The National Hockey League has always been family-oriented. It remains today with brothers, along with sons of legends in the game. Back at the end of the 1960’s, O-Pee-Chee featured six brother combos in the 1969-70 set.
Three of the 12 players are now in the Hockey Hall of Fame. One player had a son who became a Hall of Famer. Two of the brothers had NHLers in the family before and after their time in the league. Interestingly, two pairs of brothers came from the small Northern Ontario town of Kirkland Lake.
Phil and Tony Esposito
Phil Esposito was born in 1942 and his brother Tony came soon after in 1943. The two never played together in the NHL but it was close. Phil was traded from Chicago to the Boston Bruins before the start of the 1967-68 season while Tony came to Chicago from the Montreal Canadiens for the 1969-70 season.
In 1969-70, Phil, and the rest of the league, took a step back offensively. His point total was reduced to just 99 but the following year he would explode with 76 goals and 152 points. That year was the first of two Stanley Cup championships he would win with the Bruins. The older Esposito was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1984, four years ahead of his brother.
Tony had played just 13 National Hockey League games prior to the 1969-70 season. Those 13 came with the Canadiens the year before. In his first year with the Blackhawks, Esposito put up an amazing 15 shutouts. He played with Chicago until the end of his career after the 1983-84 season.
Bobby and Dennis Hull
There’s five years between the Hull brothers with Bobby born in 1939 and Dennis born in 1944. Bobby was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1983. Dennis had an outstanding but underrated NHL career. The two were teammates in Chicago from 1964-65 when Dennis entered the league until 1972-73 when Bobby played his first year with the Winnipeg Jets in the World Hockey Association.
In 1969-70, Bobby played in just 61 games for Chicago and totalled 67 points. Over a full season, he was on pace for 47 goals which would have led the league. The older Hull began with the Blackhawks in 1958-59. From 1972-73 to 1978-79, he played for the Jets in the WHA. He returned to the NHL for one final season, splitting time between Winnipeg and the Hartford Whalers.
Dennis Hull played with the Blackhawks from 1964-65 to 1976-77, often putting up numbers that rivaled his brother and Stan Mikita. His final season in the NHL, 1977-78, was spent with the Detroit Red Wings.
Barclay and Bob Plager
Our first pair of Kirkland Lakers, Barclay Plager was born in 1941 and his brother Bob came along two years later in 1943. Both had careers that were created by the 1967 NHL Expansion.
Barclay played six long years in the minors before getting his NHL shot with the St. Louis Blues in 1967-68. His entire career was spent with the Blues, playing his final year in 1976-77.
Bob saw a bit of NHL action before expansion but it was very limited time with the New York Rangers between 1964-65 and 1966-67. The two Plagers were together with St. Louis until Barclay retired after 1976-77. Bob went on to play one more year with the club.
Keith and Bill McCreary
There’s a big age difference between the two McCreary’s. Bill is the oldest, born in 1934 while Keith came along some six years later in 1940. Once again, these are two players who had their careers revived by the 1967 NHL Expansion.
Bill saw very little action prior the 1967-68. While still a junior with the Guelph Biltmore Mad Hatters, he played two games with the Rangers in 1953-54 and eight more the following year. That was it for his time with New York. He played three games with the Detroit Red Wings in 1957-58 and 14 with the Montreal Canadiens in 1962-63.
In 1969-70, Bill was in his third of four years with the Blues. The 1969-70 O-Pee-Chee card is the second of his only two hockey cards.
Keith was in his third year with the Pittsburgh Penguins in 1969-70. Previous to expansion, he appeared in just one playoff game with Montreal in 1961-62 and nine regular season games with the Habs in 1964-65. The older McCreary played in the NHL until 1974-75, spending time with Montreal, Pittsburgh and the Atlanta Flames.
Larry and Wayne Hillman
The other pair from Kirkland Lake, the Hillman brothers look like twins on their 1969-70 cards. Truth is, the brothers are just a year apart with Larry born in 1937 and Wayne born in 1938. The two played together with the Minnesota North Stars for part of 1968-69, with the Philadelphia Flyers in 1969-70 and 1970-71 then again with the WHA’s Cleveland Crusaders in 1973-74 and 1974-75.
Larry Hillman‘s NHL career spanned from 1954-55 to 1972-73, appearing with eight teams, the Detroit Red Wings, Boston Bruins, Toronto Maple Leafs, Montreal Canadiens, Minnesota North Stars, Philadelphia Flyers, Los Angeles Kings and Buffalo Sabres. He also played for the Cleveland Crusaders and Winnipeg Jets in the World Hockey Association.
Wayne Hillman played in the NHL between 1960-61 to 1972-73 with the Chicago Blackhawks, New York Rangers, Minnesota and Philadelphia. Unlike his brother, he doesn’t have a Stanley Cup ring.
Dennis and Bryan Hextall
The Hextall family has been a part of the NHL for much of the league’s existence. In 1969-70, both the hockey cards of Bryan Hextall and Dennis Hextall are considered their rookie cards. Bryan is the oldest, born in 1941 while Dennis came two years later in 1943.
Never NHL teammates, they did have a close call in 1975-76. Dennis went from Minnesota to Detroit late in the season while Bryan started the year with Detroit and ended up in Minnesota. The were not traded for each other, though.
In 1969-70, Bryan was in his first of five years with the Penguins. It was his first full season, having previously played just 21 games with the Rangers way back in 1962-63. He played in the NHL until the 1975-76 season, along the way appearing with the Rangers, Penguins, Atlanta Flames, Red Wings and North Stars.
Dennis Hextall played just 28 games for the Los Angeles Kings in 1969-70, spending much of his time in the American Hockey League with the Springfield Kings and Montreal Voyageurs. Previous to 1969-70, he’d appeared in just two playoff games with the Rangers in 1967-68 and 13 regular season games with New York in 1968-69.
Dennis continued on in the National Hockey League until 1979-80, also playing for the California Golden Seals and Washington Capitals, along with the Rangers, Kings, North Stars and Red Wings.