1972-73 O-Pee-Chee Jim Schoenfeld #220 Rookie Card Buffalo Sabres

Description

1972-73 O-Pee-Chee Jim Schoenfeld #220 Rookie Card Buffalo Sabres Start a Buffalo Sabres legend’s cardboard story with the 1972-73 O-Pee-Chee Jim Schoenfeld #220 Rookie Card Buffalo Sabres. The young defenceman is shown in a full-action pose against a deep orange background, wearing Buffalo’s original blue-and-gold uniform and leaning into the rugged visual language of early-1970s hockey. The Sabres crest at the lower right, vertical team name and bold red player lettering create strong shelf presence. As Schoenfeld’s recognized O-Pee-Chee rookie card, number 220 is one of the more historically interesting Buffalo cards in the release. Schoenfeld entered the NHL with major expectations after Buffalo selected him fifth overall in the 1972 draft. He quickly became known for positional intelligence, shot blocking, physical play and leadership. At only 22, he was appointed Sabres captain, then helped guide the young franchise to the 1975 Stanley Cup Final alongside the celebrated French Connection era roster. He played 13 NHL seasons, appeared in 719 regular-season games and later earned Second Team All-Star recognition in 1979-80. His post-playing career added another layer to his hockey legacy through coaching and executive work with several NHL organizations. The Cambridge Sports Hall of Fame records his fifth-overall draft status, role as Buffalo’s young captain, 1975 Cup Final run and reputation as a tough positional defenceman [4](https://cambridgeshf.com/inductees/jim-schoenfeld/). For many fans, Schoenfeld also remains linked to one of the NHL’s most replayed and quoted playoff confrontations from his coaching days, giving his name a lasting place in hockey culture beyond the stat sheet. The reverse shows why this card is a true rookie-era issue. It identifies Schoenfeld as Buffalo’s first-round selection, notes his junior background and states “Not in N. H. L.” beneath the career-record bar because no league statistics were available when production was prepared. The biography appears in English and French beside a cartoon calling him the Sabres’ best defenceman. This is explicitly an original Canadian O-Pee-Chee bilingual text back, not a puzzle back. The visible “O-P-C” and “Printed in Canada” markings are consistent with the issue, and established set checklists identify card #220 as Schoenfeld’s rookie [3](https://www.cardboardconnection.com/1972-73-o-pee-chee-hockey-cards). The scan presents four intact corners with only light touches; the upper-left and lower-left show the most visible softening, while the right corners remain comparatively square. The left and bottom edges display minor O-Pee-Chee roughness and a few fibre flecks, but there is no heavy chipping. The orange front remains bold, with scattered tiny print dots and a small pale spot near the lower centre of the player image. The reverse is clean for the issue, showing even age toning, a few minute spots and light perimeter wear. Centering appears approximately 50/50 left to right and 51/49 top to bottom. No definite crease, wrinkle, writing, pinhole, stain or paper loss is visible in the supplied sleeve scans. A conservative EX-MT 6 estimate is supported by the card’s strong centering, colour and apparently crease-free structure. Minor corner touches, edge roughness, toning and small print imperfections keep the estimate below NM. This attractive raw rookie offers an excellent blend of visual quality, Buffalo history and long-term player recognition. Grade Estimate: EX-MT 6