1971-72 O-Pee-Chee 207 Rick MacLeish Hockey Card (Front)
1971-72 O-Pee-Chee 207 Rick MacLeish Hockey Card (Back)
1971-72 O-Pee-Chee NHL Checklist
Card Notes
Flyers have high hopes for this youngster, whom they acquired from Boston midway through the 1970-71 season. After scoring 95 goals in his last two junior seasons, Rick was the fourth choice in the 1970 Amateur Draft by Boston. Joined Flyers in the deal which sent Mike Walton to Boston.
En Français
Les Flyers comptent beaucoup sur ce jeune homme qu’ils ont acquis des Bruins au milieu de la saison 1970-71. Après avoir compté 95 buts durant ses deux dernières saisons comme junior, Rick fut le quatrième choix de Boston au repêchage des amateurs en 1970. Se joignit aux Flyers à la suite de l’échange qui envoya Mike Walton à Boston.
Details
The back of the card has a bit of a head-shaker statement but it is not an error. It is true that Rick MacLeish was traded from the Boston Bruins to the Philadelphia Flyers on January 31, 1971, in exchange for Mike Walton. However, Walton never played for the Flyers. Shaky had been picked up the same day in a trade with the Toronto Maple Leafs that saw the Buds and Flyers exchange goaltenders Bernie Parent and Bruce Gamble. Walton was then immediately traded to the Bruins.
MacLeish played his major junior hockey with the Peterborough Petes for three seasons from 1967-68 to 1969-70 (he appeared in two games with the London Nationals in 1966-67). In 1968-69, he was third in goal scoring with 50. The following year, his production dropped to 45 goals but it was still good for fourth in the league, ten goals behind leader Marcel Dionne of the St. Catharines Black Hawks.
Rick was the fourth overall pick at the 1970 NHL Amateur Draft by the Boston Bruins. Selected before him were Gilbert Perreault, Dale Tallon and Reg Leach. Leach was also drafted by the Bruins and after being traded to the California Golden Seals, would also join the Flyers as an important part of the franchise’s success in the 1970’s.
In a National Hockey League career that spanned from 1970-71 to 1983-84, Rick MacLeish played in 846 regular season and 114 playoff games with the Flyers, Hartford Whalers, Pittsburgh Penguins and Detroit Red Wings. He helped the Flyers win a pair of back-to-back Stanley Cup championships in 1973-74 and 1974-75.