1972-73 O-Pee-Chee 117 Gary Smith Hockey Card (Front)
1972-73 O-Pee-Chee 117 Gary Smith Hockey Card (Back)
1972-73 O-Pee-Chee NHL Checklist
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Card Notes
Gary is one of the biggest goalies in the NHL, but he’s always been rated highly. He likes to roam from the net, and once almost scored a goal while playing for the California Seals.
En Français
Gary est l’un des plus gros gardiens dans la LNH. Il s’éloigne souvent des filets; il compta presque un but pour les Seals.
Details
The 1971-72 NHL season stats shown on the back of this Gary Smith hockey card are a world away from the previous season. After setting, at the time, an NHL record for most games played by a goalie in a single season, Smith got to relax as Tony Esposito‘s backup. In just 28 games he put up an outstanding five shutouts and improved his goals against average over the previous campaign by a margin of 1.45.
In 1970-71, Gary set the current NHL record for losses by a goalie with 48. Still, he was able to lead the California Golden Seals to two shutout wins. The first blank was no easy task as Smith turned away all 25 shots in a 2-0 win over the much more powerful Montreal Canadiens.
1972-73 would be his final season with the Blackhawks, moving on to the Vancouver Canucks for the 73-74 campaign. With Vancouver, he was thrust back into the number one role and appeared in 66, 72 and 51 games in his three years with the club.
Between 1965-66 and 1979-80, Gary Smith appeared in 532 regular season and 20 playoff games in the National Hockey League with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Oakland Seals, Chicago Blackhawks, Vancouver Canucks, Minnesota North Stars, Washington Capitals and the Winnipeg Jets. In 1978-79, he also played in the WHA with the Indianapolis Racers and Winnipeg Jets. Along with the six minor pro teams he played for over his career, Gary well deserved his nickname “Suitcase”.