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RC’s of the Triple Crown Line of the Los Angeles Kings

The Triple Crown Line was a trio of stars that played for the Los Angeles Kings during the late 1970′s and early 1980′s. Construction of the line began in 1975-76 when the Kings got Marcel Dionne from the Detroit Red Wings. Charlie Simmer was a seldom used player with the California Golden Seals when the Kings got him in 1977-78. Dave Taylor was the only home grown player of the three and came to the Kings in 1977-78 after playing university hockey.

marcel dionne rookie card 1971-72 o-pee-chee 133 detroit red wingsMarcel Dionne

Dionne played three years of junior hockey in the Ontario Hockey Association from 1968-69 to 1970-71, all with the St. Catherines Black Hawks. Marcel remains just one of five players to win the Eddie Powers Trophy twice as the OHA’s (OHL) top scorer. In 1969-70, he led the league with 132 points in 54 games. In 1970-71, he totalled an amazing 143 points in just 46 games.

At the 1971 NHL Amateur Draft, the Montreal Canadiens chose Guy Lafleur first overall. The Red Wings got the ‘consolation prize’, taking Dionne second. He was an outstanding player with Detroit but became a superstar after being traded to the Kings.

Marcel played 1,348 regular season games over his NHL career between 1971-72 and 1988-89. Besides the Red Wings and Kings, Dionne also had a short stint with the New York Rangers. Unfortunately for Dionne, he played in just 48 playoff games over his career.

Dionne was with the Kings from 1975-76 to 1986-87. He won the Art Ross Trophy in 1979-80 with 137 points. In 1992 he was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame. His jersey number 16 is retired by Los Angeles.

The Marcel Dionne rookie card appears as number 133 in the 1971-72 O-Pee-Chee set. The hockey card is valued at $150. The set is highlighted by two other rookie cards with greater value than the Dionne card. The Ken Dryden rookie card is valued at $300 and the Guy Lafleur rookie card is valued at $200.

1979-80 o-pee-chee charlie simmer rookie hockey cardCharlie Simmer

Simmer spent just one year in the OHA with the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds before being drafted by the California Seals in the third round of the 1974 NHL Amateur Draft, 39th overall. Simmer saw his first NHL action the following year but spent much of his time in the minors until he was shipped down the coast.

Charlie played in the National Hockey League from 1974-75 to 1987-88 with the Seals, Kings, Boston Bruins and Pittsburgh Penguins. He was with the Kings from 1977-78 to 1983-84. An amazing sniper, Simmer had back to back 56 goal seasons in 1979-80 and 1980-81. Even more amazing is the fact he played just 64 games in 1979-80 and 65 in 1980-81. He was awarded the Bill Masterton Trophy in 1985-86.

Despite playing his first NHL game in 1974-75, he didn’t appear on cardboard until 1979-80. The Charlie Simmer rookie card appears as number 191 in the 1979-80 set and is valued at an underrated $6. Of course, the star of that set is the Wayne Gretzky rookie card, casting a shadow on some other great cards that came out that year.

Dave Taylor

1978-79 o-pee-chee 353 dave taylor rookie card los angeles kingsThe lowest drafted player to reach 1,000 points in an NHL career. Taylor was picked up by the Kings in the 15th round of the 1975 NHL Amateur Draft, 210th overall. At the time, he had just finished his second of four years with Clarkson University. Dave went on to play 1,111 regular season games in the NHL between 1977-78 and 1993-94, all with the Kings.

Over his career, he surpassed the 100 point plateau twice. Taylor reached the Stanley Cup finals with Los Angeles in 1992-93, playing in 22 playoff games in what would be his second last year in the NHL. The Kings fell to the Montreal Canadiens in the finals. Like Charlie Simmer, Taylor was a recipient of the Bill Masterton Trophy, taking it home in 1990-91. Dave’s jersey number 18 has been retired by the Kings.

Taylor found his face on cardboard a year before Simmer. The Dave Taylor rookie card appears as number 353 in the 1978-79 O-Pee-Chee set. The card is a gem and valued at $30. The 1978-79 set is highlighted by the Mike Bossy rookie card, valued at $100.

Triple Crown Line Hockey Card

In their 1981-82 set, O-Pee-Chee honoured the trio on card number 391. Dionne, Simmer and Taylor became the first three linemates in NHL history to all reach the 100 point plateau in a single season. In 1980-81, Marcel Dionne was the only one who played all 80 games, scoring 58 goals and assisting on 77 for 135 points. Dave Taylor came next with 47 goals and 65 assists for 112 points over 72 games. Charlie Simmer scored 56 and assisted on 49 for 105 points in just 65 games.

1981-82 o-pee-chee los angeles kings triple crown line rbIn typical Kings fashion during the Triple Crown Line era, the team had a strong regular season, finishing second in the Norris Division behind the Montreal Canadiens with 43 wins and 99 points. However, typical of the Kings during that era, the team shut down in the opening round of the playoffs, losing three games to one to the New York Rangers. New York outscored the high powered Kings 23-12 in the series.

The 1981-82 O-Pee-Chee card is a bargain, valued at just $2.50.

 

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By Tom – May 16, 2013

Bob Plager: St. Louis Blues Legend, and Now Author

bob plager st. louis blues rookie hockey card Bob Plager was a National Hockey League defenseman that played the bulk of his career with the St. Louis Blues. His jersey number is honoured by the team and he has remained with the organization in some capacity since retiring. Plager has come out with a new book titled Tales from the St. Louis Blues Locker Room: A Collection of the Greatest Blues Stories Ever Told.

The Rookie Card

Although he saw his first NHL action in 1964-65 with the New York Rangers, it wasn’t until the 1968-69 O-Pee-Chee and Topps were produced that Plager found his face on cardboard. In both sets, the Bob Plager rookie card is number 112. The O-Pee-Chee hockey card is valued at $25 while the Topps card is less than half that at $12.

The Topps card shows Plager wearing a New York Rangers jersey. The O-Pee-Chee card shows him in a Blues jersey. The picture on the front of each card is exactly the same, except for the horrendous air-brushing job by O-Pee-Chee.

The 1968-69 O-Pee-Chee set consists of 216 hockey cards and a complete collection is valued at $2,500. the Topps set consists of 132 cards and has a complete collection value of $750.

bob plager 1968-69 topps rookie hockey cardThe Playing Career

Plager played four years of junior hockey in the Ontario Hockey Association from 1959-60 to 1962-63. He played his OHA days in Guelph. The team was known as the Biltmores in the first year and the Royals in the following three. The following season, the Royals would move to Kitchener to become the present-day Kitchener Rangers.

Bob played in the NHL from 1964-65 to 1977-78 with the Rangers and Blues. He appeared in 644 regular season games, all but 29 with St. Louis. Plager was a member of the Blues in their inaugural season, 1967-68. However, he was not picked up in the 1967 NHL Expansion Draft. Instead, Plager was traded from the Rangers, along with Tim Ecclestone, Gary Sabourin and Gordon Kannegiesser for Rod Seiling.

Over his 644 regular season games, Bob scored just 20 goals and assisted on 126 for 146 points. In 74 playoffs games, mostly played in his first three years with the Blues, Plager scored two and assisted on 17 for 19 points. Of course, in the first three years of the franchise’s existence, the Blues reached the Stanley Cup finals.

Plager’s jersey number 5 is honoured by St. Louis but remains in circulation. His brother Barclay’s number 8 is officially retired by the club.

The Coach

As a head coach, Plager’s only success came in 1990-91 behind the bench of the IHL’s Peoria Rivermen. The Rivermen finished first in the six team West Division and first overall in the eleven team league. Over the 82 game schedule, Peoria won 58 games and totalled 121 points.

The Rivermen reached the Turner Cup final series and captured the championship with a four games to two victory over the Fort Wayne Komets. Plager was awarded the Commissioner’s Trophy as IHL Coach of the Year.

1990-91 was the only full year the Plager spent behind a bench. In 1992-93, he was interim head coach of the Blues for eleven games.

 

 

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By Tom – May 12, 2013

Syd Howe: The Original NHL Howe

syd howe 1933-34 o-pee-chee v304a rookie hockey cardBefore Gordie, Mark and Marty, there was Syd. Unrelated, Syd Howe played in the National Hockey League from 1929-30 to 1945-46. Like Gordie Howe, Syd’s best days were spent with the Detroit Red Wings. In fact, the two appeared on the same roster at the end of Syd’s career and the start of Gordie’s.

The Hockey Cards

Howe came along during the no-man’s land of hockey card production. However, he did get on cardboard. There are two cards from 1933-34 that are considered Syd Howe rookie cards. The 1933-34 Ice Kings V357 #72 is the highest valued of the two. Beckett has the Ice Kings hockey card pegged at $400. The set consists of 72 cards and is a complete collection is valued at a staggering $15,000. The highlight of the set is the hockey card of Howie Morenz which is valued at $2,000. The Howe card is an uncorrected error card (UER) as his first name is spelled Sid, instead of Syd.

The 1933-34 O-Pee-Chee V304A #24 is also considered the Syd Howe rookie card. This card is valued slightly lower at $350. The V304A set consists of 48 cards a complete collection is valued at the same as the Ice Kings set, $15,000. And, just like the Ice Kings set, Howie Morenz highlights with a card valued at $2,500.

The Player

The first five years of Howe’s career are a tour through a long forgotten era in NHL hockey. Syd played his rookie season with the Ottawa Senators before moving on to the Philadelphia Quakers for the 1930-31 season. This was the only season for the Quakers, relocated from Pittsburgh where they were known as the Pittsburgh Pirates.

syd howe 1933-34 v357 ice kings rookie hockey cardIn 1931-32, Syd played his only three games with the Toronto Maple Leafs while playing most of the season in the IHL with the Syracuse Stars. The Stars were in their second year of existence and would become the Buffalo Bisons for the 1940-41 season.

Howe found his way back to the Ottawa Senators for 1932-33, finding steady employment with the club until that franchise uprooted and headed to St. Louis, Missouri for the 1934-35 season. Like the Quakers, the St. Louis Eagles would last just one season in the NHL. Syd started his 1934-35 season with the Eagles but was shipped mid-season to the Detroit Red Wings.

He remained a Red Wing until 1945-46, winning three Stanley Cup championships with the club. Detroit won two consecutive championships in 1935-36 and 1936-37. In the first year, the Red Wings beat the Toronto Maple Leafs in the finals, three games to one. The following year, it was the New York Rangers that fell victim to Detroit, three games to two. In 1942-43, Howe got his third ring as the Red Wings swept the Boston Bruins in the best of seven final series.

At the time of his retirement, Howe was the last remaining active player that had played for the Philadelphia Quakers. He was also the last remaining player from the Ottawa Senators. Syd is still one of just eight players in NHL history to score 6 or more goals in a game. Howie Morenz is the only player to score seven. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1965. Syd Howe passed away in 1976.

 

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By Tom – May 9, 2013