Gary Roberts: Ottawa 67's Legend

It’s easy to forget after a hockey player has had a long and stellar career in the National Hockey League that they were once just a kid tearing up the junior ranks. Gary Roberts is one of those guys.

Potential Hockey Hall of Fame material, Roberts was the picture of persistence, hard work and dedication during his NHL career that spanned from 1986-87 to 2008-09. He consistently coupled toughness with an ability to put pucks in the net. Over his career, Gary played for the Calgary Flames, Carolina Hurricanes, Toronto Maple Leafs, Florida Panthers, Pittsburgh Penguins and Tampa Bay Lightning.

As a junior in the Ontario Hockey League, Roberts honed his ability to find his way often to the penalty box while also producing great offence. It was in his OHL days that Gary Roberts also proved himself a true winner.

Gary played four years in the Ontario Hockey League from 1982-83 to 1985-86. He played for the Ottawa 67’s until a trade midway through his final season sent him to the Guelph Platers. In 1984 with Ottawa and 1986 with Guelph, Roberts was an integral part of a Memorial Cup winning team. In each of those playoff runs, Gary was better than a point per game man.

In just 59 games with the Ottawa 67’s in 1984-85, Gary scored 44 and assisted on 62 others for a total of 106 points. He sat out 186 minutes in the penalty box that season. The following year, Roberts won Silver with Team Canada at the 1986 World Junior Hockey Championships. In that tournament, Roberts scored six in seven games and sat out just three minor penalties.

Gary Roberts was taken by the Calgary Flames, 12^th overall in the 1984 NHL Entry Draft. In 1991-92, he became one of just four players to score 50 or more goals and sit out over 200 PIM in a single season. That season, Roberts scored 53 for the Flames and sat 207 minutes. The other three players to achieve this? Brendan Shanahan, Keith Tkachuk and Kevin Stevens.

In 1988-89, Gary got to hoist the holy grail of hockey. The Calgary Flames won their Stanley Cup that season. Roberts contributed 12 points over 22 games over the playoff run.

1966-67 Topps Hockey Card Series

The 1966-67 Topps hockey card series is the most valuable vintage hockey card set since the 1950's. The full set is valued at $4500 (all pricing provided by Beckett Hockey Monthly) and the showcase card in the set is the Bobby Orr rookie card.

The number 66 card of Bobby Orr accounts for $3000 of the $4500. Along with the 1951-52 Parkhurst rookie card of Gordie Howe and the 1958-59 Topps rookie card of Bobby Hull, the Orr card is one of three most valuable hockey cards of the post-war era.

The next two most valuable cards in the 1966-67 Topps series are the checklists! Each of the two checklists in the series are valued at $400 each. Of course, back in the days before the Wayne Gretzky rookie card of 1979-80 revolutionized the hockey card collecting world, the checklist was the first card to get clothes-pinned to the back wheel of a bicycle or simply find its immediate way to the garbage can. If it was kept, the checklist was used as a, well..., checklist. So, the checklist cards are rare because most were destroyed and if they weren't, they were marked up with a pen or marker. It is very rare to find an unmarked checklist in good condition.

The next most valuable player in the 1966-67 Topps series is Gordie Howe. The number 109 of Howe is worth $200. Followed close behind is the other member of the hockey card trifecta, Bobby Hull. Hull's card is worth $150. Phil Esposito of the Boston Bruins comes in at $125.

In a severe lack of valuable players, the next two highest valued cards are again Howe and Hull at $100 and $80 for their All-Star cards. The coach card of Toe Blake is also valued at $80.

In a sad year for rookies, the only other player that has his rookie card rated above a common card in the 1966-67 series is Peter Mahovlich. Mahovlich's rookie card is valued at $30. There are two other rated rookie cards but they are both coach cards, Emile Francis and Harry Sinden.