1987 O-Pee-Chee Hockey Stickers

 

Recently I came across an auction on ebay that I had to bid on: Three packs of 1987 O-Pee-Chee hockey stickers. The starting bid was low, and I went for it. Thankfully, no one else even placed a bid, and within a couple of weeks (shipping from Canada to the US), I had the packs in hand. Here's a scan of the front and back of a pack.

 

 

 

 

These stickers provided an instant dose of nostalgia for me, as they were the first hockey packs I opened back in my childhood days. If only I still had those original stickers, and the album. (Here's an image of the album I found online.)

 

 

 

Let's get to the contents of the pack I opened. (I'm keeping the other two sealed for now.)

 

 

First up, we have Capitals all-star Larry Murphy sharing a gold foil sticker with Islanders rookie Ken Leiter. I'm a native New Yorker, but have no recollection of Ken Leiter. It turns out he had a brief NHL career, but posted an important assist on Pat LaFontaine's memorable "Easter Epic" overtime goal in the playoffs against that very same Larry Murphy and the Washington Capitals.

 

 

 

Next up is Mark Howe, brother of Marty, son of Gordie. Mark had an excellent NHL career, and is a member of the Hockey Hall of Fame. He was a veteran in the league by this time, so it's no surprise he got a sticker all to himself in this set.

 

 

Another two popular names here, with Esa Tikkanen of the Oilers and Dave Taylor of the Kings. Tikkanen helped the Oilers to four Stanley Cups, and then went to New York where he played a part in the Rangers' Cup victory in 1994. Dave Taylor was part of a big scoring line with the Kings in the 1980s, along with Charlie Simmer and Marcel Dionne. All three of them scored more than 100 points during the 1980-81 season, making them the first line combination to accomplish the feat.

 

 

 

There's Oilers goalie Andy Moog on the left, and Doug Shedden of the Nordiques on the right. Moog was part of three Stanley Cup–winning teams with the Oilers, while Shedden was a journeyman NHLer who played for four different teams across eight seasons. He put up some good numbers with Pittsburgh early on in his career.

 

 

 

 

And last up in the pack, we've got a big name with Denis Potvin. Couldn't have found a much more important piece of the Islanders' dynasty teams than him.

 

All in all, not bad. Three Hall-of-Fame defenemen in Larry Murphy, Mark Howe, and Potvin.

But wait — there's more!

Part of the appeal of of this set was the offer for super-fun NHL products that appeared on the sticker backs. Here are three from my pack:

 

 

Snazzy Velcro wallet.

 

 

 Mini hockey sticks were always a favorite back when we were kids.

 

 

 

 

And you can't go wrong with an NHL team puck.

 

 

 

 

So there you have it. A pack of 1987 O-Pee-Chee hockey stickers, for what looks like the first time ever on APTBNL!

 

Did any of you readers collect hockey stickers back then? Share in the comment section, and thanks for reading.