, and the 1973-74 O-Pee-Chee Boston Bruins #93 Team Card Boston Bruins delivers a full squad portrait of the franchise at the absolute peak of its powers. The front is printed in the horizontal team-photo orientation, with the entire roster arranged in rows of white and gold sweaters, goaltender pads stacked at either end, and the vertical BOSTON BRUINS banner running down the right side in green lettering on a white ribbon inside the familiar red O-Pee-Chee border. Displayed upright it is one of the most attractive team issues of the decade. The club pictured here is the one that had just won two Stanley Cups in three seasons, in 1970 and 1972, breaking a drought that stretched back to 1941 and turning Boston Garden into the loudest building in hockey. Bobby Orr had already redefined what a defenceman could be, winning the Norris Trophy every year of this era and posting an 80-assist season, while Phil Esposito was rewriting the record book from the slot with the help of linemates Ken Hodge and Wayne Cashman, and Johnny Bucyk was providing veteran leadership on the left side. That entire story is documented on the reverse, which functions as a franchise record book rather than a player biography. Printed bilingually in English and French, it lists five Stanley Cup Championships in 1928-29, 1938-39, 1940-41, 1969-70 and 1971-72, twelve regular season championships stretching from 1927-28 through 1971-72, a most-victories mark of 57 set in 1970-71, most points of 121 in 1970-71, most goals of 76 by Phil Esposito in 1970-71, most assists of 102 by Bobby Orr in 1970-71 and most points of 152 by Phil Esposito in 1970-71. For a Bruins collector, that back is essentially a snapshot of the greatest single season in club history preserved on cardboard. This copy is on the darker grey paper stock and the reverse is a genuine Canadian O-Pee-Chee bilingual back, with every record line repeated in French under the heading "Records de l'équipe et des joueurs" and "PRINTED IN CANADA" at the lower right; the set does not use puzzle backs. The front shows honest shelf wear consistent with a hand-collected team card. Corners are the weakest attribute, with the upper right and lower right corners rounded and showing white fibre, and both left corners lightly blunted. Edge chipping is visible along the right border and across the top edge as small white interruptions in the red frame, and there is a faint edge ding near the top right corner. Centering measures approximately 60/40 with the red border noticeably wider on the left side, and about 50/50 top to bottom. The team photo itself is clean, with good contrast and no scuffing or scratching across the faces, and the green banner lettering remains sharp. Tilting the card under light reveals no creases, no wrinkles and no bends. The grey reverse is unmarked with no checklist ticks, no writing, no staining and no tape, which matters because team cards from this era were frequently written on. Grade Estimate: EX 5