When thinking of legendary, all-time great hockey players, let’s be honest… Steve Shutt is probably not the first that comes to mind.
Unless you are a die-hard hockey veteran, or a long-time fan of the Montreal Canadiens, you probably don’t think about Steve Shutt before thinking of players like Wayne Gretzky, Bobby Orr, or Mario Lemieux.
But as a five time Stanley Cup winner, and as a guy who finished with more career goals than Paul Kariya and Henri “Rocket” Richard, maybe he should be more well known.
Shutt played for the Montreal Canadiens for 13 years between 1972 and 1984. In that time, he scored over 400 goals and won the Stanley Cup five times. In the 1976-77 season, he led the NHL with 60 goals, shooting an astonishing 20.5% that season. Known for his hard slap shot, he was the point man on the Habs’ power play for many years, hammering pucks at the opposing net with startling accuracy.
But for all of his accomplishments, Shutt’s rookie card is surprisingly inexpensive.
1974-75 O-Pee-Chee Steve Shutt
Although Shutt had already played two full seasons with the Habs by 1974, his first rookie card didn’t appear in an O-Pee-Chee set until the 1974-75 release. This is likely because the Montreal Canadiens were stacked with more popular players in the early 1970’s. O-Pee-Chee preferred including names like Jacques Lemaire, Guy Lafleur, Ken Dryden, and Guy Lapointe over a newcomer like Shutt.
But by 1974, it was impossible to ignore Shutt’s contributions. He was given card #316 in O-Pee-Chee’s set of 397 cards that year.
In the book “Hockey Card Stories” by Ken Reid, Reid recounts a fabulous story about Shutt’s anticipation of his own hockey card. Apparently every season prior to 1974, he was hopeful to get his card included in the O-Pee-Chee set, dressing to the nine’s and preparing for the picture as if it was prom night. But every year he was disappointed, having not been included.
Then in 1974, he was included in the set. To this day, he is embarrassed by the picture they included.
“Everybody in the world has got some bad pictures and unfortunately some of them, our bad pictures, are on hockey cards,” Shutt said.
Regardless, Shutt’s rookie card stands out for its innocence and hopefulness. He seems a player on the verge of greatness with the world’s most successful sports franchise, though he doesn’t seem boastful or arrogant. Shutt is ready to shine, prepared to do what it takes to win, having already tasted victory in 1972 as a role player on the Canadiens’ 16th Cup journey.
And he would go on to win four more Stanley Cups for the Habs, securing his place among the legends to play for the Canadiens.
Shutt’s player text indicates he was a first round draft pick and played only six minor league games before making the leap to the NHL. His status as a fast-rising rookie would suggest his rookie card to be quite expensive.
But compared to other rookies from his era, it’s not as high as you might think.
The value of Steve Shutt’s rookie card
Considering Shutt’s place among hockey royalty, you wouldn’t expect these kinds of prices for his rookie card:
Sales of Steve Shutt’s 1974-75 rookie card from O-Pee-Chee have averaged only $25.21 over the last three months, according to recent sales on eBay. Compare that to prices of other players from his era like Guy Lafleur and Ken Dryden, or later to those of Wayne Gretzky and Mike Bossy, and you see just how undervalued Shutt’s rookie card is.
Graded copies of Shutt’s rookie card are higher, as you’d expect, but still not to the level they should be. PSA Mint 9 sales have averaged only $1,142 over the last 12 months. Compare those PSA 9 sales to those of other rookies from that era:
- Ken Dryden (1971 OPC): $4,827
- Guy Lafleur (1971 OPC): $4,926
- Billy Smith (1973 OPC): $2,640
- Denis Potvin (1974 OPC): $1,802
- Mike Bossy (1978 OPC): $1,576
- Wayne Gretzky (1979 OPC): $147,311
Steve Shutt might be the most inexpensive rookie card of a Hall of Famer from the 1970’s that you can buy. Regardless of whether you buy graded or raw.
And while you might think it unfair to compared Shutt’s card prices to that of Gretzky’s… consider that Shutt won five Stanley Cups compared to Gretzky’s four.
Shutt might always be undervalued to some extent, but he seems like a reasonably good buy for someone trying to build their hockey collection. Be sure to check the GMC store for Steve Shutt cards if you want to add him to your stack of hockey cards.
Sources: “Hockey Card Stories” (Ken Reid), vintagecardprices.com, hockey-reference.com