1972-73 O-Pee-Chee Jean-Paul Parise #199 High Number Minnesota North Stars

Description

1972-73 O-Pee-Chee Jean-Paul Parise #199 High Number Minnesota North Stars Few players are remembered for a single moment as vividly as J. P. Parise, and this 1972-73 O-Pee-Chee Jean-Paul Parise #199 High Number Minnesota North Stars card was released in the very season that made him a household name across Canada. Card #199 falls in the O-Pee-Chee exclusive high number series not produced by Topps, which adds scarcity to an already popular player card. The front features Parise in a classic action pose, leaning on his stick in the white North Stars jersey with the green N logo on the chest, set against the bright red background with the black vertical team name and yellow nameplate. Born in Smooth Rock Falls, Ontario, Jean-Paul Parise worked his way up through the Boston and Toronto systems before landing in Minnesota in 1967, where he became a fan favourite and a two time All-Star. In September 1972 he was selected for Team Canada in the Summit Series against the Soviet Union, playing in six of the eight games and famously threatening the referee with his stick in the deciding Game 8 in Moscow, one of the most replayed moments in Canadian hockey history. He later played for the Islanders and Cleveland Barons and is the father of longtime NHL winger Zach Parise. The reverse is the Canadian O-Pee-Chee bilingual back with English and French text highlighting his reputation as a digger in the corners and his Team Canada selection, a career record table from 1965-66 through 1971-72, and a cartoon noting that he holds a team record for one season. The front shows vivid color and clean gloss with no creases, wrinkles, or surface marks. Centering is shifted to the left with a noticeably wider tan border on the right side, which is the primary detractor on this card. The corners are relatively well preserved with light softening on the top two and slightly more touch on the bottom left. The edges are clean with only faint fuzzing at the top. The back shows even warm toning with crisp printing, no writing, and no staining. Given the centering shift and light corner wear, a conservative raw grade of EX 5 is appropriate. This card carries strong demand from Summit Series collectors, North Stars fans, and Parise family collectors. Ships in a protective sleeve and rigid top loader from Alex Collect. Grade Estimate: EX 5