Wayne Gretzky, Mario Lemieux and Fran Huck. What’s the connection? These former hockey players are three of just twelve Canadian men to belong to the IIHF Hall of Fame in the Players category.
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1973-74 Topps#63 – Fran Huck rookie card.
Huck had slightly less NHL experience that Gretzky or Lemieux, playing in 94 regular season and 11 playoff games over four seasons. Originally a prospect of the Montreal Canadiens, Fran played two games for the Habs in 1969-70 and five more in 1970-71. Sharing the same dimensions (5’7″ and 165 lbs.), Huck was like the Saskatchewan version of Yvan Cournoyer. The Habs chose to keep Cournoyer and traded Fran to the St. Louis Blues.
With St. Louis, Huck played the majority of his NHL hockey, appearing in 29 games in 1970-71 and 58 in 1972-73. His numbers in his final NHL season were respectable with 16 goals and 36 points in 58 regular season games with the Blues. He added four points in five playoff games.
Fran played parts of five seasons in the World Hockey Association from 1973-74 to 1977-78 with the Winnipeg Jets and Minnesota Fighting Saints. His first year with the Jets, 1973-74, he totalled 74 points in 74 regular season games. In all, Huck played 228 regular season and 23 playoff games in the WHA, recording a respectable 194 points plus 18 in Avco Cup playoff action.
As a junior with the Regina Pats of the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League, Huck led the league in
scoring for 1963-64 and 1964-65. Over 62 games with Regina in 1963-64, Fran scored 86 goals and added 67 assists for 153 points. The following season, the numbers dropped slightly with 77 goals and 138 points in 56 games. He was named league MVP in 1963-64.
Of course, his induction into the IIHF Hall of Fame in 1999 stemmed from his play with the Canadian National Team from 1966-67 to 1968-69. He was a large part of three bronze medal performances for Canada – the 1966 and 1967 World Hockey Championships and the 1968 Winter Olympics. He led Canada at the 1968 Olympics with four goals and five assists.
There are just three mainstream hockey cards featuring Fran Huck. All are considered common cards. His rookie card is considered the 1973-74 Topps #63 as a member of the St. Louis Blues. He is also on two O-Pee-Chee WHA cards, 1974-75 #28 and 1975-76 #121, both as a member of the Minnesota Fighting Saints.
