1973-74 O-Pee-Chee Gilbert Perreault #70 HOF Buffalo Sabres

Description

1973-74 O-Pee-Chee Gilbert Perreault #70 HOF Buffalo Sabres This 1973-74 O-Pee-Chee card presents Hall of Fame center Gilbert Perreault in the standard Light Back print variety, capturing the same commanding pose as its Dark Back sheet-mate but offering collectors the more commonly available color version of this key card from the set. Perreault entered the league as the first overall pick of the 1970 NHL Amateur Draft, a selection made possible by Buffalo's famous spin of the fortune wheel against the Vancouver Canucks, and he rewarded the franchise immediately by capturing the Calder Memorial Trophy as top rookie in 1970-71. By the time this card was printed, Perreault had established himself as the creative centerpiece of the "French Connection" line, and the card back proudly notes his 1972-73 Lady Byng Trophy win, recognizing the rare combination of elite skill and gentlemanly play that defined his early career. Perreault would spend his entire 17-season NHL career with Buffalo, retiring as the franchise's all-time leading scorer and having his number 11 raised to the rafters, before being inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1990, cementing his status as one of the most beloved and statistically dominant Sabres in franchise history. The reverse, printed in O-Pee-Chee's standard Canadian bilingual English and French format, includes full career statistics through the 1972-73 season and a small illustrated cartoon panel. As the standard Light Back version, this card is generally easier to source than the Dark Back parallel, making it a great entry point for collectors seeking this key Sabres star without paying the premium typically attached to the scarcer variant. this card is confirmed as a genuine Canadian O-Pee-Chee issue in the standard Light Back color variety, not a puzzle-back format. Visual inspection reveals solid corners with light wear at the tips, clean edges with minor whitening in spots, and centering that shifts slightly off-axis, consistent with typical production variance for this issue. The red border retains good color vibrancy overall, and the photography is sharp with no visible creasing or major surface flaws. Given the light wear and minor centering shift, we apply a conservative Grade Estimate: EX 5