1973-74 O-Pee-Chee Marcel Dionne #17 Hall of Fame 3rd Year Card Detroit Red Wings

Description

1973-74 O-Pee-Chee Marcel Dionne #17 Hall of Fame 3rd Year Card Detroit Red Wings Invest in a future Hall of Fame legend early in his career with the 1973-74 O-Pee-Chee Marcel Dionne #17, a standout single capturing one of the greatest pure scorers in hockey history in his Detroit Red Wings days. Marcel Dionne was a sensation from the moment he reached the NHL, and the back bio records the record that announced his arrival, as a rookie he set a new league mark for first-year players by scoring 77 points in 1971-72, a stunning debut that made him the cornerstone of the Red Wings offense. By 1972-73 he had produced 40 goals and 50 assists for 90 points, the season reflected on this card, on his way to a legendary career that would include 731 goals and over 1,770 points, a Hall of Fame induction in 1992, and the famous Triple Crown Line with the Los Angeles Kings alongside Charlie Simmer and Dave Taylor. This 1973-74 O-Pee-Chee issue is Dionne's third year card and one of his final Red Wings cards before his blockbuster move to California, and the front portrait, showing him smiling in the red Wings sweater with his gloves resting on his stick, is among the most popular images in the set. The back cartoon notes that Marcel ran a hockey school in his hometown during the off-season. The reverse is a Canadian O-Pee-Chee bilingual back, printed in Canada with English and French text, his 1972-73 season record, and the cartoon panel, rather than a puzzle back, and this particular copy is on the standard darker gray stock. Reviewing the high-resolution images, this is one of the strongest cards in the group, with only the lightest corner touches, crisp and clean edges with minimal wear to the red border, a glossy front that is essentially crease-free with just a couple of tiny print specks and a faint diagonal sleeve mark at the far right edge rather than a card crease, and good centering that is slightly off to the lower left. The back is clean and unmarked. With such light corner wear, a vivid uncreased surface, and a clean reverse, a conservative raw grade of EX-MT 5 is appropriate, as the minor edge specks and centering hold it just short of Near Mint. Grade Estimate: EX-MT 5