Gordie Howe and Bobby Hull were gone from the NHL and all the young Islanders were still a few years away. 1973-74 was a bit of a lacklustre year for O-Pee-Chee and the hockey card world. The highest valued hockey card in the 1973-74 set? The Larry Robinson rookie card!
Larry Robinson Rookie Card
The Larry Robinson rookie card appeared as number 237 in the 1973-74 O-Pee-Chee set as is valued at $80 today. This card was not included in the Topps set. The next most valuable in the set were the Billy Smith rookie card and Bobby Orr card, both valued at $50. There were 264 different hockey cards issued by O-Pee-Chee that season and a full set is valued at $500 with a common card going for $2.50.
Larry Robinson – Junior and Minor Pro
The previous season, 1972-73, saw Robinson see his first NHL action, splitting the year between the Nova Scotia Voyageurs of the American Hockey League and the Montreal Canadiens. Larry was a second round pick at the 1971 NHL Amateur Draft, 20th overall, by Montreal after playing one year of junior in the OHA with the Kitchener Rangers in 1970-71. 1971-72 was spent completely with the Voyageurs.
Larry Robinson Collection
Larry Robinson – NHL
Robinson played in the National Hockey League from 1972-73 to 1991-92, all with the Habs except for his final three seasons which were spent with the Los Angeles Kings. He played 1,384 NHL regular season games, contributing 958 points on 207 goals and 751 assists. His top offensive season came in 1976-77 when he scored 19 goals and assisted on 66 for 85 points over 77 games.
Larry was part of six Stanley Cup winning teams with the Canadiens. In 1977-78, he was the recipient of the Conn Smythe Trophy as the playoff MVP as Montreal beat out the Boston Bruins in six games to capture their third of four consecutive championships. He won the Norris Trophy twice as the NHL’s top defenseman in 1976-77 and 1979-80.
Robinson still holds the NHL record for most consecutive seasons playing in the Stanley Cup playoffs, appearing in the post season in twenty straight years. He entered the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1995 and his number 19 was retired by the Canadiens in 2007.
Larry’s brother Moe also played in the National Hockey League. Moe played just one game with the Canadiens in 1979-80. He was drafted by Montreal in the third round of the 1977 NHL Amateur Draft, 49th overall, after playing junior hockey with the Kingston Canadians of the OMJHL (current Ontario Hockey League).
Larry Robinson Career Stats
| Season | Team | Lge | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM |
| 1970-71 | Kitchener Rangers | OHA | 61 | 12 | 39 | 51 | 65 |
| 1971-72 | Nova Scotia Voyageurs | AHL | 74 | 10 | 14 | 24 | 54 |
| 1972-73 | Nova Scotia Voyageurs | AHL | 38 | 6 | 33 | 39 | 33 |
| 1972-73 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 36 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 20 |
| 1973-74 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 78 | 6 | 20 | 26 | 66 |
| 1974-75 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 80 | 14 | 47 | 61 | 76 |
| 1975-76 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 80 | 10 | 30 | 40 | 59 |
| 1976-77 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 77 | 19 | 66 | 85 | 45 |
| 1977-78 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 80 | 13 | 52 | 65 | 39 |
| 1978-79 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 67 | 16 | 45 | 61 | 33 |
| 1979-80 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 72 | 14 | 61 | 75 | 39 |
| 1980-81 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 65 | 12 | 38 | 50 | 37 |
| 1981-82 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 71 | 12 | 47 | 59 | 41 |
| 1982-83 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 71 | 14 | 49 | 63 | 33 |
| 1983-84 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 74 | 9 | 34 | 43 | 39 |
| 1984-85 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 76 | 14 | 33 | 47 | 44 |
| 1985-86 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 78 | 19 | 63 | 82 | 39 |
| 1986-87 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 70 | 13 | 37 | 50 | 44 |
| 1987-88 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 53 | 6 | 34 | 40 | 30 |
| 1988-89 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 74 | 4 | 26 | 30 | 22 |
| 1989-90 | Los Angeles Kings | NHL | 64 | 7 | 32 | 39 | 34 |
| 1990-91 | Los Angeles Kings | NHL | 62 | 1 | 22 | 23 | 16 |
| 1991-92 | Los Angeles Kings | NHL | 56 | 3 | 10 | 13 | 37 |
| NHL Totals | 1384 | 208 | 750 | 958 | 793 |