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Gregg Sheppard: Boston’s PK Specialist

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gregg sheppard boston bruins 1972-73 o-pee-chee rookie hockey cardWith the star studded Boston Bruins rosters of the 1970’s, the great career of Gregg Sheppard goes a bit unnoticed. It doesn’t help that a 5’8″ 170 lb. player was trying to be noticed on a team known as the ‘Big Bad Bruins’.

Yet, Sheppard was an important cog for a team that went to the Stanley Cup finals three times over his six years in black, yellow and white. Even today, Gregg has his spot in Boston’s record books. His seven shorthanded goals during the 1974-75 season have only been topped by one player in team history.

 

Junior and Minor Pro
Hockey Card Collection
NHL Career
Rookie Card
Career Stats

Gregg Sheppard – Junior and Minor Pro

Sheppard played junior hockey with the Estevan Bruins from 1965-66 to 1968-69. In 86 combined games throughout the 1967-68 regular season, WCHL playoffs and the Memorial Cup run, Sheppard put up 60 goals and 64 assists for 124 points.


Gregg Sheppard Collection

opc 1972-73 button

 

opc 1973-74 button

 

1975-76 o-pee-chee button

 

opc 1976-77 button

 

opc 1977-78 button

 

opc 1978-79 button

 


Getting out of the WCHL was tough with the inevitable meeting with the Flin Flon Bombers in the finals. The Bomber were led by Bobby Clarke and Reggie Leach but the Bruins came out on top. Estevan topped the Penticton Vees for the Abbott Cup championship to earn a berth in the Memorial Cup finals. Their winning ways came to an end, losing out to the Niagara Falls Flyers in five games.



The following year, Estevan wasn’t nearly successful as a team but Sheppard had an excellent offensive campaign. His 42 goals tied him for fourth in the WCHL with Butch Goring of the Winnipeg Jets. He placed ninth with 42 assists and seventh with 84 points.

1968-69 also brought about his first pro action, appearing in four regular season games with the Oklahoma City Blazers of the Central Hockey League. Starting in 1969-70, Gregg would spend three full seasons with the Blazers before getting his break in the NHL.

In 1970-71, his 50 assists tied him for third in the CHL with Oklahoma City teammate Dick Cherry. His 75 points tied him for fourth in the league with another teammate, Bill Klatt.

1971-72 got him noticed. Sheppard led the CHL with 41 goals, tied with J.P. Bordeleau of the Dallas Blackhawks and Ross Perkins of the Fort Worth Wings. He tied for fifth with 52 assists, equaling Bill Hogaboam of the Omaha Knights. Sheppard’s 93 points placed him third, just four points behind the leader. For his efforts, Gregg was named CHL most valuable player.

His minor league career would come to an end eight games into the 1972-73 season. Playing for the Boston Braves of the American Hockey League, Sheppard was called up to the NHL Bruins with vacancies due to injuries and players leaving for the World Hockey Association.

Gregg Sheppard – NHL

Between 1972-73 and 1981-82, Sheppard played 657 regular season games in the National Hockey League. Over that time, he scored 205 goals and assisted on 293 for 498 points with the Boston Bruins and Pittsburgh Penguins. Gregg appeared in an additional 82 Stanley Cup playoff games, contributing 32 goals and 40 assists.

In that 1972-73 rookie season, Sheppard was outstanding for the Bruins with 24 goals and 26 assists over just 64 games. Yet, he was denied the Calder Trophy with honours going to Steve Vickers of the New York Rangers.

As mentioned, Gregg played in three Stanley Cup finals with no rings to show for it. In 1973-74, the Bruins fell to the Philadelphia Flyers, while in 1976-77 and 1977-78, Boston was the victim of the Montreal Canadiens machine.

Three times, from 1974-75 to 1976-77, Sheppard topped the 30 goal plateau. However, it was 1977-78 that should have been his career year. In 54 regular season games, he scored 23 and assisted on 36 for 59 points before a Denis Potvin hit put him out with a knee injury. His pace projected over a full 80 game schedule had him scoring 31 and assisting on 53.

It was his ability to score while on the penalty kill that Boston fans will remember him for the most. In 1974-75, he scored seven shorthanded goals, tying Ed Westfall who scored seven in 1970-71. That would remain a team record until Brian Rolston scored nine in 2001-02. Sheppard’s four career shorthanded goals in the Stanley Cup playoffs still ranks him third on the team behind Westfall and Derek Sanderson, both with six.

A three way trade took place on September 6, 1978 that dropped Sheppard in Pittsburgh. Jean Pronovost went from the Pittsburgh Penguins to the Atlanta Flames while Dick Redmond went from Atlanta to the Bruins.

It was ultimately knee injuries that ended Gregg’s career. During a Pittsburgh practice, teammate Randy Carlyle landed on Sheppard’s knee, doing enough damage to warrant retirement.

Gregg Sheppard – Rookie Card

The Gregg Sheppard rookie card appears as number 241 in the 1972-73 O-Pee-Chee set. The card shows him with the Bruins and is valued as a common card. There are no stats on the back as 1972-73 was his first year in the NHL.

His 1976-77 O-Pee-Chee card refers to him as Boston’s ‘Mr. Everything’ on the back. This title was often placed on the back of Bobby Orr’s hockey cards by O-Pee-Chee. The following year, O-Pee-Chee then referred to him as Boston’s ‘Indispensable Man’. Ironically, after that 1977-78 season, Sheppard obviously became quite dispensable.

Gregg Sheppard Career Stats

Season Team Lge GP G A Pts PIM
1965-66 Estevan Bruins SJHL 1 1 1 2 0
1966-67 Estevan Bruins CMJHL 56 37 31 68 14
1967-68 Estevan Bruins WCJHL 58 35 46 81 68
1968-69 Estevan Bruins WCHL 54 42 42 84 33
1968-69 Oklahoma City Blazers CHL 4 0 0 0 0
1969-70 Salt Lake Golden Eagles WHL 5 0 0 0 2
1969-70 Oklahoma City Blazers CHL 65 26 29 55 19
1970-71 Oklahoma City Blazers CHL 68 25 50 75 45
1971-72 Oklahoma City Blazers CHL 72 41 52 93 43
1972-73 Boston Braves AHL 8 5 5 10 2
1972-73 Boston Bruins NHL 64 24 26 50 18
1973-74 Boston Bruins NHL 75 16 31 47 21
1974-75 Boston Bruins NHL 76 30 48 78 19
1975-76 Boston Bruins NHL 70 31 43 74 28
1976-77 Boston Bruins NHL 77 31 36 67 20
1977-78 Boston Bruins NHL 54 23 36 59 24
1978-79 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL 60 15 22 37 9
1979-80 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL 76 13 24 37 20
1980-81 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL 47 11 17 28 49
1981-82 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL 58 11 10 21 35
NHL Totals 657 205 293 498 243

 

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