Top 30 NHL Players of All-Time: #28

The next two picks on my list were really really difficult to rank and I only knew they must be on my list. Many will think they need to be much higher and I probably agree with you. However, at the same time I feel they both may have been victims of just playing in an era with so many superstars.

#28. Steve Yzerman. Steve was a winner both individually and as a leader of a team. 3 Cups, Triple Gold Member and many other medals. He won the Selke, Pearson, Conn Smythe and Masterton showing he can do it all. Over 600 goals and 1700 points also prove his remarkable abilities. 


84-85 OPC Rookie

 How do you place someone so great on a list of other amazingly great players? I had a very difficult time with this. In the end I tried my best to weigh all factors. Offensively Steve was superb including a season I still am in awe (65 G, 90A, 155 PTS). For his career he's among all the elite (top 10 in all three offensive categories). As a leader he was also among the games best and perhaps as good as Messier if you ask me. Defensively, the man was top 5 in Selke voting 5 times and perhaps if underrated in any area it may be in this. He did an excellent job rounding out his game in the second half of his career earning him a spot among the greatest of the great and that's why he's 28th on my list.

So...why isn't he higher? One really surprising fact is Steve only was ever named to the year end AS teams once. I know guys like Wayne and Mario made it difficult for him to get the recognition he deserved but in the end I had to place him here and I hope to prove myself in the coming posts.

Thanks for stopping by, #27 is every bit as good as #28.

Top 30 NHL Players of All-Time: #29

Next up on the list and perhaps you may begin to get a sense of what I value or may not value from a player.

#29. Brett Hull. The Golden Brett lead the NHL in goals 3 times including an amazing 86 goal season. He was the 1991 Hart Trophy winner and he’s a 3x All-Star. One of the best pure goal scorers who was an underrated passer. 741 career goals and one of the most infamous Cup goals.

88-89 OPC Rookie

10-11 Limited Auto /49

What is the greatest single NHL season goal total? Many including myself would say it is Wayne's 92 goal season. That number was insane and to this day has never been broken. However, what would happen if you gave Joe Malone an 80 game season back in 1917-18? Would he have scored more? He did have 44 goals in just 20 games. However each era needs to be measured with a slightly different yard stick. Some statisticians try and do that by normalizing game numbers, average offensive output etc. When you take the approach that Hockey Reference does, you'd learn the greatest season is Brett Hull's 86 goal season in 90-91. 90-91 Wasn't as offensively open as some seasons in the 80's and more offensive than anything in the past 20 years but his numbers would normalize to a 78 goal season which is the highest by 6 goals over Ovi's normalized 72 goal season in 07-08. 

Hull was a monster when he played much like his father and he was indeed an excellent passer and decent all-round player who'd end up on some Selke ballots in 02-03. Brett lead the NHL in goals 3 times and is 8th in goals per game all-time as well. 

Personally I like him higher than Dionne as if I needed one more spot to fill a one game win all line-up, Hull is that difference maker who could take over a game or seal the deal on the PP. However, he did have his weaknesses too and as a result isn't higher on my list as well. 

Thanks for stopping by, #28 is coming next. 

Will Gerard Gallant Ever Get Respect?

I think it is safe to say the answer to my question is yes when he hoists this year's Jack Adams Trophy as best coach. However, this has been a long time coming if you ask me and the number of times he's be slighted or over looked will probably make this seem that much more sweet too.

Even the hobby world hasn't been the kindest to poor Gerard. Let's look at his rookie card.

87-88 OPC Gerard Gerald Gallant Rookie

Well for starters Gerard apparently goes by Gerald for this particular season, I am sure it was a pretty simple misunderstanding given Gerald is likely a more common name than Gerard. Still its never nice to have your first hockey card ever with the wrong name on the front.

 When you flip it over there is more insult to injury. OPC/Topps consistently write his name as Gerald on the back too. Then you look to see it wasn't even his first NHL season. It took three years for Gerard to get a rookie card and in all fairness he put up some decent numbers in some of those seasons. Again, no respect for Gerard.

Once upon a time the 87-88 OPC set was a must have for all collectors. It was loaded with pretty talented and highly priced rookies and second year cards. Some of the notables were Luc Robitaille, Adam Oates, Ron Hextall, Mike Vernon and many many others. Patrick Roy's second year card also has a great deal of collector's attention and the book price was nearly 200 in the early 90's. Today the set can be had for about half that price and many of those rookies came down to earth thanks to the internet making transactions easier and cards more available and a decrease in demand. Still during all that time a Gerard Gallant rookie could be had for a handful of nickels. Gallant would go on and have a decent NHL career scoring 30+ goals 4 times and 200+ penalty min in those seasons which is a feat few have accomplished. A bad back would force him out of hockey until he'd come back as a coach.

Gerard would win two QMJHL championships as the coach of the Sea Dogs and then he would come to the NHL and get the Panthers back in the playoffs. After a rough start the Panthers gave up on poor Gerard and made some other strange strange from office moves. Then came along the Vegas Golden Knights. I almost think the lack of respect poor Gerard has had over the years made him a perfect choice to run the Island of Misfit Toys because this year has been like none other and I believe they could very well make it out of the first round in the playoffs. Regardless of what happens I believe Gallant is a huge factor and maybe a Jack Adams will help get some of that respect and people will know the name Gerard and not Gerald for good!

Despite this season's successes, you can still land a Gallant rc for a great deal. Currently the book price on Gallant is about $1.00 compared to Ulf Samuelsson's rookie from the same set which books for $6.00! Which of those would you rather in your collection or running your team?

Thanks for stopping by!

The Other Phil Esposito Rookie

A while back I shared with you one of the bigger pick ups I have had in recent memory and that was my Phil Esposito Rookie. The card books at a whopping $400 usd in Nr Mint condition however, when it is found in the shape mine was in with a crease or two and some tiny paper loss it was very affordable but still nice on the eyes. According to most guides that represents his only rookie card. However, there was another Phil Esposito card released that year with the 65-66 Coca-Cola Set.

While it isn't an official rookie card, I have a slightly more liberal definition of the term and would definitely consider this card his OTHER rookie card. The condition of this one is much much better than my other but still has some rounded corners (2 of them) but much like the other card is very easy on the eyes. The book on this one is $40 dollars in Nr Mint condition so if you are looking to add a Phil to your collection from his rookie year this isn't a bad choice and won't break the bank. I believe I spent about 12 dollars in total on this one and it was definitely worth every penny.

65-66 Coca-Cola Phil Esposito Rookie

Here is the front. Like all cards from this set, they are b&w photos but look very nice in person. I really like the fact that it isn't a canned photo that you've seen on countless other cards before hand and is unique to this set. This is my third one from the set with Howe and Delvecchio being my first two.


Back side

I still love the back side of these cards. So much statistical information unlike the Topps version of Phil's rookie. Both minor, regular season and playoff stats plus some vitals make these cards winners in my eyes. I would love to try and build this set someday because I believe it would definitely make a beautiful set once completed and placed in a binder.

Anyone else out there chasing this set or have it already? Are there any food based sets out there that spark your collecting passion? Thanks for stopping by and Happy Birthday to Wayne Gretzky!

State of the Union

Hey all, who knew as you got older the less time you'd have to blog about sports cards? Truth is I still think about them as much as ever and sneak time here and there to tweet about them but apart from that really the blog seems to have suffered the most. Life is good, coaching hockey, playing hockey and soccer, parenting and working all seem to flow together and in the end I daydream of cards I own or cards I wish I had and then the next day begins.

I still feel a little empty because I don't seem to have as much time as I'd like to record my thoughts or interact with some of my fellow collectors I only see on here so I am working at ways to try and spread my time a little more evenly to help include my comrades out here.

Today's post is how I stay connected to the hobby when  I am not at home and one way is by having a few cards at work. For someone who has 99.999% hockey in their collection, I have a large number (proportionally speaking) of baseball cards at work. I thought I'd share a few of the ball cards I have and share some of the others in another post at a later date. As some of you know, my all-time favourite ball player is Randy Johnson and at home I have his UD rookie and an Artifacts relic card. However at work I have a few other RJ Rookies which include:

1989 Donruss Randy Johnson Rated Rookie

While Randy looks angry or annoyed, I do like this card in terms of design and colouring. Perhaps the most visually appealing of the three I am sharing today.

What the card had going on the front didn't carry over to the back. Here is your standard Donruss backs this time in orange. I don't know loads about Donruss but it appears the back sides of their cards were pretty much the same year in and year out for a number of years.

1989 Fleer Randy Johnson Rookie

Here is happy Randy. This card exists in a few different variations depending on how much Marlboro one could see. I believe this is the most common version and thus worth the least. Still like the design of the front and it comes in a close second.

The backside is a mixed bag for me. I don't care of the design so much but it is probably the most informative backside of the three rookies.

1989 Topps Randy Johnson Rookie

This is thoughtful Randy. This card is pretty much as vanilla as 80's cardboard comes in my opinion. However, it seems to have a nice vintage look to it now but I imagine back in 1989 it had fewer fans than it might have now. I believe the same can be said for Bowman and OPC when it comes to hockey from roughly the same time period.

The backside was a bit of a surprise. A little more life back here and the black border is a neat touch. I do like the back of this card much more than the front.

So there are three cards I keep around my desk at work. I've probably looked at them all a hundred times and still give them a glance every now and again. I picked them all up in a lot deal on eBay probably 4-5 years ago and they've lived at work the entire time. I like that they are only at work and it makes them kind of unique in the sense that it's the only place I get to see them. I also like I only have a few cards at work so the ones that are here tend to get a fair bit of my personal attention. Strange? Yeah probably but that adjective probably has been applied to me on a number of occasions but I am willing to bet if you are reading this you probably might have a few cards stashed away or on display at your place of employment too. Am I right? Do you have any special work only cardboard that you have for the occasional mental break? If so, I'd love to hear about it. In the meantime, thanks for stopping by and I appreciate your patience with this blog!

Hidden Behind a Wealth of Talent - Kasperi Kapanen

With the exception of a few random successes in the past 20 or so I would best describe the Toronto Maple Leafs as nothing short of a mess. As a devout hockey fan who also used to be a part owner of the Maple Leafs (MLSE to be specific), I know I was often left scratching my head at the way the franchise was being run. However, a few years ago, they gutted the team from top to the bottom and I know Lou isn't getting as much credit as Shanahan (and the Shanaplan) but I honestly believe Lou has helped change the culture and through smart trades of Kessel and a little draft luck the Leafs are now loaded with talent.

IF you dig far enough into the Kessel trade you will see young Kapanen's name was involved as well as a draft pick which turned out to be Sam Steel. However, the pick ended up belonging to the Ducks as the Leafs traded the pick to land Frederik Andersen first and then the Ducks drafted Steel after. While this will never make up for what Kessel cost the Leafs in the first place, it's still a decent return which brings me back to Kapanen.

16-17 Upper Deck Series 2 Kasperi Kapanen Young Gun

I really really hope I am wrong about this but fact of the matter is I am always a realist first and dreamer second. The Calder Trophy for top rookie could be an interesting race this year. I don't believe it will come down to an amazing battle like last year where Murray, Laine, Marner, Nylander, Werenski or Matthews could conceivably have won it had they been paired against a different crop of rookies (ie like 2013 etc) but I do think that Nico Hischier, Nolan Patrick and Kasperi Kapanen will be battling some of the other rookies for the Calder. With that being said, I don't know if anyone will be Kapanen for the Calder. While he may not be as talented as the other top picks, he does have a few years of pro experience under his belt which will help and the depth the Leafs have now will ensure he gets some pretty good match ups against the other teams which he could exploit. I am going to go out on a limb and say he's my early prediction for the Calder though I am hopeful that Nico will come out on top in the end!

What are your thoughts? Any extremely early Calder predictions (Strome? Yost? Keller? Someone else?) Thanks for stopping by, my next post will be when I return and hopefully have some stuff about the Hockey Hall of Fame!

A new minor PC - Blake Speers

How many PCs can a fella have? Probably as many as they want or can afford to chase/trade for, but in my case I usually stop ones and start others and while Brett Connolly is big in my collection and I will always follow along, I've officially stopped chasing his stuff and will just enjoy what I have accumulated. As a result I've started a couple small PCs to replace BC with and Blake Speers is one of them.

I really enjoyed his efforts at the 2017 WJHC and he looked really good last fall with the Devils and actually made the opening night line up. I suspect he will make it again this year but perhaps will manage to stick it out this time for the whole season. He's a very tenacious player who does very well at both ends of the ice and has lots of speed which seems to be the direction the Devils are going with their rebuild which makes him a perfect second/third line player.

16-17 Upper Deck Blake Speers Young Gun

 What every PC needs if the card exists is a Young Gun version. I don't have the acetate version yet but they are out there. I'd be willing to make a trade for one if anyone has one to part with.

15-16 Leaf Heroes and Prospects Blake Speers Prospect Auto /80

 Also who could start a PC without an autograph of the player? This one is fun because it's him in a Greyhounds jersey and represents him prior to being in the NHL.

There you have it a couple to kick off a minor PC. I do have a couple more I will share but those will come at a later date! Thanks for stopping by.

85-86 OPC Kirk Muller Rookie

So when I was a kid just getting started into collecting, I always had an eye for "vintage". Of course the concept of time was still relative so for me anything that was older than 90-91 was considered vintage by my little developing mind. One card I remember distinctly on my want list was the 85-86 OPC Kirk Muller Rookie. It didn't book for much at the time 4-5 dollars and even today it still doesn't book for much $4.00 in the most recent Beckett Hockey Monthly. So when I was at a card shop back in like 1991, the same one where I shelled out 8 dollars for an Upper Deck Ed Belfour Star Rookie, I saw a Kirk Muller rookie for $5.00.

I still remember it like it was yesterday, it sat there in the display case in a 10 count card holder and the card had a bit of curl to it. Later in life I'd learn it's called the OPC curl and basically all the OPC card if left for a long extended period of time outside a toploader or other case it would start to curl on you a bit. So I brought my purchase home with me and was perplexed by why it had curled and figured that I could just flatten it out and shove it into a toploader and that's just what I did. However, in the process of flattening it I created a new problem and that was I damaged the card in a new way...wrinkles/ripples in the center of the card. I was pretty bummed out but still enjoyed owning the rookie card of the best Devils player ever (at that point) and over the years somehow that card managed to disappear.

Several years ago, I was able to build an 85-86 Topps set which got me another Muller rookie this time in Topps form. However, a hole was still there from my childhood and about 2 years ago I was at the LCS and the owner had a bunch of new stock which included a bunch of vintage cards and in there I found myself an 85-86 OPC Kirk Muller rookie in fantastic non-curled shape in the 3 for 5 bin. You better believe I left with it.

85-86 OPC Kirk Muller Rookie

While I always believed that we should have been the ones to get Mario Lemieux and it should be him in this jersey, things still worked out ok and in the end it would be a trade that sent Kirk Muller to Montreal that helped them win a Cup and eventually us win a Cup too. Glad to have you back in the fold Kirk and I promise to just leave you as is.

73-74 OPC Billy Smith RC

Sometimes a mint card isn't what is needed in a collection, sometimes just having a nice copy is sufficient enough. While it is my hope to collect at least one set a year from 1910-present, I know that goal isn't too realistic. However, having some key single rookies is rather doable and one of the biggest from the 73-74 set without a doubt is Billy Smith! 

73-74 OPC Billy Smith RC

Not exactly an exciting photo of a goalie in action but it is perhaps a bit better than a studio shot of a goalie in his equipment sweating it out under the lights.

Here is the back side of the card. Interestingly enough, this particular year OPC used two different types of card stock one with a light back and the other with a darker back. This is a dark back version. Even his rookie card predicted that Billy doesn't mind mixing it up with players in front of his net.

While I am not a big Islanders fan or even a huge Billy Smith fan, I greatly respect his career and accomplishments and this card falls under the category of me wanting to own every significant player's rookie card in the history of hockey which is a massive under taking in itself and the best part is it's a project that will never end! Thanks for stopping by and until next post...

10-11 Upper Deck Jeff Skinner Young Gun

Hockey fans like most sports fans can be too hard on athletes in my opinion and when it comes to hockey especially hard. When you look at football, or baseball chances are the athletes are in the early to mid 20 by the time they are a rookie and those few extra years can make a big difference when it comes to life under a microscope and the pressure of being a highly paid athlete. However in hockey, rookies are often nothing more than young adults who are 18-20 years old and perhaps new to the spotlight and pressures of being a pro athlete.

Let's take Jeff Skinner for example. Before you read any further or do any research, what do you think of? A player who had a good start and fizzled because of injuries? A player who just never reached his full potential?

Now, let's look at the Jeff Skinner I see, first of all he's only 25 years old! That's right, 25. Jeff can easily have another decade of hockey ahead of himself if he stays healthy. Truth is he did have a few concussions over a couple years early in his career but these past 3 years he's only missed 6 games in total. This past season Jeff scored 37 goals on a pretty weak Carolina team and was a huge reason why they were flirting with a playoff spot. His 37 goals this past year was good enough for 6th in the entire league. Over the past two years he's averaged over 30 goals a season and I truly believe the best is yet to come as he reaches into his prime. True 3 seasons ago Skinner's numbers were pretty pedestrian with him only scoring 18 goals and 31 points but the team as a whole was a disaster too.

After 7 NHL seasons Jeff Skinner has scored 20 or more goals 5 times and 30 or more goals 3 times. I believe he can easily reach 30 over the next 5-6 years and perhaps even has a 40 goal campaign or two in him. At 25 there's so much hockey left in this kid I am excited to see where his career will take him. As a Skinner fan, I hope I've convinced you the reader he is worth all the hype he once had back as a Calder Trophy winning 18 year old and might be worth grabbing a card or two of if you don't already have some in your collection.

10-11 Upper Deck Jeff Skinner Young Gun

Once upon a time his Young Gun would have set you back close to 50 dollars but now can be had for under 20 and I believe if he can show the world he's a consistent 30-35 goal a season player you will see those cards take a jump in value.

While I am trying to stand up for Jeff Skinner and his career, I know I am guilty of getting down on prospects who just don't mature as quickly as hoped or panic a bit when that sophomore slump trickles into their 3rd/4th season but patience will always win out with most of these kids because they are indeed humans like the rest of us and the game is a world unlike anything we live in.

Some other players who might be worth a look and some added patience are: Dylan Strome, Mikko Rantanen, Valeri Nichushkin and Jonathan Huberdeau.

Anyway, thanks for stopping by and if you have a player you'd like to say still has star potential I'd love to hear about it!

Parkhurst Project Card 37: Mr. Hockey

If there was ever a fire and my family was safe and I could go and grab one item, this might be it for me. I have made it very clear 1951 Parkhurst is my favourite set all time and when it comes to this set there really isn't much bigger and better than this.


1951-52 Parkhurst #66 Gordie Howe Rookie

 As you can see from the front, there is some damage. A pretty significant crease and some tape stains. With that being said, I only see beauty. This card is in fantastic shape and thanks to being taped in some book for a number of years have helped preserve the card I believe and prevented other creases from happening.

To see the card in person is a pretty awesome experience to be honest. It's hard to truly explain but for me personally this could be one of the best cards I will ever add to my collection and one I will certainly cherish for the rest of my life.

It is worth sharing the backside to show that this card is indeed a gem. Nice clean back with the same crease you may have noticed on the front.

What adds to my enjoyment of this card is the fact that I got to meet him many years ago and get a couple autographs. More recently, I bought and read his book Mr. Hockey which was a fantastic read and in ways I felt brought me closer to the man that was Gordon Howe. In many ways this marks a turning point for me in the set as I have been able to land a few whales from this historic set but alas there are a few more in the sea (Richard, Sawchuk, The Goal) but patience has got me this far and patience will be what it takes for me to finish it too. Thanks for stopping by and while my next post won't be featuring any cards of this magnitude, it does feature an amazing surprise!

Progress:


Card #66 and # 37 of my set


Percentage Complete:

35.2% 

1979-80 Topps Wayne Gretzky RC

Oh boy, I figure it is about time to share this one. I have actually had it for about a year and a half but with my time away and stuff I have finally got around to scanning and sharing this. The unfortunate part is this card is slabbed so scanning it wasn't as successful as I hope and I didn't really feel like playing around with the camera today. So please keep that in mind as you proceed through this post.

1979-80 Topps Wayne Gretzky RC

To say I have wanted this card my whole life would be a bit of hyperbole as I have only been collecting since 1990. However, I have wanted this card ever since then so that pretty much feels like my entire life. Having a pretty tight budget meant that I couldn't drop 2000+ on a PSA 9 or 10 but at the same time I felt life is short why not at least get a decent one for a decent price and then worry about a better one for my OPC set later. As it stands I am not done my Topps set and even with this card I am still about a dozen (give or take) away from the set. While my set is an average of Ex-Mt or better I was willing to let a little go when it came to the Great One.

The card itself is stunning in person. Don't let the grading fool you at first glance it looks like a 7. However, it is truly a 4 and it's flaws are visible if you take a few moments to scan around and tilt the card. You can see corner wear on the upper right and bottom left.Tilt the card and you will see the upper left is a tiny bit soft. On the back by the 1978-79 there is a tiny hairline crease that sometimes takes me a while to find depending on the light etc. Also a tiny bit of browning on the edge of the card make it truly a 4 I suspect. Enough of the bad, this card is all great to me and it a very very fun addition to a collection I always felt needed at least one Gretzky RC.

Here is the back side, the scanning didn't turn out as well as the front but I wanted to share it anyway.


I bought this card knowing it was a PSA 4 and would have its flaws. Given how difficult they are to spot I felt it was an amazing purchase and am so pleased to have it in my collection. I honestly don't ever see myself getting rid of it ever, even if I added more Gretzkys to my collection. My end goal is to have a nice one in the 7 range in both Topps and OPC to go along with my autograph and game used Great Ones.

Thanks for stopping by and seeing one of the most important cards in my collection. Are there any cards in your collection that you would say are keystone cards which you had to have or knew needed to be apart of the collection?

Parkhurst Project Card 35: Doug Bentley RC

This Parkies set is one which has small fries, medium fries, large fries and massive potatoes. This pick up is one of the medium fries in my opinion. Even though Doug began his career in 1940 this card is indeed his rookie. One misconception I see all the time is vendors assume that ALL the cards in the set are rookies cards which sadly isn't the truth. Players like Elmer Lach, Turk Broda and others make appearances in card sets from the 30's. However, Bentley was just late enough to miss the 39-40 OPC set and here is his rookie and really apart from his Bee Hive photos doesn't have any other cards from his playing days. With that being said if I were to only ever have one card created of me, this one is pretty darn awesome. 

I love the snow shower picture and the fantastic "Black Hawks" sweater. The Hawks players seemed to think this was a great idea as well as a few other cards in the set have the same idea. 

1951-52 Parkhurst Douglas Bentley Rookie

As you can see the text and front of the card are pretty clear and in person the colours are nice. There is some definite rounding of the corners and some creasing but nothing that really takes away from enjoying the card. I can't remember what I paid for this card but I do remember picking it up and another from a card shop in Halifax for around the price of a blaster.

Doug Bentley was a very good player from the 1940's who lead the league in goals twice and points once. He was eventually inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame which is pretty impressive for a young lad who grew up on a farm in Saskatchewan. Having just finished reading Mr. Hockey it seems there were a number of these young farm lads from Saskatchewan and I both enjoyed the book and this card greatly! Thanks for stopping by, not sure what I will post next but I will find something fun to share.

Progress:


Card #48 and # 35 of my set


Percentage Complete:

33.3%

Officially I've crossed the 1/3 way mark. I have about another half dozen to share but it's still cool to see that milestone on here. 

16-17 Artifacts Pavel Zacha Rookie /999

Continuing on the path of pairs, I have a pair of this particular card but rather than scan it two times and illustrate two different serial numbers I decided to just focus on one of them.

Year after year, Upper Deck releases the Artifacts brand early in the season and for me personally it's always a delight. The cost is usually around 100 CDN and what you get for your money is typically pretty solid. Before last year it was 10 packs per hobby box but now you only get 8 in a hobby box. In those 8 packs you pretty much are guaranteed a "hit" per pack. A hit in this case is essentially an insert, auto, game used, rookie/rookie redemption or a serial numbered card. For more discriminating collectors, you essentially get three game used/auto cards per box plus a rookie redemption so half your packs are going to at least make someone really smile. There are also some case hits including rookie signatures and other great value added items which make Artifacts loads of fun to rip.

What I love beyond all the hits etc, is the design that the base cards and rookies typically have year in and year out. I am going to focus on this Pavel Zacha rookie:

16-17 Artifacts Pavel Zacha Rookie /999

The design of the Artifacts rookies are usually very simplistic and easy on the eyes. The players are always the focus on the card and typically there are some foil accents added to the card. Each rookie is always serial numbered and they typically range from 699-999 depending on the number of rookies and if it's a live pull or a redemption pull. Even at 999 they are at least 5 times more rare than your standard Young Guns rookie. With that being said, not all collectors share my love of these cards and as a result they typically don't sell for more than their Young Gun counterparts and in fact are often a much more affordable alternative for collectors. For example, an Auston Matthews Artifacts redemption can be had for under 100 CDN on the secondary market meanwhile his Young Guns rookie will set you back more than 150 CDN typically. As much as this speaks to the strong following Young Guns rookies have, I also believe it speaks to the great value an Artifacts rookie has. Which rookie is right for you is entirely your decision. Budget sometimes says one rookie over another and sometimes a collector needs BOTH. What is neat to about some of the live rookies in Artifacts is the chance to get additional parallels like game used jerseys, patches or autos much like the Santini's I shared. 

Back side of the Artifacts rookies is equally easy on the eyes as the front. Very clean and easy design that isn't distracting in the least and you get a nice brief player write up as well as stats and a vitals. As you can see Pavel had a great start to his NHL career, this season has been a little less successful (a fair bit less than 2 points per game this year) but I have faith he will grow into an amazing two way player.

I really like the design of both Artifacts rookies and Young Guns this season and I plan on reviewing this year's Young Guns a little more closely in a future post. Thanks for stopping by, and I have a couple more different Artifacts Zachas to share with you another time as well.

08-09 Upper Deck Cory Schneider Young Gun

As a person who has been a Devils fan since 1987 I have been pretty lucky to have missed the very early years and most of the time the Devils had Martin Brodeur and some guy backing him up. Don't get me wrong, I love our history and I fondly remember Chris Terreri, Craig Billington, Rollie Melanson and of course Sean Burke. But, with that being said Martin was the man for so many seasons it is still even strange this day to look at our club with all of its players and see someone other than Marty in goal.

The past few seasons have been tough but one area where we still have been very blessed is in goal and I find it strange that internally I don't have this drive to try and grab up everything Cory. His numbers are remarkable and the games he keeps us in each night or even steals are just fabulous for the Devils organization which has lead me to ask myself, why am I not goo-goo for Schneider's cards? I honestly don't know why, but I do have a few of his autographs and game used cards and here is just my third Schneider rookie!

08-09 Upper Deck Cory Schneider Young Gun

The first Schneider rookie I ever got was one I pulled from a pack of OPC. Then about a year or two ago I picked up this auto rookie. I knew eventually I would cross paths with his Young Gun and alas I can say I have one and it's a very nice card when you see it for yourself. I don't think I really had "looked" at one until this one arrived in my collection. Looks like the Canucks were in town to face the Blue Jackets. I love the hovering puck!

So with this card in the collection, I don't want to say I am done with Cory but I don't see myself running out and trading the farm to add any more or saving up for months to try and buy a The Cup rookie. However, should someone offer me one for trade and the deal sounds right I just might. I guess you could call me a causal Schneider collector but I assure you despite that title, I am a big fan of what he has done for the club and hope that he will get us back into the playoffs!

Thanks to Chris and the Joy of a Completed Set!

After all of these years (nearly 7...) I am still humbled by how cool collectors are out there and how willing they are to help each other out. I received a message about this card a little while back and after exchanging some info, it arrived in the mail just a few days later. 

1980-81 OPC #385 Richard Sevigny Rookie 

 Here is what the front of the card looks like.

Here is the back side.
Richard clearly was no Ken Dryden in terms of stature or ability but he still stood between me and a completed 80-81 OPC set. While I already had the Topps set complete, there were so many cool and important cards in the OPC set that I felt it was worth chasing. This card was the final card I needed to complete my 80-81 OPC set. The set I have which I will share at a later date is in very nice shape and to have my final card be a relatively low value card in great shape is a nice end to a project that started in some ways when I first bought my Pierre Hamel card and ended on a trade with a fellow collector some 25-26 years later.

Chris was so kind to also include some great Colorado Rockies team sets from the 70's as well which I will share at a later date. Thank you very much for this, I will be sending you an email in the next couple days which some card ideas to thank you and hopefully make you are happy as I was opening my package.

When you are done checking out this card can you pass the syrup?

I have posted a few Bee Hive cards over the years and while I will never ever chase this set, I do love the cards and have gone looking for a couple over the years. I have nearly all the Delvecchio ones except the one very very rare Group 3 one and now I have his former goaltender.

1944-1963 Bee Hive Group 2 Terry Sawchuk (Stick blade cropped)

The card isn't in mint condition but I would consider this very respectable and the backside is clean and adhesive free which is pretty uncommon given the fact many of these cards were glued into albums of some kind.

What is interesting about a set that spanned nearly 20 years is whenever a player got traded, they just slapped a new photo and kept pumping out cards. Terry Sawchuk had three versions come out during this set. One is super rare and is worth 4 figures and they other two have been produced in large enough quantities that their value is rather small compared to the significance of the player and the age of the card. Whether the blade has been cropped or not doesn't matter much to me because in either case I believe this was the photo used to make this card:

The photo of his rookie and the Bee Hive appear to have come from the same original photo which is pretty awesome in my opinion and adds to the cool factor of the Bee Hive card. Some day I hope to track down a nice Sawchuk rookie for my Parkhurst project and have both of these cards in my hand at the same time.


For those who have never seen these before, here is one version of the checklist that you would use to mail away for your Bee Hive "card".




The back side looks like this:

What is neat about the checklist is it would change and players would be added, altered or subtracted from the list as the years would go by. The source I grabbed these photos from claim it's from the 1962 Season. If you look closely, poor Terry's last name is spelled incorrectly as "Sawchuck". Definitely not the last time that's happened.

As far as my future goes with collecting this set I would like to add a few more players and perhaps a checklist before I would say I'm all done. Gordie Howe and Bobby Hull are must haves I believe and I wouldn't mind getting a few other players who were born in Fort William/Port Arthur aka Thunder Bay before I am going to say I'm done with Bee Hives.

Do you have any Bee Hives in your collection? Have you ever had the syrup? It's fantastic on waffles if you haven't tried it yet. Thanks for stopping by!

13-14 Select Reid Boucher Cracked Ice Rookie

Shane from Shoebox Legends has had some posts over the years involving shiny cards and I am often loved seeing them and when I looked at my own collection I see very few. I decided to take matters into my own hands and track down a nice and shiny card which features junior scoring ace Reid Boucher. 

13-14 Select Reid Boucher Cracked Ice Rookie

These cards might not carry loads of value, the way the light catches the surface of this card makes it cool to admire and appreciate on some many other levels. I can see a complete set of these being a pretty amazing experience to flip through but in the meantime I'll enjoy this one for all it is.

65-66 Topps Phil Esposito Rookie

So in the two years not all of my pick ups have been modern cards. It's true that I did probably focus more heavily on rookies and autos released in the past decade or so but I have keep true to my love of vintage as well and here is a prime example.


65-66 Topps Phil Esposito RC

Most vintage collectors and Esposito fans know he was "Black Hawk" before he was a Bruin but still seeing this card always struck me as strange. Phil played 235 games for the Hawks before the monster trade to the Bruins happened and forever changed Boston history. Phil was no slouch either scoring 74 goals and 174 points during this 3+ seasons. His game went to a whole new level as a Bruin thanks to Bobby Orr and Co and in turn I believe Phil helped the careers of players like Ken Hodge and John Bucyk. In Bucyk's case he actually put up his best 5 season totals from age 35-40.

As you can see from the card itself, it isn't mint by any stretch but I think it is in pretty great shape regardless and thanks to the shape it was in, it was very affordable. This gem was rescued from my LCS.

From the back side you can see why I got a good deal on the card with a tiny bit of paper loss from being glued in a book no doubt. However, with that being said I think it's time in the book saved it from addition wear and tear and the couple creases that are on the card are very acceptable to me in regards to my collection. Thanks to an autograph of Phil's that I already have via a TTM, I am just a game used card short of my HOF hattrick. Guess I will need to keep my eyes peeled for one of those!

A New PC Damon Severson Let's Start With a Pair of Upper Deck Premier

For a good length of time the Devils had one of the best defense corps in the NHL. I think in some cases it was so good that it overshadowed the amazing play of Martin Brodeur and perhaps cost him a Vezina or two. However, that blue-line was not built over night and only a handful of years ago the Devils were faced with a pretty weak blue that was dubbed the No-Name Defense. Truth is, they played well but it was a combination of great goaltending and a good system.  Since 2011 the Devils have been re-tooling and our defense has improved greatly and I believe with a little offensive help up front we could be back in the playoffs next season.

One big key to our defensive success will ride on the shoulders of Damon Severson. He broke into the NHL on an amazing pace last year until a broken ankle set him back a bit. This season the confidence slowly came back and he finished the year pretty strong. Now, he is in the AHL since the Devils missed out on the post-season helping the Utica Devils in their quest for the Calder Cup. Through 2 games thus far he has 3 points and they are in action yet again tonight.


14-15 Upper Deck Premier Rookies Damon Severson /249

14-15 Upper Deck Premier Rookies Silver Spectrum Damon Severson /125

Here are a pair of Upper Deck Premier insert cards. The differences are pretty obvious and while I like the design of the base Premier Rookie insert, the Silver Spectrum parallel has a nice look to it in person and the swatch is a nice addition. I picked up a lot deal on Severson last summer and a few other singles here and there that I will share as part of my new PC.

I am a big fan of this kid and feel from what I have seen is he's a poor man's Aaron Ekblad and I believe both him and Adam Larsson would be great cornerstones to the Devils rebuild on the blueline. Time will tell what his potential truly is but in the meantime I am enjoying collecting him so please keep an eye out for future posts!

Previous Severson Cards:

The Cup

Fleer Showcase