1972-73 O-Pee-Chee Rejean Houle #210 Montreal Canadiens

Description

1972-73 O-Pee-Chee Rejean Houle #210 Montreal Canadiens Few prospects arrived with more hype than Rejean Houle and this 1972-73 O-Pee-Chee Rejean Houle #210 Montreal Canadiens is a time capsule from the start of a memorable Quebec hockey journey. Houle was a junior scoring sensation with the Montreal Junior Canadiens, winning two Memorial Cups in 1969 and 1970 while starring alongside Gilbert Perreault, and Montreal selected him first overall in the 1969 NHL Amateur Draft ahead of future Hall of Famers, a decision still debated by historians. The full length action photo on this card shows the young right winger in stride in the red Habs sweater, embodying the speed and promise that had Forum fans dreaming of the next Beliveau. Historical context makes this card even more compelling. The 1972-73 season was played in the shadow of the Summit Series and the WHA talent war, and Houle himself would soon become a poster player for that battle when he jumped to the Quebec Nordiques in 1973 for a then massive contract. He starred in the WHA for three seasons, scoring 51 goals in 1975-76, then returned to Montreal to win three straight Stanley Cups in 1976, 1977 and 1978 as a versatile two way forward, finishing with five Cups overall including 1971 and 1973. In total he recorded 409 points in 635 NHL games plus 267 points in the WHA, later serving as general manager of the Canadiens. This 1972-73 O-Pee-Chee issue uses the classic tan border with vertical team lettering and yellow name ribbon. The reverse is the true Canadian O-Pee-Chee bilingual back with English and French text tracing his junior heroics, NHL stats, cartoon vignette and PRINTED IN CANADA, confirming it is not a Topps print and not a puzzle back. It is a key card for 1969 draft, Memorial Cup and WHA crossover collectors. corners show moderate light wear with softness most noticeable at the lower left and upper left in the scan, edges exhibit minor border chipping and slight roughness consistent with O-Pee-Chee production, front color remains bright with good registration and full borders, centering is approximately 65/35 left to right favoring the right side and 55/45 top to bottom, back is clean and readable with even toning and no writing, no creases wrinkles or tears seen through the sleeve, supporting a conservative raw grade estimate of VG-EX 4 that prices this first overall pick fairly while still presenting nicely in a set or Quebec hockey display. Add this piece of draft history to your collection now. Grade Estimate: VG-EX 4