1972-73 O-Pee-Chee Bill Fairbairn #87 New York Rangers

Description

1972-73 O-Pee-Chee Bill Fairbairn #87 New York Rangers Bill Fairbairn was one of the brightest homegrown talents of the GAG era, and this 1972-73 O-Pee-Chee Bill Fairbairn #87 New York Rangers card shows the speedy right wing leaning into the frame in the road grey jersey, one of the more dynamic poses in the 1972-73 O-Pee-Chee hockey set. A product of the Rangers system who starred at junior in Peterborough, Fairbairn cracked the lineup with energy and skill, and the card back itself notes that he set the Ranger club record for assists, an achievement that announced him as a cornerstone of the team's future. The historical backdrop is one of the most romantic eras in New York sports. Fairbairn came of age alongside the Goal-A-Game line during the 1971-72 season that carried the Rangers to the Stanley Cup Final, and his combination of speed, tenacity and playmaking made him a fan favorite at Madison Square Garden, where the Garden faithful celebrated every shift from the club's own pipeline of talent. The reverse is a genuine Canadian O-Pee-Chee bilingual back with complete English and French text and the O. P. C. printed in Canada imprint, not a puzzle back, and it includes the charming period cartoon and career statistics that make OPC backs so collectible. For Rangers team set builders, Fairbairn's single is an affordable key card that represents the homegrown spirit of the early 1970s club. this is a particularly attractive example, with four mostly sharp corners showing only a hint of softness at the bottom left, clean edges with negligible roughness, centering at a pleasing 60/40 with a touch more border on the right, and a glossy surface that retains strong original shine with only faint scuffing under direct light. The grey jersey image is free of print defects and the tan borders show only the lightest even toning. We grade conservatively because vintage OPC cardboard almost always reveals subtle texture under a loupe, and this card nonetheless lands at EX-MT 6, a display worthy raw grade for a fan favorite from one of hockey's most beloved eras. Grade Estimate: EX-MT 6