10-11 Dominion - Stephen Gionta Rookie

For those of you who don't know the New Jersey Devils, "we" are likely the most family oriented club in the NHL. If you are talented enough to make the NHL and play for the Devils and you have a sibling that plays hockey, the Devils will find a spot in the system for your Brother. Darcy Zajac, Jordan Parise, Stephen Gionta and even Chris Lamoriello has the GM gig in the AHL. Once you retire from NJ, you are usually offered jobs in the system in one form or another as well.

With all that being said, I never expect much from a sibling of a former/current teammate, especially if they were never draft because we pretty much take anyone that is related. However, in the past 18 months or so, Stephen Gionta has been a very very pleasant surprise. 

Stephen Gionta or Gionta's Brother as some Devils fans call him, has done more than anyone can ever expect of an undrafted, undersized over-achiever. Last season Stephen played one regular season game, and scored a goal. Then he played on the much heralded 4th last during our cup run where he scored 3 goals and 4 assists in 24 playoff games and really scored timely goals while just playing an average of 9 minutes a game. This season, he has been an invaluable penalty killer and his ice time has jumped up to an average of 13 min a game and he has chipped in 10 points in 34 games which isn't too bad for a 4th liner either. 

10-11 Dominion - Stephen Gionta Rookie

I already had a Victory Black rookie, but no autograph, so I fixed that problem by going for the Dominion version of his rookie which has a nice on card auto numbered to 199.

Another Dave Taylor Auto - Sometimes more is more

You can never have enough Dave. Dave Taylor makes a second appear in my collection, this time it is from UD Trilogy. Some may remember I picked up a ITG Captain C version a little while back. Much like that version, this set me back less than 2 bucks with shipping.  

06-07 UD Trilogy Scripts - Dave Taylor

This time he signed in blue sharpie instead of black. One neat fact is Dave Taylor played 4 years of college hockey and in his last season scored 108 points in just 34 games.

96-97 BAP Rhett Warrener Auto - A post for a son

After the birth of my second son, I shared that news online and the common name between him and this hockey player. Sadly, my collection didn't actually contain the card I shared so I went out and fixed that.

Here is the silver version of the 96-97 BAP Auto of Rhett Warrener

Very simple and sharp auto of a guy who was never afraid to get dirty and played some very good and sound defensive hockey. 714 career games that had seen 24 goals, 106 points and 899 penalty minutes. What is neat about his career is he played on three Cinderella run teams (Florida, Buffalo and Calgary) but never tasted Stanley Cup victory.

I now proudly own an auto that will remind me of my second son, now I just need an auto of Dan Quinn who is the player that I think of when I hear my son Quinn's name.

Another Great Trade with Cardboard Conundrum

You have to love a trade that is complete with a total of 3 emails! That is what happened with this most recent trade between Matt and I. He wanted a Crosby game used that I wasn't too attached too and I noticed he had two PC guys of mine so I had no problems at all with a nice two for one trade in my favour. Thanks again for an awesome trade Matt.

12-13 SP Game Used Team Canada Fabrics - Brett Connolly

 LOVE LOVE LOVE this insert idea. I am totally chasing all my PC guys that played for Team Canada.

11-12 Panini Contenders NHL Ink Cody Eakin

Another great card, this time a rookie year auto of Cody Eakin which features a nice and large on card auto. I did chase a legit auto rookie of his as well which I will share at a later date.

Sometimes the best trades are the biggest but rather the simpliest.

Pair of Vanek Rookies, Malkin isn't the only getting double love.

Vanek is just one of those players I like a great deal but of course being in a small market doesn't get the same recognition around the league like someone with similar talent in a larger market. For example, if you compare him with other 2003 classmates you may be surprised to know he has more points than: Jeff Carter, Milan Michalek, Dustin Brown, Zach Parise, Mike Richards and Corey Perry! In fact, Eric Staal is the only player drafted in 2003 who has more goals than Thomas Vanek and even then it is a mere 18 goals with Vanek player 100 fewer games. 

Hard to believe with credentials like that his rookies are dirty cheap and his autos are similarly priced. I was very fortunate to get a couple TTM's from Thomas a while back, and I also found a few rookies to join my collection that didn't come close to breaking the bank. 

05-06 UD Powerplay Thomas Vanek Rookie

If you want a rookie from 05-06, you can sometimes expect to pay a lot considering the number of quality rookies making their appearances that year. However, UD Powerplay offers decent looking rookies for very low prices. Crosby's rookie can be had for 20-30 bucks from this set on eBay.

05-06 Upper Deck MVP Thomas Vanek Rookie

Here is another low-mid range rookie. With the hot start Vanek had this season, prices on his cards did jump a bit, but my LCS had this priced based on 2011 prices so I landed it very very cheap. I do like the facsimile auto on this card which some didn't have.

While these cards aren't terribly exciting, they are nice rookies that like Malkin, won't break the bank and are well within what many collectors can afford. Vanek's Young Gun Rookie is also very attractive in price and appearance and I since I don't remember if I have one or not, I might want to figure that out first before I try and track one down....

11-12 Certified Evander Kane Gold Auto /25

Here is another Certified auto for my collection, this time it is a young star that goes by the name of Evander Kane. Evander had a breakout season last year scoring 30 goals for the first time and likely not the last. He was the Thrashers 4th overall pick back in '09 and at the age of 21 he already has 75 NHL goals and I think he will likely be a 35 goal guy yearly for the next decade or so. I would love to see him focus his "energy" more on the ice and if he does who knows how good this kid could be!

11-12 Certified Evander Kane Gold Auto /25

Here is the front, sticker technology as always, but a really nice auto with name and number.

Here is the back side. When it comes to autographs I typically don't go too crazy for the low number parallels because it is the signature I am after more than anything but this one popped online for a decent price and I did a best offer even lower than list and it was accepted. True I might have been able to get something from a TTM, but time hasn't been on my side and again the price was too good to pass up.

81-82 Topps Jari Kurri Rookie

Just love this card, maybe my favourite in the Topps version.

What a start to an amazing career.


My shortest post ever I think.

08-09 Artifacts 1 of 1 Rookie, My first 1/1 pull.

So my first ever 1 of 1 came from a pack of 08-09 Artifacts. It wasn't as exciting as you might think it should have been because for one thing I had no idea who the guy was! In the end, it still has been the only 1 of 1 I have ever pulled but I have gone from having hope and excitement that this pull might have meant something to knowing this card is likely never going to amount to much more than a curiosity. 

Jordan LaVallee aka Jordan Smotherman started his career in amazing fashion scoring on the only shot he ever took and had 2 points in 2 games during the 07-08 season. He would play two unsuccessful games in 08-09 leaving him with two career shots and 1 goal. He would still be a plus 1 for his career and a shooting percentage of 50% is better than Gretzky or Lemieux. Still, he would never enter another NHL game and in fact he is further from the NHL than he has ever been. 

Jordan is 26 years old and is playing in the Hockey Allsvenskan (which is tier 2 hockey in Sweden). Now, he is doing well there 2nd in the league in goals with 26 and 22nd in the league with 36 points. But the league isn't exactly boasting top calibre players, but Jordan is playing with Tommy Enstrom who is Tobias Enstrom's brother. 

08-09 Artifacts Black Jordan LaVallee (Smotherman) Rookie 1/1

So would you rather have this card, or a 1/1 parallel of some random base card like Shane Doan? I think I would prefer this card, but I am not positive about that.

Don't Be Saad, Marcus is here but all good things must end.

The series of Blackhawk posts are about to end with their future. What Chicago has accomplished the last 9 years or has been remarkable. They were a club in the NHL basement, they won a Cup, got in trouble with the cap, blew up their team, and then rebuilt themselves into a power house once again. Not only do they look pretty good now, but with a collection of solid prospects they Hawks look good going forward. Here are two such prospects:  

11-12 Upper Deck Brandon Saad Rookie

 Brandon was off to a slow start this season but recently has picked it up scoring 12 points in the past 11 games and is seeing a little more ice time as a result.

11-12 Upper Deck Marcus Kruger Rookie

 Unlike the wing position, the centre position is a little more jam-packed so Marcus isn't getting the same ice time as Brandon mostly because they are pretty deep at the centre position with Toews, Bolland and Shaw all getting their fair share of ice. Still, he is making pretty good use of his time and in another season or two should be a pretty solid second-line centre.

11-12 Titanium New Wave Autos Brandon Saad (Exchange)

Here is an auto of Brandon Saad to go with my three Kruger autos. This is a rookie year signature of Brandon which isn't the same as an auto rookie, but sometimes that is just good enough!

So there you have it, a few Hawks related posts in honour of my favourite original 6 team. I will be back to posting about everything else in my collection with little rhyme or reason to the order! Thanks for checking in.

Earth, Wind, Fire and Hossa

Some players seem to have autos that are consistent year after year and no matter when you got their auto, it looks like their signature and it is just as dependable as time. Gordie Howe is a classic example of an autograph that is as dependable as time. Hossa is very much like my man Patrik Elias and it really depends what season you are talking about when it comes to what you might see when they sign. Here is a look at Marian Hossa's auto over time.

99-00 SP Authentic Sign of the Times Marian Hossa

I don't own this card, I just scammed a photo from online. This signature almost looks like it is his name. 

05-06 BAP Dual Auto Hossa/Redden

Here is a Hossa auto I own. I picked up this at the LCS, it was another case of a lonely looking card that I felt needed a good home. I already have a Redden auto, but Hossa was one I certainly was missing and even though his auto looks nothing like his name, I really like how it looks (sort of reminds me of an elemental symbol).

Are there any players out there that you know have had a serious evolution in signatures? Was it for the better or worse? I think in Hossa's case it was for the better even if it isn't legible anymore.

07-08 Black Diamond Patrick Kane Rookie

As I mentioned in my previous post, I do like the Blackhawks and when I can come across players I like I will try and snatch them up. Here is another Kaner for the collection. I actually had two rookies of his Upper Deck Young Gun (great story to this one, but for another day) and his Ovation Rookie which I have given up for dead as a TTM request. So being a rookie down and being a fan, I couldn't pass up this gem for low Beckett value price at my LCS this fall. 

07-08 Black Diamond Quad Rookie Gems Patrick Kane

In true Black Diamond fashion, the card scans like hell and looks way better in person. Unlike some Black Diamond rookies I have seen in the past, it is in awesome condition with great corners and is easily Nrmt-Mt which is saying something since some of these cards seem to come out of the pack in sad shape.  I am not sure if this is a keep or trade card for the long-term since I already have a mid-range rookie.

Kane is off to a great season so far proving he deserves to be among the NHL elite this season with 38 points in 30 games which is good enough for 5th in league scoring. With the improved performance and looking finally looking like he did in 09-10, it sort of makes owning a couple rookies feel just that much better and since I really don't own many Black Diamond rookies, the card is doing double duty at the moment.

12-13 Artifacts Box Break - UD made me nearly the perfect box!

I can honestly say when it comes to boxes, I love opening them. It really doesn't matter what the product is, or if there are hits or not. However, a rare thing happened to me a little while ago and that was I think I found the "perfect" box just for me. Of course, beauty is in the eye of the beholder and nothing is truly perfect, but this box that I opened I think was one of the best I could ever realistically hope for and though not everyone would think the box is amazing, I certainly did and do. I want to warn you that there are no hits here that will have collectors bidding 100's of dollars on or anything like that. Instead, it is a box when the sum of the parts are added, I feel like I had a huge success. So here we go...

This is a bit of a review at the same time so here is what the 12-13 Artifacts base cards look like:

The front

I am a huge fan of these cards. I love the ice surface background, the silver foil and the crisp player action shots. Definitely a set I want to complete, even if it means buying the whole base, non-sp set.

The back side

Love the design on the back too. The horizontal layout, a second photo, partial stats and a little write-up. Upper Deck, this is what Artifacts should look like, well done. 

Now time for the hits...

Hit 1: Jordan Eberle Gold Parallel /25

What a start. A low number parallel hit of one of my favourite players in the NHL and  is players I collect. 

Hit 2: Team Canada Dustin Tokarski /999

I love that UD included Team Canada players and once again I landed another PC guy! Tokarski numbered to /999 isn't overly exciting to some, but I love this kid and hopefully he will get to the NHL a little faster now that he is in Montreal. I would never buy this card, but getting it in a pack is fun and I will of course be keeping it.

Hit 3: Chay Genoway Rookie /999

I think this hit belongs to someone else. This is the only hit in the box that doesn't belong, but then again it is a rookie and I LOVE rookies so at the very least I have a card I don't mind keeping. Truth is, there won't be many more cards made of this guy between now and his retirement so maybe I should enjoy his moment in the sun......maybe.

Hit 4: Frozen Artifacts Claude Giroux

Many many years ago, I saw Claude play hockey several times. He was actually in NOVICE and ATOM  and I was the timekeeper for the games he would play in our town. I know this because I do remember him and back then he was a pretty solid player so I thought he might go somewhere.

Hit 5: Johnny Bower /999

Cool insert idea focusing entirely on goalies. There is certainly a lot of fans of goalies and goalie subsets. I am not one of them, but Mr. Bower is a class act and he gave me more than I bargained for with my TTM request so getting this card was loads of fun.

Hit 6: Tyson Barrie Rookie /999

Here is my second guaranteed rookie and I am very pleased with this one. Tyson was a former Team Canada World Junior and is a pretty solid prospect with the Avalanche. People might think I am crazy, I would take this over a Chris Kreider any day :)

Hit 7: Autographed Rookie Redemption IV /99

The hit of the box (and a case hit) in terms of value and potential. I like extended rookie cards and I love autographed extended rookie cards. I really can't wait to find out which guy I am going to get. It will be numbered to 99 which is awesome and I am going to find out who it is before I redeem as it might be more advantageous to move the card rather than keep it.

Hit 8: Tundra Tandems Jordan Staal and Eric Staal

Ahhh the Staal boys. We were all born in the same city and as a result I do like the two of them a great deal. I am still in need of an Eric Staal auto to go with my Jordan and Marc.

Hit 9: Anze Kopitar Game Jersey Parallel /125

Yet another player I really like. Numbered to /125 it isn't exceptionally rare, but I love the purple and black swatches and I really like the design of these cards.

Hit 10: Chicago Blackhawks Rookie Redemption

For those of you that don't know me, the Blackhawks have always been my "second" team. If the Devils are out or it is a Western Conference matchup, the Hawks are my team. It began with Belfour and ever since I just have always liked the team. Currently, Toews and Kane are the two guys I like the most and I will share more on that in another post, but this redemption again it tailor made for me as I certainly don't mind getting this card either. One thing worth noting though, we are through the midpoint of the season and there have been no new Hawks to enter the NHL who don't already have a rookie card so this card could end up being a wild-card. So with that being said, I am also waiting to redeem this one as well since it might be advantageous to move it as well.

So there you go, my box broken. I loved every moment of the break and all the hits were very welcomed. There wasn't any card in this break that really is going to make me rich, but at the same time I could very easily keep every card and be extremely happy with the overall break. I hope to buy another box or two of this stuff, but I have a feeling that will need to wait until the summer when I may convince my wife it would be a good birthday gift! Well thanks for reading, I also have an awesome pack break coming in the next few posts too.

A pair of 70-71 OPC 'Keepers, and a little more tape

Here are a couple more pick-ups from the 70-71 OPC set. First up is a second year card of Tony Esposito.

70-71 OPC #153 Tony Esposito

Cool front, with Tony smiling. Some tape action which you have all come to expect from my blog.

Here is the back side of the card. It is in pretty decent shape and the write-up points out the phenomenal rookie season Tony had with the Hawks.

70-71 OPC #173 Cesare Maniago

This is a classic looking card to me. Mattress pads strapped to the legs and pillows stuffed under the jersey. This is what goalies used to look like before the Michelin Man brought the Ducks to the Stanley Cup finals.

Once upon a time 6' 3" was considered a large goalie, but by today's standards that is pretty common. Far from a rookie, I still picked this card up because the price was right (2 bucks) and there is a chance I just might chase this set since I already have some of the big name players.

A pair of Ginos - Paternal Twins

So a while back I traded away what was my only Evgeni Malkin rookie. I am not a mega fan of his by any stretch, so when I was able to get something more near and dear to my heart I was able to let it go pretty easily. But, since I am a avid rookie collector, I knew there would come a time when I would need to find a replacement....well here is what I came up with.

06-07 Bee Hive #144 Evgeni Malkin Rookie

I really like this card. For the price point, it is the best in my opinion of all the low-end Malkin rookies (Victory, OPC, Bee Hive, Ovation) in terms of appearance. I wish I scanned the back because even the back of this card is cool looking. I know it isn't worth anywhere near as much as my Sweet Shot version, but I actually think I like this card more.

06-07 Bee Hive Wood Evgeni Malkin Rookie Parallel

Well my LCS had a second Malkin rookie and it found its way home with me. I like the different look of this one, the black and white photo with wood trim looks a tiny bit like the Series 3 Bee Hive ones from the mid-late 60's. Having a second definitely makes it possible for me to use one or both as trade bait in the future, or gives me two fun Malkins in my collection filling an important void of having a copy of this superstar's rookie. Fact is, I think bang for buck in the Malkin department these are the best deals to be had, but then again, any deal is the best deal until the next one :)

70-71 OPC Bobby Orr Conn Smythe - Maybe time to call this blog tape stained cards?

Funny I know, I may have more tape stained cards than any other collector out there by now. Fact is, there are some amazing deals in my LCS on vintage tape stained cards. This latest offering was less than 10 dollars for a card that is in excellent shape if you can look past the tape. Back side is clean and perfect with a portion of a puzzle.

70-71 OPC #252  Bobby Orr Conn Smythe Award Winner 

Card books for 60 and typically they sell online for every bit of that and more. I don't think I would personally shell out that much for this card so getting one in rough shape is perfect for a guy like me. If it was a regular base card I would go all out, but Trophy cards and stuff like that are pretty low on my collectors list. However, it is the best defenseman of all-time, so all cards of his are somewhat desirable to me.

Box Break Loot from Cardboard Conundrum

As I get through my posts, I need to share some fun loot from a box break a while ago with Matt from Cardboard Conundrum. Initially I had signed up for the Devils, but then my secondary team wasn't terribly interesting to me, but Matt was kind enough to trade me for the Islanders so here we go, three boxes (10-11 Luxury, 11-12 Anthology and 11-12 Enforcers)

I will kill all suspense and say that I hit nothing of note on the Anthology box except a Pinnacle rookie of Anders Nilsson.

The Luxury Suite box was my best success with three cards:

Gotta love J-T, he is showing why he was the first overall pick in 09 as he sits 5th in goals with 16 at the moment. Boring swatch, but a nice hit regardless.

 My favourite hit of the lot and not just because it is a rookie auto. I think this kid is a good defenseman and he has potential to be very good offensively. Overall, the best card in terms of my "value" I place on each card.

I really felt this kid could have been a good offensive defenseman. I am not wrong about that at the AHL level, but it looks like I may have over-estimated his NHL potential.

Is it me, or does that auto look wrong? I actually had to look online to see if there was a mistake with the stickers on this one....Turns out there wasn't and Gillies starts with an M.

There you go, another great Conundrum break. I think I ended up ahead on this break even if all my good hits were Islanders. 

69-70 Topps Alex Delvecchio

Here is another one for the PC. Some day, hopefully in the near future, I will be able to post a list of all the Delvecchio cards I have and need. In the meantime, I guess I will just continue sharing.

This one was a very cheap acquisition since it is a later career Delvecchio card and a Topps version at that.

69-70 Topps #64 Alex Delvecchio 

A little love wear on the corners, no creases and good colouring. Most of the cards in this set are posed so no surprise here, Alex is staring into the light and may have been saying cheese.

Cool looking backside to these cards. Like with the front, it is off centered vertically, but that doesn't take away from the look much to me. Cute cartoon, though I suspect Alex has never asked anyone to call him "Fats", though I could be wrong there. A nice simple card in decent shape that was bundled together with the Reed Larson auto and others. 

Dirt Cheap Autos

Really no time lately at all to post...but I got a free moment, so here are 4 autos I bought, no one auto cost more than a 1.50 and most were in the 30-50 cent range...

1995 Signature Rookies Nolan Baumgartner Auto

I loved this guy as a kid. He played for my favourite junior club at the time Kamloops (pictured in card above) and he captained Team Canada to two World Junior golds. Didn't have the same success in the NHL, but was a solid pro defenseman mostly in the AHL.

1995 Signature Rookies Richard Park Auto

Former Belleville Bull Richard Park is the next auto in this post. Richard was a very solid third-line centre in the NHL and even though he never matched his junior numbers in the NHL, he did play over 700 NHL games and he did  have a 40 goal season in the AHL.


1995 Signature Rookies Radek Dvorak

Of all the autos, maybe Radek had the more successful NHL careers. He appeared in over 1100 NHL games and he hit double digits for goals 12 times and had a career high in 2000 with 31 goals. Radek isn't very familiar with the playoffs however, despite his long NHL career, he only saw the post-season 4 times. The fun thing is, two of the four times were Cinderella runs (one with Florida and one with Edmonton).

97-98 Pinnacle Be A Player  Jocelyn Thibault

Thibault was a decent goalie for a while, but I can't say the same for his auto, what a mess. His career was pretty solid, 51st in all-time wins with 238 and 36th all-time with 39 shut-outs. Jocelyn may have only won as many games as he lost, but his g.a.a was a very solid 2.75 and in 02-03 he helped make the Blackhawks respectable posting 8 shuouts!

Cheap autos without making yourself feel cheap! I got a few more in that lot deal, but I am saving them for later posts.

01-02 SPX Jody Shelly Rookie - Auto'd

Here is one tough rookie!  Shelley is one hell of a tough guy and this former Moosehead had 25 goals and 420 penalty minutes in his final junior season showing he could do it all if he had to. Currently he is with the Flyers but is on the IR with a bad hip, but even all injured up, I would never want to drop the gloves with this guy.

The 01-02 SPX Rookies came unautographed, but the previous owner must have tracked him down and got him to sign it. I suspect this auto is legit mainly because WHO WOULD SERIOUSLY forge a Jody Shelley auto. Combine that with the fact that he played junior hockey an hour from my house and where I bought this auto,  I think it is all good.

01-02 SPX Jody Shelley Rookie Home /1500

I saw this card sitting at the LCS with a super low price and knew it was worth the chance. I think that one of the best features is the fact that someone tried covering up the chips with a blue marker...see upper right for best example. This card is just downright tough like the man himself!

RIP Stomping Tom

Truly a sad passing of an Canadian legend.

A Shiny Wayner - Thanks Casey!

Not much time to post today, but I did want to show off my new Shiny Wayner. This was actually in my LA Kings winning batch compliments of Casey from Drop The Gloves! I am a huge Wayne Gretzky fan and I have never seen this card before and I must say I do like it a lot!

93-94 Topps Premier Black Gold #7 Wayne Gretzky

I have all the Premiers from 90-92, but nothing past and clearly I am missing some gems as a result. Might need to track this one down, or at least the Black Gold insert set.

11-12 Rookie Anthology - Slava Voynov

After the pain of the Stanley Cup finals subsided, I was happy that it was the Kings that won the cup instead of some other team (Rangers, Flyers, etc) if the Devils weren't going to be the ones to do it. I am also able to not let me love blind me completely and be rather objective when I watch a game and it is this objectivity that leads me to today's post. 

Slava Voynov impressed me a great deal in the Stanley Cup finals. I had no idea who this kid was really going into that series, but seeing how well he manned the blue-line, especially in offensive situations, I became a bit of a fan. He moves the puck well, skated well and I just remember him not letting the Devils out of their end whenever they would try and clear the puck on his side. Offensively he didn't register a single point in the Stanley Cup finals, but he always seemed to be creating chances and being in the thick of things. His performance won me over and meant that I needed to track down a rookie card. 

Here is what I got after the sting wore off....

11-12 Rookie Anthology - Rookie Treasures Slava Voynov /499

Great auto, numbered and even some extra marker action likely from being careless with his sharpie while signing the sheet of stickers. In all, a winner if you ask me and I am very happy to have this card and I still think he is going to be a superstar in the NHL. Last night he had a 3 assist performance against Nashville and that gives him 3 goals, 9 assists on the season in 20 games. I think that he has excellent potential and with Doughty, LA has a solid back-end for years to come.