Nick Beverley broke in to the NHL in 1966-67 with a two game appearance while still playing junior hockey with the OHA Oshawa Generals. His next trip to Boston was just as short, another two games in 1969-70. He had his rookie card issued, as a Bruin, in the 1972-73 OPC set, I had a request to create a 1970-71 card for him. His 1967-68 "rookie" card will follow when time allows. |
Alain Cote was a 2nd round pick, 31st overall, by the Bruins in the 1985 NHL Entry Draft. He played 68 games in the Boston uniform from '85-86 to '88-89. He would go on to make NHL stops in Washington, Montreal, Tampa Bay and Quebec City for another 51 games. His only hockey cards were issued in the 1991-92 OPC Premier and ProSet series as a Hab. Here is his Bruins '87-88 Missing Link card. |
Matti Hagman was a scoring superstar in Finland, playing in Finland's highest league with HIFK Helsinki when he was just 17 years old. Hagman was a 6th round pick, 104th overall, by the Boston in the 1975 NHL Amateur Draft. After representing Finland in the first ever Canada Cup tournament in the fall of 1976, Hagman joined the Bruins and had moderate success, scoring 11 goals and 17 assists. Only 15 games into his second NHL season, the Bruins traded away the Finnish wonderboy to the WHA's Quebec Nordiques, where he finished the season. Hagman returned to HIFK Helsinki for two seasons after his WHA appearance, but would make it back to the NHL in 1980-81 as an Edmonton Oiler. He had his rookie card issued, as an Oiler, in the 1981-82 OPC set. Here is his 1977-78 Bruins Missing Link. |
Jim Harrison played for the strong Estevan Bruins junior team between 1964-68 collecting 232 points in 178 games. The Bruins had high hopes for Jim when he joined them in 1968-69. He played 16 games for Boston as a rookie but saw very limited ice time on the powerful Bruins team. When Jim only scored 4 points in the first 23 games for Boston the following season they shipped him to Toronto for Wayne 'Swoop" Carleton. His 1970-71 OPC rookie card shows him in a Maple Leaf uniform. Here is his 1969-70 Bruins Missing Link. |
Bill Lesuk played 388 NHL games with the Boston Bruins, Philadelphia Flyers, Los Angeles Kings, Washington Capitals, and Winnipeg Jets. He also appeared in 318 WHA games with the Jets. Bill got his NHL start as a Bruin appearing in 8 games spread over the '68-69 and '69-70 seasons. His rookie card was issued in the 1972-73 OPC set as a Los Angeles King. Here is his 1970-71 Boston Missing Link. |
Ray Maluta's NHL career would consist of 25 games, all in a Boston uniform, split between '75-76 and '76-77. A strong last year of junior hockey, where he recorded 40 goals and 57 assists in 68 games, got him drafted in both the NHL and WHA 1974 Amateur Drafts. That production did not follow him to the pro ranks and following the '78-79 AHL season he retired. Ray never had an official hockey card issued, here is his 1977-78 Boston Missing Link. |
Kraig Nienhuis played 87 NHL games, all in the Bruins uniform. His trip to the big leagues was unconventional as he never played hockey at a level higher than house league before he joined the Sarnia Bees Jr. B squad in 1970. He quickly became a skilled player and went on to play NCAA Div. I with R.P.I. winning a National Championship in 1985. After college he spent 3 seasons between Boston and their AHL farm teams before going to Europe where he played professionally for 10 more seasons. He would never have an official NHL card issued, here is his 1987-88 Bruins Missing Link. |
Clayton Pachal was a 1st round pick, 16th overall, by Boston in the 1976 NHL Amateur Draft. He was coming off a WCHL junior season with the New Westminster Bruins were he had recorded 41 goals and 57 assists in 65 games. His NHL career was less auspicious, in 35 games over 3 seasons he managed only 2 goals and 3 assists. He retired after playing 34 games with the IHL Grand Rapids Owls in the 1979-80 season. He never had an official hockey card issued, here is his 1977-78 Boston Missing Link |
Jim Pettie was the Boston Bruins back up netminder in 1978-79, playing in 19 games after appearing in 1 game each of the 2 prior seasons in Boston. He was nicknamed "Seaweed" because of his clumpy, stringy hair and was a tough nut picking up 23 penalty minutes in the NHL. During the 1975-76 IHL season he earned an amazing 131 penalty minutes while leading the Dayton Gems to a Turner Cup championship. He also has the distinction of being the first Bruins goalie to play against Bruins legend Bobby Orr in 1976-77, his only NHL game of the year and a win. He never had an official hockey card issued, here is his 1977-78 Boston Missing Link card. |
Roberto Romano had a 6 year NHL career appearing in 126 games, all but one as a Pittsburgh Penguin. The missing game was as a Bruin in 1986-87 after he was traded for Pat Riggin. It was not a career highlight giving up 6 goals on 34 shots for a loss. He would start the '87-88 year with the AHL Maine Mariners before packing his equipment for the first of 3 seasons in the Italian A League over the next 6 years. He returned in 1993-94 to play 11 games in the IHL and 2 final NHL game appearances in Pittsburgh before retiring. Needless to say his 1 game Boston stop did not warrant an official hockey card so here is his 1987-88 Bruins Missing Link. |
Frank Spring was a big right winger (and sometimes defenseman), six-foot-three and 210 pounds, who was drafted fourth overall by the Boston Bruins in 1969. Even though he was a top pick he had no idea he was drafted until the local radio station mentioned it a few days later, things were a little different back then. Spring would sign with the Bruins for $20,000 and the first NHL game he ever saw was the first one he played in. He would only play in one official game with the Bruins. After spending the 1969-70 season in the CHL the Philadelphia Flyers claimed him in an inter-league draft. Spring would never play for the Flyers but made his second NHL stop as a St. Louis Blue following a free agent signing in 1973. He played 5 games in St. Louis over 2 seasons, another 29 as a California Seal and a final 26 as a Cleveland Baron. He completed his hockey career in 1977-78 with a 13 game run in the WHA as part of the Indianapolis Racers. His 1975-76 rookie card shows him as a Seal, here is his 1970-71 Boston Missing Link. |
Defenseman Mats Thelin spent three seasons with the Boston Bruins from 1984-85 to 1986-87. He was a mobile player who played a chippy brand of hockey that was uncommon for a Swedish hockey product. He played in Sweden for AIK Hockey from 1980 to 1985 and also represented his country in the 1982 and 1983 World Championships, the 1984 Olympics, and the 1984 Canada Cup. He was chosen 140th overall in the 1981 NHL Entry Draft by the Bruins. In his three NHL seasons he played in 163 games and scored 8 goals and 19 assists. In 1987 Thelin went back to Sweden and played for AIK until his retirement in 1994. He never had an official hockey card issued, here is his 1987-88 Boston Missing Link card. |
Tom Webster had an 11 year and 454 game pro career split between the NHL and the WHA. His first 11 came as a Boston Bruin. Originally selected by the Bruins in the 1966 NHL Entry Draft, Webster played mostly for the Bruins farm team the Oklahoma City Blazers in 1968-69 and 1969-70. He was drafted by the Buffalo Sabres in the 1970 NHL Expansion Draft and then traded to the Detroit Red Wings for Roger Crozier. After a couple of seasons with the Wings Webster jumped to the New England Whalers of the World Hockey Association in 1972. Webster played six seasons for the Whalers, winning the Avco World Trophy in 1972-73. He also played on Team Canada in the 1974 Summit Series. He retired in 1980 after ending his career with a 1 game NHL appearance with the Red Wings. His rookie card was issued in the 1970-71 OPC set as a Detroit Red Wing, here is his 1969-70 Bruins Missing Link rookie card. |
From the age of 17, Ed Westfall was being groomed by the Boston Bruins to become a defenseman but he became best known as a defensive forward at the NHL level. When he turned pro with the Bruins in 1961-62 he struggled for 3 years to find his groove as an NHL defenseman, and even served some minor league time. In his time in the EPHL he came under the wing of Kingston Frontenacs coach Harry Sinden. Harry used Westfall on right wing as opposed to defense and, being a defensive defenseman, he became a defensive specialist up front as well. He also produced nicely offensively, scoring 5 goals and 16 assists in 21 games. By 1964-65, the struggling Boston Bruins promoted Westfall to right wing and he would spend his next 7 years as a Bruin at the position. Eddie was selected by the New York Islanders on June 6, 1972 in the expansion draft. He went on to serve admirably for the Isles, spending 7 seasons on Long Island. He was named the Islanders first ever Captain, and provided a large measure of leadership to a young Islander team that eventually led to four straight Stanley Cups. Unfortunately for Eddie, he retired at the end of the 1978-79 season, one year before the Isle's first Cup reign. Although he spent the entire 1971-72 season as a Bruin both OPC and Topps airbrushed him into an Islander for the 1972-73 card set. Here is his 1972-73 Bruins Missing Link card. |
Barry Wilkins spent 9 seasons and 398 games in the NHL, the first 8 coming as a Boston Bruin over a 3 season span. Wilkins moved to Vancouver for the 1970-'71 season before being traded in 1974 to Pittsburgh for two seasons. He scored the first goal in Canucks NHL history, one of 27 goals and 125 assists in his NHL career games. He also spent one season each with the Edmonton Oilers and Indianapolis Racers in the WHA before he retired after spending the 1978-79 season in the AHL with the Philadelphia Firebirds. His rookie card was issued in the 1971-72 OPC set as a Vancouver Canuck, here is his 1969-70 Bruins Missing Link rookie card. |
You can purchase these cards, or any of my Missing Link creations, for $10 each postpaid, or $7.95 for 3 or more. Email me at: [email protected], volume discounts available on larger orders.