In my last post I decided to feature a Lanny McDonald Legends card simply because my brothers and I used to get a kick out of his cards when we were younger. Aside from his mustache, I think our immature young minds couldn't help but make the comparison to Ronald McDonald just because of the last name and the large red disaster on top of his head.In reality, McDonald was actually a very skilled player who scored over 1,000 points in his 18-year NHL career and is a member of the NHL Hall of Fame. Lanny's 1983-84 O-Pee-Chee card (pictured above), which I recently picked up for a whopping 10 cents, has quickly become one of my favorites. I think it's the blatant advertising for Molson on the front of Lanny's jersey. This kind of thing would never fly in the NHL these days. It just seems fitting though, Lanny strikes me as the kind of guy who would enjoy a nice cold Molson. This obviously looks like it's just a practice jersey, which is supported by the fact that the stands behind Lanny are completely devoid of fans. This Bill Masterson Trophy Winner card from the very same O-Pee-Chee set shows Lanny in what is clearly real game action, sans Molson advertisement:
Lanny McDonald always seemed to me like he skated right out of the movie Slap Shot. Man I miss the Flames...
ReplyDeleteRE: Molson.
ReplyDeleteThere's a great story that appears in a couple of Don Cherry's books about how the Colorado Rockies were having a beer drinking competition and Lanny just destroyed the competition.
Also, Lanny McDonald used to appear in McDonald's TV ads in Alberta during the 1980s.
I was so mad about that set. The majority of the Flames were in that stupid practice jersey. No other team had that.
ReplyDelete