1971-72 O-Pee-Chee 17 Gary Croteau Hockey Card (Front)
1971-72 O-Pee-Chee 17 Gary Croteau Hockey Card (Back)
1971-72 O-Pee-Chee NHL Checklist
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Card Notes
Size and aggressiveness are two of Gary’s chief assets. He’s a strong skater, and a tough man in the corners. Gary was originally drafted by Los Angeles back in 1968, and had a brief trial with Detroit before catching on with California. Gary scored three goals in 1969 playoffs.
En Français
Gary est bien bâi et agressif. Il patine bien et il est dur dans les coins. Gary fut d’abord repêché par Los Angeles en 1968 et il eut bref essai avec Détroit avant de passer au club de Californie. Gary compta trois buts durant les éliminatoires de 1969.
Details
Gary Croteau’s time with the Los Angeles Kings was short. He played just eleven regular season and eleven playoff games with the team in 1968-69 followed by three more the following season before landing in Detroit for a brief stint.
Those eleven games in the post season with Los Angeles would turn out to be the only playoff games Gary would play in the playoffs. He had the misfortune of spending his career with teams like the Golden Seals, Kansas City Scouts and Colorado Rockies.
However, he made those eleven playoff games count for the Kings in 1968-69. Croteau helped Los Angeles to their first series win, taking out the Oakland Seals in the quarter-final. The set went seven games and Gary contributed three goals and an assist. Two of the goals came in the first game of the set.
On April 2, 1969, the Seals hosted the Kings for game one. After Earl Ingarfield gave Oakland a 1-0 lead in the first period, scoring shorthanded on Wayne Rutledge, Croteau tied the score less than a minute later on the power play. Gary’s first ever playoff goal was scored on Gary Smith and assisted by Real Lemieux and Eddie Joyal. He got his second early in the second period to again tie the game. The match needed overtime before Ted Irvine of the Kings scored the winner for a 5-4 victory.
Between 1968-69 and 1979-80, Gary Croteau played 684 regular season and eleven playoff games in the National Hockey League with the Los Angeles Kings, Detroit Red Wings, California Golden Seals, Kansas City Scouts and Colorado Rockies. He was originally a prospect of the Toronto Maple Leafs before being traded to the Kings prior to the 1968-69 NHL season.