Next card in the set is Mike "Shakey" Walton. This is the first Fighting Saints jersey we have seen in the set and I can see how it might have some cult appeal but I am not a fan. The jersey would be great for "swatches" in today's jersey cards but as a whole it looks pretty "dreck".
As you can see from the back of the card Shakey was no slouch in the scoring department. Mike was a star in junior who translated that into a decent NHL career. Mike was then poached into the WHA where he signed a three-year $450 000 contract with the Saints. He scored 136 goals and 281 points in those three years before heading back to the NHL. Between the two leagues he scored 337 goals, 392 assists for 729 points. According to Wikipedia, Mike is selling real estate these days in Toronto. Not sure if that hockey school is still running but that would be cool if it was (mostly for Mike).
You're right, love it or hate it that's definitely one of the more interesting sweaters to come from the WHA...
ReplyDeleteDefinitely. What I do like about the legacy of the WHA is they were not afraid to take chances and they did get swallowed up but the NHL so obviously they did do some things right. Of course the different coloured pucks didn't stick.
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