1978-79 O-Pee-Chee NHL Hockey Cards

The 1978-79 O-Pee-Chee NHL set consists of 396 hockey cards featuring players from the 17 teams in the league at the time. The Topps version of the set comes in a bit smaller at just 264 cards. This is the last NHL set before the World Hockey Association merger and the last set before the Wayne Gretzky era.

The most valuable rookie card by far in the set is that of Mike Bossy of the New York Islanders. Other significant RC’s include Dave Taylor, Doug Wilson, Brian Sutter and Randy Carlyle.

The number 300 card in the 1978-79 OPC set commemorates the great National Hockey League career of Bobby Orr, a career that came to a premature end due to knee injuries. Upon his retirement, Orr bypassed the usual waiting period and was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame. That card is the second most valuable in the set behind the Bossy rookie card.

1978-79 O-Pee-Chee NHL Checklist

Back To O-Pee-Chee NHL Index Page

1978-79 NHL Season

The 1978-79 National Hockey League season was the end of an era with the Cleveland Barons merging with the Minnesota North Stars. This essentially marked the end of the Oakland Seals franchise that joined the NHL in 1967-68, along with the North Stars. This reduced the number of teams in the league to 17.

1978-79 was also the end of an era as it would be the last year that the World Hockey Association would exist. This was significant in that the NHL would swallow up four WHA teams for the 1979-80 season, the Edmonton Oilers, Winnipeg Jets, Quebec Nordiques and Hartford Whalers. This would increase the league to 21 teams and eliminate the NHL’s only direct competition.

Again, it was an end of an era and a dynasty. The Montreal Canadiens would win their fourth of four consecutive Stanley Cup championships in 1978-79. The Habs would sweep the Toronto Maple Leafs before going the full seven with the Boston Bruins in the semi-final. The win paved the way to a Stanley Cup final series against the New York Rangers, a series that Montreal would win in five games.

During the regular season, it was the New York Islanders finishing first overall with 116 points, one more point than Montreal. The Islanders lost to the Rangers in the semi-final but it was a sign of things to come with the Islanders winning the Stanley Cup for the following four seasons.

Bryan Trottier of the Islanders won the Art Ross Trophy with 134 points, four more than Marcel Dionne of the Los Angeles Kings. Trottier’s linemate Mike Bossy led the league with 69 goals. It was Trottier who would be honoured with the Hart Trophy as the NHL’s most valuable player.

1978-79 would be the last time we’d see superstars Bobby Orr, Ken Dryden, Yvan Cournoyer, Bernie Parent and Jacques Lemaire play in the NHL. newcomers included Bobby Smith, Joel Quenneville, Brad Marsh, Stan Smyl and Ryan Walter.

The High Scoring Habs

The Montreal Canadiens did not lead the NHL in goals in 1978-79. However, their 337 over 80 games was second to the 358 put up by the New York Islanders. But, when it came to blowouts, the Habs were definitely number one.

In the last quarter of the season, Montreal had three wins where they scored 10 or more goals. On February 22, 1979, Montreal shutout the Pittsburgh Penguins 12-0 at the Forum. Denis Herron played the first two periods for the Pens, allowing seven goals. Greg Millen came in for the third and let in five.

The scoring was spread out with nine different players scoring in the game. Yvon Lambert, Doug Risebrough and Mario Tremblay led the way with two goals each. Guy Lapointe had four assists from the blue line. Michel Larocque faced a respectable 25 shots in the shutout.

On March 8, 1979, the Canadiens beat the Vancouver Canucks 11-1, again at home. Gary Bromley took the brunt of the abuse, allowing nine goals while Dunc Wilson came in late in the game to let in the final two goals.

Jacques Lemaire led the way with five points on a hat trick and two assists. Both Steve Shutt and Mario Tremblay had two goals each. Ken Dryden was in the Montreal nets, stopping 25 of 26 shots. The only Vancouver goals was scored by Brad Gassoff in the second period.

The final blowout came on April 7, 1979 at the Forum against the Washington Capitals. The Canadiens came out ahead 10-3 for the win. Guy Lafleur led the way with two goals and four assists for six points. Pierre Mondou had a four point night with a hat trick and an assist. Larry Robinson and Mark Napier had three point nights.

That night, Jim Bedard was between the pipes for the Capitals for the duration. Bedard faced 41 shots, turning away 31. Michel Larocque was less than stellar, allowing three goals on just 18 shots.

1978-79 NHL Standings

1978-79 NHL Scoring Leaders