1979-80 O-Pee-Chee 146 John Tonelli Hockey Card (Front)
1979-80 O-Pee-Chee 146 John Tonelli Hockey Card (Back)
1979-80 O-Pee-Chee NHL Checklist
Card Notes
John is a good forechecker and good position player at both ends for Islanders.
En Français
Expert de l’échec avant et bon joueur de position, il est efficace aux deux extrémités de la patinoire.
Details
An interesting detail about the stats on the back of this 1979-80 O-Pee-Chee John Tonelli hockey card is that the career stats include his time in the WHA. 1978-79 was his first year in the NHL but he had previously played 224 games over three seasons with the Houston Aeros.
Tonelli spent two years of major junior hockey with the Toronto Marlboros, 1973-74 and 1974-75. The Islanders drafted him in the second round of the 1977 NHL Amateur Draft, after his second year with Houston. In 1974-75, John totaled 135 points for the Marlies on 49 goals and 86 assists over 70 games. That point total placed him fourth in the league, a distant 30 points behind leader and teammate Bruce Boudreau.
He helped the Islanders to four consecutive Stanley Cup championships but it was after that when John had his career year in the NHL. In 1984-85, he scored 42 goals and had an even 100 points for New York. That still placed him third on the team in scoring behind Mike Bossy and Brent Sutter.
Between 1978-79 and 1991-92, John Tonelli appeared in 1,028 regular season and 172 playoff games in the National Hockey League. Along with the Islanders, John also played for the Calgary Flames, Los Angeles Kings, Chicago Blackhawks and Quebec Nordiques.