Bobby Orr, Wayne Gretzky and Gordie Howe are the Upper Deck Hat Trick - Cards available ONLY in UD products
Upper Deck is the exclusive home for the three top legends of hockey. We are the only manufacturer that can produce trading cards, memorabilia cards and autograph cards of Bobby Orr, Wayne Gretzky and Gordie Howe.
Bobby Orr
Bobby Orr was born on March 20, 1948, in the town of Parry Sound, Ontario, Canada. He first caught the eye of a Boston Bruin scout in 1960 as a 12 year old defenseman playing in a bantam tournament. At age 14 the Bruins had already signed him to a junior contract that saw him begin play with the Oshawa Generals. Orr would go on to set a new record for points by a defenseman in the Ontario League. He played in Oshawa until he was 18, when he signed with the Bruins to play in the National Hockey League. Orr's first season saw him score 41 points, win the Calder trophy and be named as a Second Team All-Star.
Bobby Orr had an enormous impact on the game of hockey, pioneering the "mobile" or "rushing defenseman". His blazing speed, quickness, and a knack for scoring changed the face of hockey by bringing offense from the defenseman. Orr would win the Norris Trophy as best defenseman for eight straight years, and added two Art Ross trophies for scoring titles. His first Art Ross was in 1970 as he became the only defenseman to lead the league in scoring, and he would repeat the feat in 1975. Orr also led the Boston Bruins to their first Stanley Cup in 29 years when they won the championship in 1970. The followin season saw him score 33 goals and 102 assists for 139 points, one of six seasons where the Bruin defenseman scored over 100 points. His record for goals by a defenseman stood until 1986 when Paul Coffey scored 48 goals with the 1985-86 Edmonton Oilers.
Knee injuries which began soon after Bobby Orr entered the NHL would force him to miss numerous games, require several surgeries, and a severely shortened career. He would undergo five knee operations between 1968 and 1975 before leaving the Bruins for the Chicago Blackhawks. But even with his bad knees, Orr was by far the best Canadian player in the 1976 Canada Cup series. Even at Chicago, he only played 20 games in 1976-77 and missed the entire 1977-78 season. His final NHL season was in Chicago in 1978-79 where Bobby Orr played in just 6 games before retiring at the young age of 31.
Wayne "The Great One" Gretzky was born on January 26, 1961 in the town of Brantford, Ontario, Canada. He learned to play hockey in a backyard rink with his father Walter Gretzky and got his values thanks to his mother Phyllis Gretzky. Even at the young age of eleven, Wayne Gretzky raised many eyebrows on the ice by collecting 517 points in a season. As a seventeen year old in 1978, he led team Canada to a bronze medal in the World Junior championship, topping the tournament with 17 points in six games. Wayne Gretzky began his professional career with the Indianapolis Racers of the World Hockey Association (WHA) in 1978. He was traded to the Edmonton Oilers in 1978-79 and began his National Hockey League (NHL) career when the Edmonton Oilers moved from the WHA to the National Hockey League in the 1979-80 season. Gretzky scintilated fans in his first year, scoring 137 points but missed the Art Ross Trophy as Marcel Dionne had one more goal. But the eighteen year old was awarded the Hart Memorial trophy as the most valuable player in the NHL.
Gretzky would go on to win seven straight Art Ross Trophies, and ten in total. He broke and set records for most goals in a season (92), assists (163) and points (215). He also led the Edmonton Oilers to four Stanley Cup Championships (1984, 1985, 1987, 1988), notching two Conn Smythe trophies as playoff MVP, along the way. Gretzky is also remembered for his play in the 1987 Canada Cup final that landed Team Canada the gold medal. His pass to a streaking Mario Lemieux led to the game winning goal, late in the third period. Wayne's career in Edmonton came to an end in 1988 when he was traded to the Los Angles Kings. The oilers might have had little choice due to their financial woes, but hockey fans in Canada were in a state of shock.
Wayne Gretzky went to Los Angles along with Mike Krushelnyski and Marty McSorley for Jummy Carson, Martin Gelinas, three first round draft picks and cash. Edmonton's loss was certainly LA's gain as Gretzky ushered in a new era for hockey in Southern California. He surpassed Gordie Howe's records of all-time goals and points leader and had a very successful seven year stint in LA. In 1993 he led the Kings team all the way to the Stanley Cup final, where they lost to the Montreal Canadiens. In 1994 Gretzky went on to break Gordie Howe's record of most goals scored when he notched his 802nd NHL regular season goal. At the trade deadline in 1996 he was traded to the St. Louis Blues for Craig Johnson, Roman Vopat, Patrice Tardiff and two draft picks. Wayne Gretzky would only be a Blue for the remainder of the 1996-97 season as he signed on with the New York Rangers as an unrestricted free agent and retired in 1999.
Gordie "Mr. Hockey" Howe was born on March 31, 1928 in Floral, Saskatchewan, Canada. Howe did not play organized hockey till he was eight, but quickly picked up the game. He exercised relentlessly and gained a powerful physique working construction with his father during the summers. Howe was signed by the Detroit Red Wings when he was 16 and moved through the Red Wings Galt, Ontario junior team, to the Omaha Knights of the USHL and finally to the Detroit Red Wings. Howe was soon teamed up with Ted Lindsay and Sid Abel in what would be called the "Production Line", one of the all-time great NHL combinations. Howe played 33 pro seasons, one has a 17 year old with Omaha of the United States Hockey League, 25 years with the Detroit Red Wings of the NHL, six with the Houston Aeros and New England Whalers of the World Hockey Association, one season with the Hartford Whalers of the NHL and one game in 1997-98 with the Detroit Vipers of the IHL.
Godie Howe set numerous hockey records that seemed unbreakable at the time. He was an effortless skater with deceptive speed, tremendous streght and a powerful shot. In his fourth NHL season, 1949-50, Howe began one of hockey's most amazing streaks. The the next 22 years, Howe scored over 20 goals a year. The Red Wings and Howe won the Stanley Cup in 1950 and the following year Howe was atop the league scoring, a feat he would repeat for the next three years. He would go on to win a total of six Art Ross trophies and also added six Hart Memrial Trophies as the league MVP. As 41 year old in 1968-69, he scored 44 goals and added 59 assists for a career high 103 points. At 43, Howe retired from the Red Wings in 1971 after injuries slowed him down. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame immediately.
Two years after his retirement, Gordie Howe could not resist the opportunity of playing with his sons as he signed along with Marty and Mark Howe with the Houston Aeros of the World Hockey Association. He was an instant success in the WHA and tallyed 508 points in 419 WHA games. In 1979 he returned to the NHL with the Hartford Whalers when they moved from the WHA to the NHL. Howe played that season as a 51 year old, appearing in all 80 games and collecting 41 points. He made his final professional hockey appearance with the Detroit Vipers in 1997, making him the only player to have played in 6 different decades.
Bobby Orr, Wayne Gretzky and Gordie Howe are The Upper Deck Hat Trick!
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Upper Deck is the exclusive home for the three top legends of hockey. We are the only manufacturer that can produce trading cards, memorabilia cards and autograph cards of Bobby Orr, Wayne Gretzky and Gordie Howe.
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