7 MEMORABLE ODDBALL SETS
The early ‘70s marked a time when the NHL Players’ Association began flexing its marketing muscle, licensing the rights to player images – without their NHL team logos – to a variety of companies, leading to a wide array of cards and collectibles issued outside the auspices of Topps and O-Pee-Chee.
1971-72 Bazooka
This regional offering might be the most coveted issue of the decade. Built on the legacy of Bazooka baseball sets dating back to 1959, this 36-card series mirrored the design of 1971-72 O-Pee-Chee and could be found on the back panels of specially-marked boxes of Bazooka gum. Overall scarcity and the hazards of hand-cutting mean premium singles can cost thousands.
1970-71 Esso Power Players
It’d be an exaggeration to say every kid in Canada collected these, but not by much. When participating Esso stations began offering a pack of six stamps free with a $3 gas purchase, the pursuit of all 252 players became a national obsession. Kids began filling books and carrying around the special wallet from which they’d deal their dupes. Even the peripherals from this set remain strong sellers today.
1974-75 Lipton Soup
Despite a near absence of design effort, this fully-licensed promotion remains one of the most popular of the decade. Two cards were found on the backs of specially-marked boxes of Lipton Soup in Canada, with the 50-card set featuring stars like Bobby Orr and Ken Dryden. That they had to be hand cut leads to a strong demand for copies still intact on the original box.
1971-72 Colgate Heads
Colgate had success the year prior with a set of player stickers, so it was no surprise that they wanted a reprise in 1971-72. What’s hard to understand is how anyone thought a plastic player head was something kids were clamoring for. Years later, they remain one of the most curious promotions of all-time.
1973-74 Quaker Oats WHA
This 50-card set is hurt by overlooking some of the league’s star power, but it’s a beautiful tribute to the teams and jerseys. These also are the only cards of the renegade league that season. It was issued in 10 five-card panels found inside specially marked packages of Quaker Oats cereals. Most are sold in serrated form today, but you can find the occasional full panel.
1972-73 Letraset Action Replays
These fully-licensed curiosities allowed kids to create their own NHL action scenes by placing the thin Letraset sheet onto a special page and then transferring the image by rubbing it with a coin. You can find completed scenes on occasion, but the intact transfers are rarer than a photo of Bobby Clarke with his original teeth.
1974 Nabisco Sugar Daddy
Okay, this is a multi-sport issue, not a NHL-specific set. Still, the seven included hockey players are represented in a way that perfectly captures the artistic zeitgeist of the decade by superimposing a photo of the star’s head onto a cartoon rendition of his body. It looks completely ridiculous, and that’s what makes them so enduring. The hockey checklist is led by Phil Esposito and Derek Sanderson.