The 1970’s were the first full decade with the NHL Amateur Draft in existence. The first overall pick is pretty much guaranteed to become a success in the National Hockey League. All ten during the 1970’s went on to NHL careers of varying lengths with varying amounts of success. All ten came from the Canadian Hockey League with seven being drafted from Ontario teams, two from the West and one from Quebec. Two players each came from the London Knights and Ottawa 67’s of the OHA.
Three of the ten players are now enshrined in the Hockey Hall of Fame (Gil Perreault, Guy Lafleur, Denis Potvin). Three won the Calder Memorial Trophy as NHL rookie of the year (Perreault, Potvin, Bobby Smith).
Let’s take a look at the rookie cards of each of the ten first overall selections.
Gilbert Perreault was the first overall pick in 1970. Perreault was drafted by the Buffalo Sabres from the Montreal Junior Canadiens of the OHA. Gilbert played nearly 1,200 regular season games over an NHL career that lasted from 1970-71 to 1986-87, all as a member of the Sabres. He became a member of the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1990. The Gilbert Perreault rookie card is number 131 in the 1970-71 O-Pee-Chee set and is valued at $100.
Guy Lafleur was number one in 1971. Lafleur was selected by the Montreal Canadiens from the Quebec Remparts of the QMJHL. Guy played over 1,100 regular season games in the NHL from 1971-72 to 1990-91 with the Canadiens, New York Rangers and Quebec Nordiques. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1988. The Guy Lafleur rookie card is number 148 in the 1971-72 O-Pee-Chee set and is valued at $200.
Billy Harris was the first pick in 1972, going to the New York Islanders from the OHA’s Peterborough Petes. Harris played just three games shy of 900 in the NHL from 1972-73 to 1983-84 with the Islanders, Los Angeles Kings and Toronto Maple Leafs. The Billy Harris rookie card is number 130 in the 1973-74 O-Pee-Chee set and is valued at $3.00.
Denis Potvin was destined to be the next great defenseman after Bobby Orr. He was taken first overall in 1973 by the New York Islanders after a stellar junior career with the Ottawa 67’s of the OHA. Potvin played 1,060 regular season NHL games between 1973-74 and 1987-88, all with New York. Potvin became a member of the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1991. The Denis Potvin rookie card is number 195 in the 1974-75 O-Pee-Chee set and is valued at $40.
Greg Joly was the first overall pick in 1974 and the first ever draft pick of the Washington Capitals. Joly was drafted out of the WCHL’s Regina Pats. Greg is one of the ten that could be considered a ‘dud’. He still played in 365 NHL games from 1974-75 to 1982-83 with the Capitals and Detroit Red Wings but played an equal amount of time in the AHL, mostly with the Adirondack Red Wings. Interestingly, Joly was also the number one pick at the 1974 WHA ‘Secret Amateur Draft’, going to the Phoenix Roadrunners. The Greg Joly rookie card is number 294 in the 1974-75 O-Pee-Chee set and is valued at $2.50.
Mel Bridgman was selected by the Philadelphia Flyers first overall in 1975 from the WCHL’s Victoria Cougars. Bridgman played close to 1,000 NHL regular season games between 1975-76 and 1988-89 with the Flyers, Calgary Flames, New Jersey Devils, Detroit Red Wings and Vancouver Canucks. The Mel Bridgman rookie card appears as number 26 in the 1976-77 O-Pee-Chee set and is valued at $2.50.
Rick Green was the first of now five first overall picks out of the OHA/OHL’s London Knights. The Washington Capitals drafted him in 1976. Green played 845 regular season NHL games between 1976-77 and 1991-92 with the Capitals, Montreal Canadiens, Detroit Red Wings and New York Islanders. He went behind the bench as an NHL assistant coach between 1992-93 and 2005-06 with the Islanders, Los Angeles Kings and Canadiens. The Rick Green rookie card appears as number 245 in the 1977-78 O-Pee-Chee set and is valued at $1.00.
Dale McCourt was selected first overall in 1977 by the Detroit Red Wings from the OHA’s Hamilton Fincups. His NHL career was short and moderately successful given the expectations after his stellar junior career with the Fincups. McCourt played over 500 regular season games with the Red Wings, Buffalo Sabres and Toronto Maple Leafs between 1977-78 and 1983-84. He ended up his professional career in Switzerland. The Dale McCourt rookie card is number 132 in the 1978-79 O-Pee-Chee set and is valued at just $.40.
Bobby Smith was drafted first overall by the Minnesota North Stars in 1978 after his record-setting 192 point performance with the OHA’s Ottawa 67’s in 1977-78. The record stands today as a league record. Smith played 1,077 NHL regular season games between 1978-79 and 1992-93 with the North Stars and Montreal Canadiens. Bobby is one of those players so close but on the outside of the Hockey Hall of Fame. The Bobby Smith rookie card is number 206 in the 1979-80 O-Pee-Chee set and is valued at $6.00.
Rob Ramage was the first overall pick at the 1979 NHL Entry Draft, going to the Colorado Rockies. Ramage was selected from the OHA’s London Knights but there’s a bit of an asterix beside that. Rob jumped to the World Hockey Association for the 1978-79 season and played with the Birmingham Bulls. Because the NHL didn’t draft from the WHA, he was still considered property of the London Knights. Ramage played 1,044 NHL regular season games between 1979-80 and 1993-94 with the Rockies, St. Louis Blues, Calgary Flames, Toronto Maple Leafs, Minnesota North Stars, Tampa Bay Lightning, Montreal Canadiens and Philadelphia Flyers. The Rob Ramage rookie card is number 213 in the 1980-81 O-Pee-Chee set and is valued at $3.00.
Great post. It’s surprising how many top picks had average careers. You’d expect more to be memorable. 🙂
It’s true, Tim. Almost all play in the NHL but the odds of being great aren’t that high (Alexander Daigle, maybe!). The chances of being a star are greater nowadays, though, since these kids are built up from a very young age and trained a little better to handle the pressure.
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