Marcel Dionne (True) Rookie Cards

With the 2nd Overall pick of the 1st Round in the 1971 NHL Amateur Draft, the Detroit Red Wings selected Marcel Dionne from the St. Catharines Black Hawks (OHL). He has one official rookie card.

Marcel Enters a Losing Atmosphere

Marcel Dionne, also known as, “The Little Beaver” was affectionately given that nick-name because he was only 5′ 7″ tall.

He was short but stocky. His superpower ability was to weave through defenders at high speeds allowing him to be one of the greatest scorers in NHL history.

Being drafted into the pro level was not an easy transition for Marcel. The players were big and the competition was serious, unlike nothing he’d ever experienced.

In fact, Marcel tells the story of how he found himself so discouraged his rookie season he called his dad to tell him he’s not going to make it.

Marcel stuck with it and set a rookie record by scoring 77 points. Although he had much success as a scorer the Red Wings as a whole did not.

The team was in a rebuild after All-Time Great, Gordie Howe left the team after the 1970-71 season, Marcel had walked into a losing atmosphere.

Marcel Dionne Gets Help & Inspiration

After four years he was traded to the Los Angeles Kings for the start of the 1975 season.

Here Marcel found his stride and had much success, even more so in 1979 when Dave Taylor and Charlie Simmer joined the team.

Like Marcel, they had the mental attitude and determination to create openings and win. They had chemistry and became known as the “Triple Crown Line.”

Marcel attributes a lot of his success to his study of other great hockey players. He would watch them play and emulate their techniques. He learned what to do and not do.

Men like Phil Esposito, Bobby Orr, and the greatest role model from his providence of Quebec, Henri Richard. Marcel noticed that the greats were consistent, maybe not always play well but always have determination, dedication, and consistency.

Career Stats & Accomplishments

Summary: Goals 731 | Assists 1040 | Points 1771 | Game Winning Goals 73. Also, to this day Marcel Dionne ranks 5th as All-Time Leading Scorer.

Accomplishments:

• 4x All-Star.
• 2x Lady Byng Memorial Trophy in 1975 & 1977 – which is given every year to the player to have exhibited the best type of sportsmanship and gentlemanly conduct combined with a high standard of playing ability.
• 2x Ted Lindsay Award – winner for outstanding player in the regular season as judged by the members of the NHL Players Association.
• 1979-80 Art Ross Trophy – given to the player who leads the league in points at the end of the regular season.
• 1992 NHL Hall of Fame Induction.

Marcel played for 18 seasons, four years with the Red Wings, 12 years with the LA Kings, and 3 years with the NY Rangers. Unfortunately, he never won a Stanley Cup title.

---

---

1971 O-Pee-Chee, #133 (RC)

The 1971-72 O-Pee-Chee is a 264 card set. True hockey card collectors know this set well because it is one of the most beloved sets in the hobby. Popular among collectors for its design one gets a sense of pure vintage with this one.

Of course O-Pee-Chee’s parent company, Topps, also has the same design but a much smaller checklist with only 132 cards in the set, and it does not feature a Marcel Dionne rookie card in its checklist. The O-Pee-Chee definitely offers collectors more bang for the buck.

The card front is unique, basic, yet right on cue with the year it represents. Great portrait photo of the young Marcel and them beautiful, red, bold letters across the top, I’m just glad they’re in red so it fits in the overall theme of the card.

The cards back have nice bold lines. To the left side of the card, you’ll have commentary in both English and French languages divided by player stats. Towards the right side, you have player cartoons, my favorite.

---

1972 O-Pee-Chee, #8 (PRT)

A viable option for many vintage collectors are second year cards, especially if the true rookie card gets a bit too expensive. That’s why we refer to these as post-rookie theme cards. These capture the player early enough in their career without the rookie card price.

A fantastic design here even though the O-Pee-Chee brand suffered from mis-centering and jagged cuts along the edges. I can really appreciate everything about the design of this card.

---

1972 Topps, #18 (PRT)

Here we have another Post-Rookie Theme option for Marcel Dionne. The Topps brand comes with a bit lighter colors and much smoother edges. Biggest differences would be no French text on card back and card numbers.

When it comes to vintage hockey cards the O-Pee-Chee brand sells for a premium over the Topps brand. The reason for that? Because that’s what the hobby market shows us. Collectors prefer the Canadian brand of hockey cards.

Happy Collecting Collectors,

Learn. Collect. Enjoy.

---

Sourcing:

Marcel Dionne Stats | Hockey-Reference.com https://www.hockey-reference.com/players/d/dionnma01.html (accessed June 24, 2018).