1978-79 O-Pee-Chee 86 Don Lever Hockey Card (Front)
1978-79 O-Pee-Chee 86 Don Lever Hockey Card (Back)
1978-79 O-Pee-Chee NHL Checklist
Card Notes
An excellent skater, Don is at home at either center or left wing. He is possessed with a great amount of self-motivation.
En Français
Don, un excellent patineur, peut jouer au centre ou à l’aile gauche. C’est un gars très ambitieux.
Details
The photo on the front of this 1978-79 O-Pee-Chee hockey card shows Don Lever as team captain of the Vancouver Canucks. He wore the “C” for two years, 1977-78 and 1978-79 before Kevin McCarthy took over. A February 8, 1980 trade saw the Vancouver fan favourite shipped to the Atlanta Flames along with Brad Smith for Ivan Boldirev and Darcy Rota.
The Canucks took Lever third overall at the 1972 NHL Amateur Draft behind just Billy Harris (New York Islanders) and Jacques Richard (Atlanta Flames). Don had an outstanding junior career with the Niagara Falls Flyers. His 61 goals and 126 points in 1971-72 paved the way for Red Tilson Trophy honours as league MVP.
In that 1971-72 season, Lever finished second for goals, just two away from leader Steve Shutt of the Toronto Marlboros. His point total was just three away from leaders and Eddie Powers Trophy winners (tie) Billy Harris and Dave Gardner, both of the Marlboros. Niagara Falls had a mediocre year despite Don’s performance. The roster was stacked with future NHL stars like Eric Vail, Jim Schoenfeld and Wilf Paiement.
Don Lever NHL Career
Don Lever played 1,020 regular season games in the National Hockey League between 1972-73 and 1986-87 but only appeared in 30 playoff games. Along with the Canucks and Flames, Lever also played for the Colorado Rockies, New Jersey Devils and Buffalo Sabres.
Lever’s offensive numbers topped out in his third year in the NHL, 1974-75, when he scored 38 goals and totaled 68 points. Late in his career, 1986-87, he was relegated to the AHL by the Sabres and helped their affiliate Rochester Americans to a Calder Cup championship.