1972-73 O-Pee-Chee Poul Popiel #67 Vancouver Canucks

Description

1972-73 O-Pee-Chee Poul Popiel #67 Vancouver Canucks Bring home early Vancouver Canucks history with this 1972-73 O-Pee-Chee Poul Popiel #67 Vancouver Canucks card, featuring the Danish born defenseman who helped establish the Canucks blue line in their first NHL seasons. Poul Popiel was born in Denmark in 1943 and raised in Canada, becoming one of the first Danish born players to reach the NHL and a trailblazer for European born defensemen. He was known as a smooth skater, a power play specialist, and a player who could play forward in a pinch, with a career that spanned the NHL and WHA. Popiel was claimed by Vancouver in the expansion draft and became a regular, logging big minutes and contributing offensively from the back end. The 1972-73 O-Pee-Chee set features the Canucks on a hot pink background that pops, with the white jersey and blue and green trim, and this card shows Popiel in a classic skating pose with stick ready. Collectors love this set for its bright team color backgrounds and the inclusion of both Canadian teams. This is the Canadian O-Pee-Chee version with the bilingual English and French back and cartoon illustration, not a puzzle back, printed in Canada with career record and a note that he shares AHL honors. Front shows corners with moderate softening, especially the lower left and lower right which show white, edge chipping is visible along the beige border with some wear on the pink image frame, centering is about 65/35 left to right and 60/40 top to bottom, gloss is present but with light surface wear, no creases. The back shows even toning, clean stats, no writing, slight edge roughness on the right side, no bends, which supports a conservative VG-EX 4 grade that reflects a bit more handling than other cards in the sheet but still solid eye appeal. The 1972-73 O-Pee-Chee Poul Popiel #67 Vancouver Canucks is ideal for Canucks team collectors, expansion era fans, and those who appreciate international pioneers of the game. Grade Estimate: VG-EX 4