1969-70 O-Pee-Chee 46 Ron Ellis Hockey Card (Front)
1969-70 O-Pee-Chee 46 Ron Ellis Hockey Card (Back)
1969-70 O-Pee-Chee NHL Checklist
Card Notes
The Maple Leafs think so much of Ron Ellis that they’ve given him the famed No. 6 of Ace Bailey. One of the fastest skaters in the game, Ron always gives 100%. He’s quiet on and off the ice and seldom draws a penalty.
En Français
Les Maple Leafs pensent tellement de bien de Ron Ellis, qu’ils lui ont donne le no. 6, rendu célèbre par Ace Bailey. Un des patineurs les plus rapides dans les joutes. Ron se donne à 100%, il est calme aussi bien sur la glace qu’en dehors et se mérite rarement une punition.
Details
It’s interesting that the jersey number for Ron Ellis comes up on the back of the card. Ellis previously wore number 11 and 8 for the Maple Leafs before switching to number 6 at the start of the 1968-69 season. However, the photo on the front of the card has Ron wearing number 8, so obviously the picture is a few years old. Also, his gloves have number 27 on them. Gerry Meehan wore 27 in 1968-69 and Darryl Sittler would wear 27 but not until his rookie 1970-71 season.
The number 6 was originally retired by the Toronto Maple Leafs in honour of Ace Bailey on February 14, 1934. An exception was made for Ron Ellis and no Toronto player has worn the number since Ellis retired after the 1980-81 NHL season.
Ellis played 1,034 and 70 playoff games in the National Hockey League between 1963-64 and 1980-81, all with the Maple Leafs. He scored 20 or more goals in ten consecutive seasons. Twice he topped the 30 goal plateau with his career best coming in 1969-70 with 35. That total placed him seventh in the NHL, just eight goals behind league leader Phil Esposito and two more than a three-way log jam between Bobby Orr, Red Berenson and Dave Balon.