'72-73 OPC WHA - The Quest Continues

It's been a lot of fun so far working on the '72-73 O-Pee-Chee WHA subset, and I've really kicked it into high gear the past few weeks.  Today I've got another pair to share with you, each plucked from eBay for just a couple bucks...

Winger Wayne Rivers appeared in just over 100 NHL games throughout the '60s, tallying 15 goals over that span.  He played his last NHL game in '68-69, but like many players found his "second wind" when the WHA was founded in the early '70s.

Wayne Spent the WHA's inaugural season with the team he's pictured with here, the New York Raiders.  He lit the lamp 37 times that year for New York and scored at just about a point-per-game pace, something he'd continue to do throughout his WHA career.

The Raiders were a doomed franchise, lasting just one season under that name, but I'm pleased to have a second card representing them in my collection nonetheless.

Rosaire Paiement (the man whose name is so long it doesn't quite fit on this card) bounced back and forth in the late '60s between the Philadelphia Flyers and their AHL affiliate in Quebec, before finally landing a more permanent roster spot with the expansion Vancouver Canucks to begin the '70s.  When the WHA was founded though he jumped ship and joined the Chicago Cougars.

Paiement became a staple of the Cougars' offense, appearing in every single game for the franchise over their entire 3-season existence.  Known as a guy who wasn't afraid to rough up an opposing player, he also scored at least 25 goals in each of those three seasons with Chicago, and would go on to play in over 450 WHA games before a sucker punch to his left eye abruptly ended his career.

So there you have it, two more subjects from the crazy days of the WHA.  This pair puts me at 9 of these now, which is starting to feel like a nice little collection but is still just a fraction of what's out there.  Fine by me though, more cards to chase and as a matter of fact I already have others to show here soon...