1974-75 O-Pee-Chee 8 Bill Barber Hockey Card (Front)
1974-75 O-Pee-Chee 8 Bill Barber Hockey Card (Back)
1974-75 O-Pee-Chee NHL Checklist
Card Notes
In two seasons, Bill proved that he is headed for stardom in the NHL. He just missed Rookie-Of-The-Year honours, finishing second in 1972-73. Bill has what the scouts call “hockey sense”. The puck often seems to follow him around. He’s a good skater and a very accurate shot. Nine of his goals last year came while the Flyers had a man advantage.
En Français
En deux saisons, Bill a prouvé qu’il était une future vedette de la LNH. En 1973, il fut presque choisi Recrue de l’Année. Bill est un “naturel” au hockey… et on croirait souvent que la rondelle le suit! Il patine bien et ses lancers sont précis. La saison passée, il marqua neuf buts alors que le Flyers avaient l’avantage d’un homme.
Details
ERROR. A slight spelling error for Bill Barber’s hometown on the back of the card. O-Pee-Chee spelt it Callender but it’s actually Callander. This is a small community just south of North Bay, Ontario on Lake Nipissing.
Bill Barber was indeed the runner-up for the Calder Trophy in 1972-73. Steve Vickers of the New York Rangers took the honour. Billy Harris, Jim Schoenfeld and Dan Bouchard rounded out the top five. Barber scored 30 goals and assisted on 34 for 64 points over just 69 games for the Philadelphia Flyers in his first year. He also spent time in the AHL with the Baltimore Robins and appeared in eleven Stanley Cup playoff games with the Flyers.
He definitely was destined for stardom, as predicted on the back of the card. Between 1972-73 and 1983-84, Bill played 903 regular season and 129 playoff games in the National Hockey League, all with the Flyers. He had his best season offensively in 1975-76, scoring 50 goals and totaling 112 points. He topped the 40 goal plateau five times and finished with 420 career goals.
Barber helped the Flyers win two consecutive Stanley Cup championships in the 1970’s. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1990. The same year, his number 7 was retired by Philadelphia. That same number is honoured in his name by his junior club, the Kitchener Rangers.