1972-73 O-Pee-Chee Barry Gibbs #101 Minnesota North Stars

Description

1972-73 O-Pee-Chee Barry Gibbs #101 Minnesota North Stars Tough is the word the card itself uses for Barry Gibbs, and this 1972-73 O-Pee-Chee Barry Gibbs #101 Minnesota North Stars card delivers a full length action pose of the hard nosed defender in the classic green and gold North Stars sweater. Unlike the portrait style shots used on most cards in this set, Gibbs is shown crouched in a ready stance with his stick on the ice, giving the card a distinctive look within the North Stars team run. The red background, black vertical team name, yellow nameplate, and green N logo tie it firmly to the memorable 1972-73 O-Pee-Chee design. Barry Gibbs was the first overall pick of the 1966 NHL Amateur Draft, selected by the Boston Bruins, and one of the earliest number one picks in league history. After developing in the Central League, where he led the circuit's defensemen in penalty minutes, he was dealt to Minnesota in 1969 and became a mainstay on the North Stars blue line for six seasons. His 1969-70 penalty shot goal on the final day of the season helped push Minnesota into the playoffs, an achievement commemorated in the cartoon on the back of this very card. He later played for Atlanta, St. Louis, and Los Angeles before retiring in 1980. The reverse is the Canadian O-Pee-Chee bilingual back, printed in Canada with English and French biographies, a career record table spanning 1967-68 through 1971-72, and the playoff cartoon in the corner. The front shows strong color saturation and no creases, wrinkles, or print defects. Centering is slightly shifted to the left with a marginally wider tan border on the right, a common trait for this issue. The corners are lightly touched with mild softening at the top two and slightly more rounding on the bottom right. The edges show faint fuzzing along the right side with no notable chipping. The back shows even toning across the stock with clean printing, no marks, and no staining. The overall presentation is attractive, and with the corner touches factored in, a conservative raw estimate is EX 5. This is a great card for collectors of first overall draft picks, North Stars team collectors, or anyone piecing together the 1972-73 O-Pee-Chee set. Ships in a protective sleeve and rigid top loader from Alex Collect in Ontario, Canada. Grade Estimate: EX 5