1971-72 O-Pee-Chee 124 Walt McKechnie Hockey Card (Front)
1971-72 O-Pee-Chee 124 Walt McKechnie Hockey Card (Back)
1971-72 O-Pee-Chee NHL Checklist
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Card Notes
By his fourth game with Seals this season, Walt had passed his point total of four for last season in 30 games. He was traded to California by Minnesota during the off-season but already has proved a valuable addition to the Seals. Won the Western League’s Rookie Award in 1967-68 while with Phoenix.
En Français
En quatre joutes cette année avec les Seals, Walt avait déjà dépassé son total de quatre buts de l’an dernier en 30 parties. Il fut échangé aux Seals par Minnesota entre les saisons. Recrue de l’Année de la Ligue de l’Ouest en 1967-68 alors qu’il jouait pour Phoenix.
Details
1971-72 was definitely a bit of a break-out for Walt McKechnie. Over the previous four seasons with the North Stars, Walt scored nine goals and assisted on 13 for 22 points in a total of 112 games. Over 56 games with the California Golden Seals in 71-72, Walt scored eleven and assisted on 20 for 31 points.
The numbers would continue to increase with McKechnie contributing 54 points in the following season. Over his career, he crossed the 20 goal plateau four times. His best campaign came in 1975-76 with the Detroit Red Wings, scoring 26 goals and totaling 82 points.
Fresh off a junior career with the London Nationals (now Knights), Walt played four regular season and nine playoff games with the Minnesota North Stars in 1967-68. He spent most of his time in the WHL with the Phoenix Roadrunners, scoring 24 goals in 67 games on his way to earning rookie of the year honours.
Between 1967-68 and 1982-83, Walt McKechnie appeared in 955 regular season games but just 15 in the post season. Along with the nine he played for the North Stars in his first year, he would play six for the Toronto Maple Leafs in 1978-79. Originally property of the Buds, along with the North Stars and Golden Seals, McKechnie also played for the Boston Bruins, Detroit Red Wings, Washington Capitals, Cleveland Barons and Colorado Rockies.
Between his time with the Seals and the Bruins, Walt was technically property of the New York Rangers. The Blue Shirts picked him up but immediately traded him to Boston in exchange for Derek Sanderson. That 1974-75 season saw McKechnie mostly left off cardboard. He was included on the Seals Team Leaders card but did not have a regular card with either the Bruins or Red Wings, the two teams he split the season with.