1972 O-Pee-Chee Brad Park #85 NHL Action Card New York Rangers

Description

1972 O-Pee-Chee Brad Park #85 NHL Action Card New York Rangers There are defencemen who score, and then there are defencemen who change how the league sees the position, and Brad Park belongs firmly in the second group. This 1972 O-Pee-Chee Brad Park #85 NHL Action card captures Park mid-check as he closes down an opposing forward, with the vertical caption reading Brad Park Checks Opposing Forward, the red NHL ACTION banner, and the white star badge identifying the Rangers. The dark, physical feel of the photo suits the subject perfectly, because Park was as respected for his two-way game and relentless edge work as he was for his point production. The 1971-72 season that this card follows was the year Park won the Norris Memorial Trophy as the NHL's top defenceman, becoming the first defenceman to win the award in four years after Bobby Orr's run, and he finished the season as the Rangers' leading scorer, a remarkable feat for a defenceman that the card's own back text celebrates by rating him right up with Bobby Orr as the NHL's top defenceman. Park went on to win the Norris Trophy again in 1974-75, was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1987, and had his number 32 retired by the New York Rangers, one of the franchise's most honored defencemen ever. For collectors, this 1972 O-Pee-Chee Brad Park #85 is the most sought of the 1972 OPC Rangers action cards and a must-have for 1970s Rangers team sets. The reverse is the Canadian O-Pee-Chee bilingual back, printed in Canada, and not a US puzzle back. It carries the O. P. C. copyright, the large orange BRAD PARK name panel, and a bilingual biography in English and French describing him as the league's top defenceman alongside Bobby Orr and crediting the Rangers' big line of Ratliffe, Haffield and Gilbert for the team's scoring success. the front shows light surface scuffing and minor handling marks over the dark photo, the corners are fairly sharp with slight roundness at the bottom right, the edges show light wear without significant edge chipping, the centering is acceptable and in line with typical 1972 O-Pee-Chee printing, and the back is clean with light age toning and no noticeable printing defects. The grade is conservative because the dark photographic area can hide fine surface marks, sleeve pressure in a binder can soften corners, and vintage O-Pee-Chee stock ages visibly at the edges. This is an authentic 1972 O-Pee-Chee Brad Park #85 NHL Action card and a cornerstone piece for 1972 O-Pee-Chee collections, Norris Trophy era Rangers sets, and Brad Park single-card pursuits. Grade Estimate: EX 5