1965-66 Topps 120 Pat Stapleton Hockey Card (Front)
1965-66 Topps 120 Pat Stapleton Hockey Card (Back)
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Card Notes
Stocky little guy who can play almost anywhere and has. Played one full year on Boston defense, then starred last two seasons at Portland of WHL.
En Français
Ce petit homme trapu peut joueur presque partout et c’est ce qu’il fait. A joué une saison complète à la défense avec Boston, et s’est distingué pendant deux saisons à Portland.
Details
Pat Stapleton put in his first full NHL season back in 1961-62, playing 69 of 70 games with the Boston Bruins. He finished third in voting for the Calder Trophy as NHL rookie of the year, behind winner Bobby Rousseau and runner-up Cliff Pennington. Despite the early success, he would play just 21 games with the Bruins the following season before being relegated to the minors.
After a standout season with the Portland Buckaroos in 1964-65, he caught the attention of the Chicago Blackhawks and his NHL career was resurrected. With that Portland team, Stapleton scored 29 goals and assisted on 57 for 86 points over 70 games. He was fourth in league scoring and helped Portland to a championship.
In 1965-66, he played 55 games for Chicago while also seeing time in the CPHL with the St. Louis Braves. Despite the split season, Stapleton finished third in voting for the Norris Trophy as the league’s top defenseman. Jacques Laperriere won the award and Pierre Pilote was runner-up.
In 1968-69 with the Blackhawks, Pat collected 50 assists, a total unheard of for defensemen at the time. He led NHL blue liners in that department and finished fifth overall, 27 behind leader Phil Esposito. His numbers were aided by a six assist game against the Red Wings and a five point game against the Minnesota North Stars.
Between 1961-62 and 1972-73, Pat Stapleton played 635 regular season and 65 playoff games in the National Hockey League with the Boston Bruins and Chicago Blackhawks. After jumping to the WHA, he played an additional 372 regular season and 28 playoff games between 1973-74 and 1977-78 with the Chicago Cougars, Indianapolis Racers and Cincinnati Stingers.