My Best Pack of 1978-79 Topps Hockey

Here's the final pack I'll be posting from the lot of 17 1978-79 Topps hockey packs I snagged at the hobby shop well over a year ago now.  This one was by far the best of the lot.  12 cards and a sticker, here we go...

#48 - Dennis Hextall

#83 - Brad Maxwell

#186 - Ross Lonsberry

Lonsberry is probably best known for his time with the Broad Street Bullies Flyers teams of the mid-'70s.  At this point you may be asking, "this is the best pack you opened?".  It gets better, trust me...

#206 - Maple Leafs Team Checklist

The Leafs finished a game over .500 in '78-79, good enough for third place in the Adams Division and a playoff spot.  They were ousted by the eventual Cup champion Montreal Canadiens though.

#154 - Ron Greschner

Ron's '78-79 card lists him as a Pittsburgh Penguin, but he played his entire career with the New York Rangers, all the way through the 1989-90 season.  He never played a single NHL game with any other franchise, the Penguins included.  Was this just an error?  Anyone know?

#188 - Rene Robert

Rene recorded exactly 100 points in 1974-75, the first 100 point season in Sabres history.

Canadiens Sticker

My one-per-pack team sticker was of the Montreal Canadiens.  I guess this is one of the better stickers to pull given that the Habs won their fourth consecutive Stanley Cup this season.

#124 - Wayne Cashman

One of the better cards from the pack, Wayne was a lifelong Bruin and a member of both the 1970 and 1972 Stanley Cup winning teams.

#128 - Gerry Meehan

When his playing career wound down, Meehan worked as an executive for the Buffalo Sabres in the late '80s and early '90s.

#105 - Glenn Resch

#71 - Bob Kelly

As was par for the course during this era, nearly every photo in this pack was taken in a game against the Washington Capitals.

#115 - Mike Bossy (RC)

Here's the reason that this was far and away the best of my 17 packs.  The hope of pulling a Bossy was one of my primary reasons for purchasing these packs.  The shop owner was honest and admitted that one had already been pulled from the wax box before I purchased what was left, so the odds weren't great, and I was ecstatic to land this one.  Best of all, this card is in absolute mint, grade-able condition.  There was a pattern with nearly all of these packs where the cards in the top half, before the team sticker, were almost all badly off-center.  The cards in the bottom half, after the team sticker, were really well centered and in much better shape.  Luckily for me, the Bossy came in the latter half of this pack, and has four sharp corners and great centering and eye appeal.

Here's a look at the back.  I really like Bossy's signature.

#35 - Pierre Larouche

Larouche actually went on to play some games with the Hartford Whalers in the early '80s.  That's a wrap.  Sure, I could have picked up a complete '78-79 Topps set for probably less than what I paid for these packs, but pulling a mint Bossy rookie from a wax pack that's older than I am was one of the highlights of my collecting experience so far.

Here's a look at Mike in his new home, an Ultra Pro One Touch holder.  Truly a classic card of one of the best pure goal scorers ever to lace up a pair of skates!