Guy Lafleur Rookie Card Worth More Than Marcel Dionne’s – But, Who Was Better?

The 1971 NHL Amateur Draft featured two future Hockey Hall of Famers going first and second overall. The Montreal Canadiens picked Guy Lafleur first overall, while the Detroit Red Wings followed up by taking Marcel Dionne. Lafleur’s Hall of Fame selection was based on his career with the Canadiens. However, Dionne would become most recognized as the face of the Los Angeles Kings.

Despite the career numbers weighing in Dionne’s favour, Lafleur is considered the dominant player in the vintage hockey card world. A 1971-72 O-Pee-Chee number 133 Guy Lafleur rookie card is worth up to $200 according to Beckett Hockey Monthly. A Marcel Dionne rookie card from the same series is worth $50 less.

Both players entered that 1971 NHL Amateur Draft as scoring champions in their junior leagues. Marcel Dionne was coming off his second Eddie Powers Memorial Trophy in as many years after leading the OHA in scoring with 143 points in just 46 regular season games with the St. Catherines Black Hawks. Lafleur won what is now the Jean Beliveau Trophy as the QMJHL’s leading scorer with a whopping 209 points on 130 goals in 62 games with the Quebec Remparts. Guy is one of only four players in QMJHL history to surpass 100 goals in a single season and he did it twice in a row.

Marcel Dionne may very well have been the better player of the two. The fact of the matter is that Lafleur played for the Montreal Canadiens during their dynasty of the 1970’s, whereas, Dionne was stuck in Southern California on a mediocre Los Angeles Kings team.

Both are all-time leading point getters for the main team they played for (Dionne – Los Angeles and Lafleur – Montreal). Both are honoured members of the Hockey Hall of Fame (Dionne – 1992 and Lafleur – 1988).

The difference is that Guy Lafleur won five Stanley Cups with the Canadiens. Along the way, he won three Art Ross Trophies, two Hart Memorial

Trophies, one Conn Smythe Trophy and even won the Lou Marsh Award once as Canada’s athlete of the year. He is one of only eight NHL players to be awarded the Lou Marsh. Marcel Dionne won one Art Ross Trophy and even then he was tied with Wayne Gretzky but won with more total goals. Other than winning a couple of Lady Byng Trophies (which don’t mean a damn thing!) Dionne is one of only six players to surpass 700 regular season goals in an NHL career and still sits in fourth overall.

My personal vote is with Dionne as the better player. Regardless, they are two gems in the 1971-72 O-Pee-Chee hockey card series with only two cards more valuable that the Guy Lafleur rookie card an three more valuable than the Marcel Dionne rookie card. The Ken Dryden rookie card is the player card worth the most in the series. However, the most valuable card is the highest valued checklist on record – card number 111 valued at $500. The other checklist is valued at $175.