Bill Flett: 1971-72 O-Pee-Chee 47

1971-72 O-Pee-Chee 47 Bill Flett Hockey Card (Front)

bill flett los angeles kings 1971-72 o-pee-chee 47 nhl hockey card

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1971-72 O-Pee-Chee 47 Bill Flett Hockey Card (Back)

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Card Notes

Drafted from the Toronto organization, Bill became a hit in Los Angeles. He was the first LA player to score a hat trick, and he got three “tricks” in three seasons. Bill played in three different leagues before catching on with LA. Bill also does rodeo work.

En Français

Repêché du réseau des Maple Leafs Bill devint un succès à Los Angeles. Premier joueur de LA à réussir un tour du chapeau et il eut trois “tours” en trois saisons. Bill joua dans trois différentes ligues avant d’aller à LA. Fait aussi du travail de rodéo.

Details

Bill Flett’s historic hat trick came on November 5, 1967 at Detroit Olympia against the Red Wings. Bill scored his first in the first period to tie the game at 1-1 after Gordie Howe had put Detroit ahead. Flett then scored the first and last of five third period goals for the Kings, both on the power play. Detroit was up 4-2 after Gordie Howe’s second goal of the game in the third before the Kings came roaring back to win 6-4. All Flett’s goals were scored on Roger Crozier.

That three goal performance helped Bill to reach his team leading 26 goals in his rookie season. Flett finished fourth in the running for the Calder Trophy as NHL rookie of the year in 1967-68, behind Derek Sanderson, Jacques Lemaire and Doug Favell.

This was a pretty amazing performance for a guy who was taken in the 18th round of the 1967 NHL Expansion Draft by the Kings, 103rd overall. He had spent the previous three seasons mostly toiling in the CPHL with the Tulsa Oilers, affiliate of the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Bill Flett played 689 regular season and 52 playoff games in the National Hockey League between 1967-68 and 1979-80 with the Kings, Philadelphia Flyers, Toronto Maple Leafs, Atlanta Flames and Edmonton Oilers. He spent three seasons in the WHA with the Oilers.

His best season offensively came in 1972-73 when he scored 43 goals for the Flyers. That number was good for fifth in the NHL. Flett helped the Flyers to a Stanley Cup championship in 1973-74.