A few years back, we put out a free eBook including what we thought at the time were all the uncorrected error cards from the 1950’s, 1960’s and 1970’s (check it out here: hockey error cards). We’ve been finding more and more since…
One of the cards in the ebook is a total screw up. First, the wrong card is referenced. We stated that the Rick Smith 1972-73 O-Pee-Chee #23 is an error card. In fact, there’s nothing wrong with that one. It’s his weird and wonderful second card in the set that’s the mystery maker. Drop down to the bottom of the article for more. First, a bit about the player.
Rick Smith – Junior and Minor Pro
Smith played his junior hockey in the OHA (predecessor to the Ontario Hockey League). He appeared with the Hamilton Red Wings for three years from 1965-66 to 1967-68. In his second season, Rick was a Second Team All-Star defenseman and really came through for the Red Wings in the playoffs.
Rick Smith Collection
After just 19 points over 48 regular season games, with Hamilton placing a modest fourth in the nine team league in 1966-67, Smith practically exploded with 18 points in 17 playoff games. After upsetting the second place Niagara Falls Flyers in the semi-finals, Hamilton was swept in the finals by the Toronto Marlboros.
In his final year with the Eddie Bush coached Red Wings, Smith was once again a Second Team All-Star. Uncharacteristic of his NHL career to come, Rick finished tenth in the league with 123 penalty minutes. Over his pro career, Smith, for a defenseman, spent nearly Lady Byng amounts of time in the sin bin.
His time in the minors was sparse. In 1968-69, he started the year in the Central Hockey League with the Oklahoma City Blazers, putting up 15 points in 19 games. Rick then spent the rest of the year with the Bruins, including nine games in the Stanley Cup playoffs. He would return to the minors for just a seven games stint with the Kansas City Blues of the CHL in 1976-77 after starting the year with St. Louis and ending up back with Boston.
Rick Smith – NHL and WHA
Between 1968-69 and 1980-81, Smith played 687 regular season National Hockey League games with the Boston Bruins, California Golden Seals, St. Louis Blues, Detroit Red Wings and Washington Capitals. Over that time, he scored 52 and assisted on 167 for 219 points while sitting just 560 minutes in penalties. In the Stanley Cup playoffs, he played another 78 games, adding 26 points.
Between 1973-74 and 1975-76, Rick jumped to the World Hockey Association to play for the Minnesota Fighting Saints. Originally in the 1972 WHA General Draft, he was taken by the Miami Screaming Eagles. The Screaming Eagles became the Philadelphia Blazers then the Vancouver Blazers then the Calgary Cowboys. Smith played for none of those teams.
In 200 regular season WHA games, Smith scored 20 and assisted on 89. In 23 playoff games with the Fighting Saints, he added ten points. Rick was a member of the 1974 WHA team that competed against the Soviet Union in an eight game Summit Series. Playing seven games, he went pointless while Canada was able to win just one game.
Smith became property of the Boston Bruins after the team selected him in the second round of the 1966 NHL Amateur Draft, seventh overall. In his rookie season, 1968-69, he played nine playoff games for the up and coming Bruins. The team lost to the Montreal Canadiens in the semi-finals but didn’t go down without a fight. Three of the six games went into overtime, including game six. Boston outscored the Habs 16-15 on the series.
The following year, Rick was a big part of the Bruins Stanley Cup championship. It would be his only Cup win, traded midseason in 1971-72 before Boston won for a second time in three years.
In February, 1972, Smith was traded to the California Golden Seals, along with Reg Leach, in exchange for Carol Vadnais and Don O’Donoghue. He returned to Boston midseason in 1976-77 after spending minimal time with the Blues in 1975-76 and 1976-77. His career was revived and Rick helped the Don Cherry coached Bruins to the finals in both 1976-77 and 1977-78, losing both times to the Montreal Canadiens.
Rick Smith – Hockey Cards
The Rick Smith rookie card showed up in his third year with the Bruins. 1970-71 O-Pee-Chee 135 showed him with Boston and was the first of several cards to reference his ambitions of becoming a dentist.
The fun begins in 1972-73 (click the image to enlarge). His O-Pee-Chee #23 card seems perfectly normal. Smith is shown in California’s green jersey. His hometown of Kingston, Ontario is correct. His career games to date is correct at 265.
Then, later in the set, near the WHA cards, Rick has a second card. On the front of this one (#284), he is wearing the yellow Golden Seals jersey. He weighs five pounds more than he did earlier in the set. His hometown has switched to Hamilton, Ontario. His game total has been denied three and now shows 262.
Although the pictures are taken at obviously different times, both look to be the same guy. The hair style is quite different. The kicker is that Rick’s eyes seem to be brown in the #23 and blue in the #284.
| Season | Team | Lge | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM |
| 1965-66 | Hamilton Red Wings | OHA | 47 | 2 | 16 | 18 | 60 |
| 1966-67 | Hamilton Red Wings | OHA | 48 | 2 | 17 | 19 | 74 |
| 1967-68 | Hamilton Red Wings | OHA | 49 | 5 | 36 | 41 | 123 |
| 1968-69 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 48 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 29 |
| 1968-69 | Oklahoma City Blazers | CHL | 19 | 5 | 10 | 15 | 37 |
| 1969-70 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 69 | 2 | 8 | 10 | 65 |
| 1970-71 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 67 | 4 | 19 | 23 | 44 |
| 1971-72 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 61 | 2 | 12 | 14 | 46 |
| 1971-72 | California Golden Seals | NHL | 17 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 26 |
| 1972-73 | California Golden Seals | NHL | 64 | 9 | 24 | 33 | 77 |
| 1973-74 | Minnesota Fighting Saints | WHA | 71 | 10 | 28 | 38 | 98 |
| 1974-75 | Minnesota Fighting Saints | WHA | 78 | 9 | 29 | 38 | 112 |
| 1975-76 | Minnesota Fighting Saints | WHA | 51 | 1 | 32 | 33 | 50 |
| 1975-76 | St. Louis Blues | NHL | 24 | 1 | 7 | 8 | 18 |
| 1976-77 | Kansas City Blues | CHL | 7 | 1 | 6 | 7 | 11 |
| 1976-77 | St. Louis Blues | NHL | 18 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 6 |
| 1976-77 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 46 | 6 | 16 | 22 | 30 |
| 1977-78 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 79 | 7 | 29 | 36 | 69 |
| 1978-79 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 65 | 7 | 18 | 25 | 46 |
| 1979-80 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 78 | 8 | 18 | 26 | 62 |
| 1980-81 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 11 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 6 |
| 1980-81 | Washington Capitals | NHL | 40 | 5 | 4 | 9 | 36 |
| NHL Totals | 687 | 52 | 167 | 219 | 560 | ||
| WHA Totals | 200 | 20 | 89 | 109 | 260 |