1975-76 O-Pee-Chee WHA 8 Mike Rogers Hockey Card (Front)
1975-76 O-Pee-Chee WHA 8 Mike Rogers Hockey Card (Back)
1975-76 O-Pee-Chee WHA Checklist
Card Notes
Mike joined the Oilers after three outstanding seasons with the Calgary Centennials of the Western Canada Hockey League. He centered wingers Danny Gare and Jerry Holland and the trio set an all-time scoring record in the WCHL. Mike led the Edmonton Oil Kings to a thrilling upset victory over the Moscow Selects in their Canadian tour, handing the Moscow squad its only defeat after the 1973-74 campaign.
En Français
Mike se joignit aux Oilers après trois excellentes saisons avec les Centennials de Calgary dans la ligue de l’Ouest du Canada. Ses compagnons de ligne furent les ailiers Danny Gare et Jerry Holland. Ce trois établit un record de tous les temps comme compteurs dans la Ligue de l’Ouest du Canada. Mike aida les Oil Kings d’Edmonton à vaincre les Selects du Moscou durant leur tournée au Canada, c’est la seule fois que les Moscovites furent battus après la saison 1973-74.
Details
Mike Rogers was a second round pick by the Edmonton Oilers at the 1974 WHA Secret Amateur Draft, going 19th overall. In the first round, the Oilers chose Clark Gillies seventh overall. Gillies, of course, never played in the World Hockey Association. Of the 30 players selected in the “secret draft”, Rogers moved on to play the most WHA games. He was also taken by the Vancouver Canucks in the fifth round of the 1974 NHL Amateur Draft, 77th overall.
In his final year of junior hockey with the Calgary Centennials, Rogers scored 67 goals and assisted on 73 for 140 points. He led the team and was third in the WCHL for points behind Ron Chipperfield and Dennis Sobchuk. Interestingly, all three ended up in the WHA.
The numbers for the line of Rogers, Danny Gare and Jerry Holland:
| Player | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM |
| Mike Rogers | 66 | 67 | 73 | 140 | 32 |
| Danny Gare | 65 | 68 | 59 | 127 | 238 |
| Jerry Holland | 67 | 55 | 65 | 120 | 54 |
| Totals | 198 | 190 | 197 | 387 | 324 |
Mike Rogers Calgary Centennials Career Stats
| Year | Team | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM |
| 1971-72 | Calgary Centennials | 66 | 27 | 30 | 57 | 19 |
| 1972-73 | Calgary Centennials | 67 | 54 | 58 | 112 | 44 |
| 1973-74 | Calgary Centennials | 66 | 67 | 73 | 140 | 32 |
| Totals | 199 | 148 | 161 | 309 | 95 |
Rogers continued to play in the WHA until the league merged with the NHL for the 1979-80 season, moving to the New England Whalers during the 1975-76 season. In his rookie season (stats on the back of the card), Mike was honoured with the Paul Deneau Trophy as the WHA’s most gentlemanly player.
After moving to the NHL with the Hartford Whalers for the 1979-80 season, Mike’s offensive abilities were thrust to the forefront. In his first three seasons in the National Hockey League, Rogers topped the 100 point plateau. In 1979-80 and 1980-81, he put up 105 points each for the Whalers, often setting up Blaine Stoughton. In 1981-82, he recorded 103 points for the New York Rangers.
Mike Rogers went on to play 484 regular season and 17 Stanley Cup playoff games in the National Hockey League between 1979-80 and 1985-86 with the Whalers and Rangers, along with an eight game return to the Edmonton Oilers in his final season.