1972-73 O-Pee-Chee Bill Goldsworthy #159 Minnesota North Stars

Description

1972-73 O-Pee-Chee Bill Goldsworthy #159 Minnesota North Stars The Goldy Shuffle was one of the first true goal celebrations in NHL history, and this 1972-73 O-Pee-Chee Bill Goldsworthy #159 Minnesota North Stars card immortalizes the man behind it during the peak of his career. The front presents a bright smiling portrait of Goldsworthy in the white North Stars sweater against the signature red backdrop, with the black vertical team lettering, yellow nameplate, and green N logo rounding out the classic design. Bill Goldsworthy, a native of Kitchener, Ontario, was the North Stars' first true star after the club selected him from Boston in the 1967 expansion draft. He became the first player from a post 1967 expansion team to reach 250 career goals, posted three consecutive 30 goal seasons, and was a Second Team All-Star in 1973-74 when he scored 48 goals. He represented Canada in the 1972 Summit Series, was named team captain in 1974, and his number 8 was the first ever retired by the Minnesota franchise, a banner that still hangs with the Dallas Stars today. The back of this card celebrates his rise to stardom and his four goal game in 1970-71. The reverse is the Canadian O-Pee-Chee bilingual back, printed in Canada with English and French biographies, a career record table running from 1964-65 through 1971-72, and a cartoon noting that Bill scored four goals in a 1970-71 game. The front shows excellent color and a clean glossy surface with no creases, wrinkles, or print defects. Centering is close to even left to right and slightly high top to bottom, which is above average for this set. The corners show only light softening, with the upper right and lower left showing faint touches and the others remaining relatively sharp. The edges are clean with no chipping. The back shows the standard even toning of the issue with clean printing, no marks, and no staining. This is one of the nicer cards on the sheet and a conservative raw estimate of EX-MT 6 is appropriate, with the possibility of a higher assessment from a lenient grader. As a Summit Series participant, franchise icon, and star of the set, this Goldsworthy card is a strong pickup for North Stars and vintage hockey collectors alike. Ships in a protective sleeve and rigid top loader from Alex Collect in Ontario, Canada. Grade Estimate: EX-MT 6