1976-77 O-Pee-Chee 23 Mike Walton Hockey Card (Front)
1976-77 O-Pee-Chee 23 Mike Walton Hockey Card (Back)
1976-77 O-Pee-Chee NHL Checklist
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Card Notes
Mike was an oustanding acquisition by the Canucks last season. He’s a dynamic goal scorer, and scored at better than a point per game pace for the Canucks.
En Français
Les Canucks eurent la chance d’acquérir Mike la saison dernière. Walton est un bon marqueur de buts et il contribua plus d’un point par match pour Vancouver.
Details
Indeed, Mike Walton was pretty dynamic after arriving in Vancouver following the demise of the WHA’s Minnesota Fighting Saints. He had appeared in all the Saints games in 1975-76 before the team folded. After being picked up by the Canucks, he totaled 16 points in ten games. Projected over an 80 game schedule, that would have worked out to be a 128 point season for Shaky.
His 1976-77 season was injury riddled and he appeared in just 40 games for the Canucks. However, the following year, he scored 29 goals for the team, one shy of his NHL career best of 30 with the Toronto Maple Leafs in 1967-68.
It was in the WHA where Walton’s true offensive abilities showed up. In 1973-74, he led the league with 57 goals and 117 points. He was one of just three players to top the 50 goal plateau with Bobby Hull scoring 53 and Danny Lawson scoring 50.
Mike didn’t win the Calder Trophy as NHL rookie of the year but was top first year player in two different leagues in consecutive seasons. In 1964-65, he won the Ken McKenzie Trophy in the CPHL with the Tulsa Oilers. The following year, he won the Dudley Red Garrett Award as the AHL’s top first year player with the Rochester Americans.
Between 1965-66 and 1978-79, Mike Walton played 588 regular season and 47 playoff games in the National Hockey League with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Boston Bruins, Vancouver Canucks, St Louis Blues and Chicago Blackhawks. He was part of Stanley Cup championship teams with both Toronto and Boston.
In the World Hockey Association, Walton played 211 regular season and 23 playoff games between 1973-74 and 1975-76, all with the Fighting Saints. He is a member of the WHA Hall of Fame.