The 1969 NHL Amateur Draft was the first true open draft. The first amateur draft was held in 1963 but only included players not already signed to or sponsored by and NHL team. 84 players were chosen in the 1969 draft over ten rounds. 49 of the 84 went on to play at least one game in the National Hockey League. Just three of the 84 went on to play more than 1,000 regular season games during their NHL careers.
Ivan Boldirev was the eleventh overall pick in 1969. Boldirev was coming off his second season with the Oshawa Generals of the Ontario Hockey Association. Ironically, it was the Boston Bruins that picked him up. Oshawa was one of two teams in the OHA, along with the Niagara Falls Flyers, sponsored by the Bruins previous to 1969. Ivan played a total of 1,052 regular seasons in the NHL between 1969-70 and 1984-85. He also appeared in 48 playoff games.
Boldirev played just two games with the Bruins in his first year and eleven in his second before being traded to the California Golden Seals. Ivan finished out the 1971-72 season as a regular in the Bay Area, playing 57 games for the Seals. During his NHL career, Boldirev also played for the Chicago Black Hawks, Atlanta Flames, Vancouver Canucks and Detroit Red Wings. He scored a respectable 361 goals over his career, along with a point total of 866. His best season came with the Black Hawks in 1977-78 when he scored 35 and finished with 80 points.
The Ivan Boldirev rookie card appears as number 41 in the 1972-73 O-Pee-Chee set and is valued as a common card. Boldirev also appeared on a Topps hockey card in 1972-73, number 146.
Despite being picked in the second round, 17th overall, Bobby Clarke was the gem of the 1969 NHL Amateur Draft. Clarke was taken by the Philadelphia Flyers after dominating the WCHL as a junior with the Flin Flon Bombers. In fact, his offensive impact was so great that the scoring leader in the WHL now receives the Bob Clarke Trophy.
Clarke was immediately a regular with the Flyers, playing a full schedule in 1969-70. He played 1,144 regular season NHL games between 1969-70 and 1983-84, all with the Flyers. Bobby added another 136 games in the playoffs. He led the team to back-to-back Stanley Cup championships in 1973-74 and 1974-75. On four occasions, Clarke surpassed the 100 point plateau and totalled 1,210 over his career.
The Bobby Clarke rookie card is number 195 in the 1970-71 O-Pee-Chee set. The card is valued at 80 times that of a common card. His first Topps hockey card did not appear until the following year.
Butch Goring was taken by the Los Angeles Kings way down in the fifth round, 51st overall. Despite the low draft position, Goring played 59 games with the Kings in 1969-70. Butch went on to play 1,107 regular season games and 134 playoff games between 1969-70 and 1984-85 with the Kings, New York Islanders and Boston Bruins.
Goring scored a total of 375 regular season goals over his career with a point total of 888. His best offensive season came in 1978-79 with Los Angeles, scoring 36 and totalling 87 points. However, it was with the Islanders where he achieved the ultimate success by winning four consecutive Stanley Cup championships. In 1980-81, he was named the Conn Smythe Trophy winner as the Most Valuable Player in the playoffs.
The Butch Goring rookie card appears as number 152 in the 1971-72 O-Pee-Chee set and is valued as a common. Goring’s first Topps hockey card, like Clarke, came the following year.