Completed Set - 1985-86 Topps Hockey

One of the goals I set for myself for this year was to knock off the remainder of the 1980s Topps hockey run. So far I've completed and posted about the 1986-87 through 1989-90 sets. For this post I'll continue working my way backwards, looking at the 1985-86 Topps hockey set.  The checklist is very small at just 165 cards.  Let's take a look at some of my favorites...

The set certainly starts off with a bang in the form of this gloriously colorful Lanny McDonald card.  A worthy card #1 for sure.  Not really much to the design, plain white borders with a wavy inset at the top for a team logo.  Player name and position listed across the bottom.

Of course the checklist is chock full of sweet old school sweaters like this one.  Also making an appearance here on Brian Engblom's card is a KOHO wood stick.

An interesting pre-game warm-up shot of Hall-of-Famer Joe Mullen.

Unfortunately the photography is a bit bland overall, sort of par for the course for the time period.

Here's a look at a back.  Inclusion of WHA stats is a plus.

Of course the big card from the set is Mario Lemieux's rookie.  Certainly one of the top hockey cards of the '80s.  I was really happy to be able to add this iconic card to my collection a couple years back now.  One of the most talented players ever to lace up skates, and one of the best I ever got watch growing up having been born in the early '80s.  Guys like Gordie Howe and Bobby Hull were before my time, but I was able to witness much of Mario's career as it unfolded.  Throw in his incredible comeback from severe illness and it's hard not to be impressed.

Some serious 'staches...

Mike Zuke is the first of 10 Hartford Whalers on the checklist...

Steve Yzerman's second-year card is one of the more desired cards on the checklist.

The rookie card of one of my favorite Whalers, and the recently departed head coach of the Florida Panthers, is found in this set.

Look at the size of that video camera being held by the cameraman above Bourque's shoulder!

Here's recent Hall-of-Fame inductee Chris Chelios from his early days with the Canadiens.  This is actually Chris' first Topps card, although his rookie is found in the '84-85 O-Pee-Chee set.

This has got to be one of the most atrocious sweaters in St. Louis Blues history.

For whatever reason, I've always thought that Coffey's card was one that actually worked well from this set.

Pelle Lindbergh was one of the last cards that I had trouble tracking down for quite some time.

Man look at those career stats already!  1,000 career points after 6 years in the league.  We will never see anything like that again.

This set came during the Oilers' dynasty, after the Islanders run of four straight championships earlier in the decade...

...but the Islanders still had a good team.  They lost to the Capitals in the first round of the '86 playoffs though.

The Whalers on the other hand won the only NHL playoff series they would ever win against the Nordiques this year.

Always liked these Jets sweaters, I prefer them to the ones the new Jets are using nowadays.

Here's a good look at a uniform that the Canucks had actually retired by the time this set came out.  I wonder why.

Gretzky may have led the league in assists and points again in '85-86, but Jari Kurri here was your goal leader with an impressive 68 goals scored!

Absolutely love this card.  Tragic loss on that September day over two years ago now.

Well, not to end on a downer but that wraps it up for '85-86 Topps.  Thanks to a lack of Topps sets in '82-83 and '83-84 I've got just three left to finish off the decade now.  Maybe I'll have this knocked off by year end after all.  Here's where I'm at with my completed pre-1990 Topps hockey sets...

1974-75 Topps Hockey
1979-80 Topps Hockey
1985-86 Topps Hockey 
1986-87 Topps Hockey
1987-88 Topps Hockey
1988-89 Topps Hockey
1989-90 Topps Hockey