1968-69 O-Pee-Chee 86 Bill Hicke Hockey Card (Front)
1968-69 O-Pee-Chee 86 Bill Hicke Hockey Card (Back)
1968-69 O-Pee-Chee NHL Checklist
Card Notes
Move over English, we need room for the French.
Well, it was the first year with the bilingual backs and, quite frankly, the 1968-69 O-Pee-Chee set was an overall hot mess. On the back of the Bill Hicke card, the English part of the description just cuts off while the French version is printed in its entirety. Canadians should know both official languages anyway, right?
If you aren’t at all bilingual, then this is the gist of what they were trying to say…
In 1958-59 with the Rochester Americans, Hicke had a spectacular season with 41 goals and 56 assists, winning every trophy in sight. Injuries have plagued much of his career since.
That 1958-59 season was his first as a pro after a junior career with the Regina Pats. In 69 regular season American Hockey League games, he did score 41 and assist on 56 for a total of 97 points. He was second in the league for goals, third for assists and Hicke led the AHL in points to earn the John B. Sollenberger Trophy.
In his rookie pro season, Bill was also awarded the Les Cunningham Award as the league’s most valuable player. As can be expected, he also was awarded the Dudley Red Garrett Memorial Award as the top first year player.