1973-74 O-Pee-Chee 221 Wayne Thomas Hockey Card (Front)
1973-74 O-Pee-Chee 221 Wayne Thomas Hockey Card (Back)
1973-74 O-Pee-Chee NHL Checklist
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Card Notes
The unexpected retirement of All-Star Ken Dryden thrust Wayne into the spotlight with the Canadiens this season, and he immediately proved he was capable of NHL competition. The Canadiens got Wayne in a big, six-man trade with the Los Angeles Kings in May, 1970. Wayne is bit and has a quick glove hand.
En Français
La retraite inattendue de la vedette Ken Dryden a forcé Wayne à faire ses preuves dans la Ligue Nationale cette année. Les Canadiens obtinrent Wayne de Los Angeles à la suite d’un échange important en mai 1970. Wayne est bien bâti et il est rapide avec sa mitaine.
Details
On May 22, 1970, Wayne Thomas was traded from the Los Angeles Kings organization to the Montreal Canadiens along with Gregg Boddy and Leon Rochefort for Lucien Grenier, Larry Mickey and Jack Norris. On paper, Montreal was Wayne’s third NHL team. Originally a prospect of the Toronto Maple Leafs, he was traded to the Kings in September, 1968.
It was with the Canadiens that Thomas played his first NHL game, and it was a big one. On January 14, 1973, the Habs gave Ken Dryden a rest and put Wayne in against the Vancouver Canucks at Pacific Coliseum. He turned away all 20 shots in the 3-0 win to earn a shutout in his very first NHL game. This is the subject of Hockey Trivia Question #0070 at our trivia website.
Thrust into the role of number one goalie with Montreal in 1973-74, Thomas played 42 games, posting a 2.77 goals against average with a single shutout. That blank came in his third game of the season against the Philadelphia Flyers at the Spectrum on October 25, 1973. He made 28 saves in the 4-0 win while Jacques Lemaire led offensively with a hat trick.
Between 1972-73 and 1980-81, Wayne Thomas played 243 regular season and 15 playoff games in the National Hockey League with the Montreal Canadiens, Toronto Maple Leafs and New York Rangers. After retiring, he held various off-ice roles with the New York Rangers, Chicago Blackhawks, St. Louis Blues and San Jose Sharks.