Brian Spencer: 1972-73 O-Pee-Chee 61

1972-73 O-Pee-Chee 61 Brian Spencer Hockey Card (Front)

1972-73 O-Pee-Chee 61 Brian Spencer Hockey Card (Back)

1972-73 O-Pee-Chee NHL Checklist

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Card Notes

Rough and ready is Brian’s style, and he provides an immediate spark when he skates onto the ice. His teammates call him “Spinner”, and he can also play right wing if necessary. Brian is one of the NHL’s toughest men in the corners, and one of his biggest thrills was scoring a three-goal “Hat Trick” two years ago.

En Français

Brian a un style rude et direct; il se fait remarquer dès son apparition sur la patinoire. Il peut aussi jouer à l’aile droite. Brian est l’un des gars les plus dangereux de la LNH dans les coins. Brian réussit un “tour du chapeau” contre Pittsburgh il y a deux ans.

Details

In the inaugural 1972-73 season in the NHL for the New York Islanders, Brian Spencer produced 14 goals and 38 points. Two of his 14 were game winners on a team that won just 12 games. His goal at 12:42 of the third period in a 4-2 win over the California Golden Seals on November 21, 1972 game the Islanders just their third win in franchise history. He also assisted on the insurance goal scored by Ed Westfall.

The hat trick referred to on the back of this 1972-73 O-Pee-Chee hockey card turned out to be the only three-goal game in Spencer’s NHL career. On January 9, 1971 at Maple Leaf Gardens, Brian scored the first two goals in a 5-2 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins. He added his third goal in the second period to put Toronto up 4-0. Two of the three were assisted by Darryl Sittler.

Spencer’s time with the Islanders would come to an end 54 games into the 1973-74 season. On March 11, 1974, he was shipped to the Buffalo Sabres for Doug Rombough. With the Sabres, Brian put in three decent seasons and helped them to the Stanley Cup final in 1974-75 before bowing out to the Philadelphia Flyers.

Though he did not score over 16 games in those 1974-75 playoffs, one of Spencer’s four assists was on Jim Lorentz‘s game and series clinching goal on Ken Dryden in a game 6 4-3 win over the Montreal Canadiens in the semi-final.

Between 1969-70 and 1978-79, Brian Spencer played 553 regular season and 37 playoff games in the National Hockey League with the Toronto Maple Leafs, New York Islanders, Buffalo Sabres and Pittsburgh Penguins. Originally, he was a fifth round pick by Toronto at the 1969 NHL Amateur Draft.

Brian Spencer NHL Career Stats

Regular Season

Year	Team	GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
1969-70	Toronto Maple Leafs	9	0	0	0	12
1970-71	Toronto Maple Leafs	50	9	15	24	115
1971-72	Toronto Maple Leafs	36	1	5	6	65
1972-73	New York Islanders	78	14	24	38	90
1973-74	New York Islanders	54	5	16	21	65
1973-74	Buffalo Sabres	13	3	2	5	4
1974-75	Buffalo Sabres	73	12	29	41	77
1975-76	Buffalo Sabres	77	13	26	39	70
1976-77	Buffalo Sabres	77	14	15	29	55
1977-78	Pittsburgh Penguins	79	9	11	20	81
1978-79	Pittsburgh Penguins	7	0	0	0	0
	Totals	553	80	143	223	634

Playoffs

Year	Team	GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
1969-70	Toronto Maple Leafs	0	0	0	0	0
1970-71	Toronto Maple Leafs	6	0	1	1	17
1971-72	Toronto Maple Leafs	0	0	0	0	0
1972-73	New York Islanders	0	0	0	0	0
1973-74	New York Islanders	0	0	0	0	0
1973-74	Buffalo Sabres	0	0	0	0	0
1974-75	Buffalo Sabres	16	0	4	4	8
1975-76	Buffalo Sabres	9	1	0	1	4
1976-77	Buffalo Sabres	6	0	0	0	0
1977-78	Pittsburgh Penguins	0	0	0	0	0
1978-79	Pittsburgh Penguins	0	0	0	0	0
	Totals	37	1	5	6	29