1974-75 O-Pee-Chee 29 Steve Vickers Hockey Card (Front)
1974-75 O-Pee-Chee 29 Steve Vickers Hockey Card (Back)
1974-75 O-Pee-Chee NHL Checklist
Card Notes
Winner of the Calder Memorial Trophy as the best rookie in the League for the 1972-73 season. Steve has put two 30-goal seasons back to back. He scores most of his goals from right in front of the net, where he will establish position and refuse to be moved. Steve was the first player in NHL history to score three-goal hat tricks in consecutive games.
En Français
Steve, le gagnant du Trophée Commémoratif Calder comme meilleure recrue dans la Ligue en 1972-73, a marqué plus de 30 buts par saison deux fois de suite. Il marque la plupart de ses buts à partir du côté droit devant le filet. Steve fut le premier joueur dans la LNH à réussir trois buts par partie en trois parties consécutives… trois “tours du chapeau” consécutifs!
Details
A correction to the last line of the snippet on the back of the card. Joe Malone had three consecutive hat-tricks during the 1917-18 NHL season. In fact, he did it twice. However, Steve Vickers is considered the first to do it in the “modern day game”.
It was quite an impressive accomplishment considering Vickers did this as a rookie and quite early in his first season with the New York Rangers. It certainly helped him have a season worthy of the Calder Trophy as NHL rookie of the year.
On November 12, 1972, the Rangers met the Los Angeles Kings at Madison Square Garden. The Blue Shirts came out on top 5-1 with Steve scoring three on five shots, all on Gary Edwards. They were the fifth, sixth and seventh goals of his NHL career and included the winning goal.
Again at home, the Rangers took out the Philadelphia Flyers 7-3 on November 15, 1972. Vickers scored his 8th, 9th and tenth goals of the season on eight shots directed at Michel Belhumeur. However, the winning goal wasn’t one of his, Rod Gilbert scored New York’s fourth goal of the game. Bill Fairbairn also had a decent night for the Rangers with a goal and four assists.
It should be noted that none of the six goals were scored on an empty net. It should also be noted that Steve didn’t pick up any assists in the two games. This was indicative of his first two seasons in the NHL when he scored more goals than he set up.
Steve Vickers went on to play 698 regular season and 68 playoff games in the National Hockey League between 1972-73 and 1981-82, all with the Rangers. He was originally a tenth overall pick by the club at the 1971 NHL Amateur Draft after a junior career with the Toronto Marlboros.